Three friends seek sanctuary in music, in this ambitious musical short by 21-year-old Philippine filmmaker Robin Estargo that enchants more than not.
Fireflies follows a wannabe songwriter, a closeted
restaurant worker and a teenager after her abortion, as they negotiate
heartache through song and dance over a night of drinking. The everyday
experience of hiding behind a good song translates on-screen with great style,
but its youthful energy is somewhat muted by stilted acting from its young
actors, who play second fiddle to the soundtrack.
The real stars of the
film are the original compositions that quite literally grant our characters a
break from reality in the most colourful of ways. We are treated to three easy-listening
pop songs that take over three key sequences. The dominant presence of original
music is impressive for a short film, but without distinct identities the three
songs blend into each other, and may eventually lapse into background music for
some viewers. It’s a shame, because the musical compositions display
considerable heart and talent.
With some fine-tuning,
writer-director-musician Robin Estargo could shape his undeniable ambition and
flair for experimentation into a unique filmography, one that stands out from
the wave of gritty social realism predominating Philippine cinema in recent
times. This young director is one to watch.
SINdie conducted an
email interview with writer-director Robin Estargo on his short film Fireflies.
SINdie: Congratulations on your short
film! What was the inspiration behind it?
Fireflies is inspired by the lives of vilified Filipino ‘Millennials’
and ‘Generation Z’, who are perceived as entitled, but are really just misunderstood.
It was my college
thesis film, and I wanted to encapsulate my journey of self-discovery in college.
It was when I first drank, came out as gay and had my first kiss.
In my college (De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde), there is this night culture popularly known
as ‘Happy Thursday’; classes for the weekend on a Thursday and students make
use of it for drunken all-nighters. The next day is a free day for hangovers.
I had my first drink during
one of these Thursdays, and met friends who shared secrets about heartbreak,
family problems, suicidal thoughts, depression, sexuality, abortion… If the
walls of those bars could talk, it would be an overflowing bowl of stories that
need to be addressed and heard from today’s troubled youth.
I wanted Fireflies
to be that voice for them; a voice filled with optimism and comfort that says,
“Hey, it’s okay. Everything is alright. You always have someone to talk to.” They
need to know that their story is not unique and that they are not alone. I have
felt the same way, whenever my parents dismiss me for talking about my mental
health problems and true sexuality.
Many Philippine
films in recent times seem to focus on the crime and danger arising from the Philippine
Drug War, but your film is noticeably lighter and more optimistic.
I find these films that
focus on the Philippine Drug War very important too. Most Filipino films that attract
acclaim overseas tend to focus on the crisis and murders. I feel that
foreigners only get to see this one problem lingering in the Philippines
because of this current, unintentional and unfortunate subject in Philippine
cinema. And foreigners eat up these types of Filipino films because it’s what
they often hear from the news.
I wanted Fireflies
to be the antithesis to this matter, a unique, optimistic silver lining to this
era in Philippine cinema.
But even the drinking
culture that the youth utilise as a form of innocent catharsis gets touched by
the issue at hand, because people do not feel safe on the streets they’re used to.
I give a little nod to it in a scene when my two characters run from the police
and a gun is clicked without being fired.
The Philippine Drug
War raises a lot of sociopolitical problems, but I believe we also have a
responsibility to focus on other problems that are rarely talked about. These
are the concerns that teenagers raise at the dining table, but are dismissed by
parents as unimportant. What parents don’t realise is that these issues are
worthy of time, too. And they question why these kids would rather tell their
stories in bars, with friends over drinks? It’s because no one else wants to
listen.
Music plays a big part in your film. Was
the story written around the songs, or the songs composed to match the story?
It was a mix of both.
I wrote Fireflies’ first concept when I was drunk in a bar with friends, Ash,
Amiel, and Kaye. It was my first time drinking. Amiel lent me his pen.
I wanted to make a
film that dances with the music, as I was inspired by all the lights in the
bar, my friends dancing to the music, the noise, and the camaraderie a place
can initiate from people. All the characters were inspired by people from my
life.
In my screenplay, I
described the three pieces of music that I wanted to produce, what it should
feel like and what the lyrics should contain. At first, I wanted to compose
original songs. I’m very close to the independent musician, Ruru (Denice).
She’s currently on tour in the US, and I knew I wanted to work with her on a
musical project back when we were best friends in college. When I was looking
for music producers, Denice was at the top of my list, and she agreed.
I also became friends
with Anthony, the lead vocalist from a local band, Space Onigiri. When I
discovered their dream pop EP called, ‘OK’, I was ecstatic, because the three songs
matched exactly how I wanted the music to feel and what the lyrics should
contain. I eventually decided to include all three songs in the film.
Finally, Ruru’s ‘Sepanx’
started as an inspiration, but its lyrics were so close to what I wanted my
film’s first song to be, that we eventually decided to reproduce it with my
actor, Ash on vocals.
I had 76 scenes in the
script, whereas a Filipino feature-length film would typically have 40 scenes. People
were shocked, but I defended it, because it was almost like a trilogy of music
videos, composed of many cuts and single-shot scenes.
How did your
professors and friends react to the finished film?
People loved it! A few
said I should not call it a musical because it is just three music videos
compressed into one film, and I’m like, “Yes! Exactly!” That was what I wanted
to achieve.
But this was a
rebellious choice for a thesis film concept, as a film professor once told me
that music videos are not cinema. But still, Fireflies is indeed a
musical, when you think about it.
You have a remarkable portfolio of
shorts, documentaries and music videos for your age. How did you get started in
filmmaking?
That was how my eyes
were exposed to cinema, through my grandmother. I grew up watching a lot of
horror movies with her. But I first realised my potential in filmmaking in high
school, about six years ago.
My school had this
annual event, in which third-year students should make a full length film as a
class requirement. It would be screened in the school’s film festival and we
would sell tickets for it. Highest grossing film wins. My classmates picked me to
direct our film. Our camera was this junky DSLR and we edited the film on our
laptops. We knew nothing about film at that time. I actually watched it again
recently and it was not a great film but back then, it was a work of art for
us. We were the highest grossest film, and we used what we earned to fund classroom
expenses, as far as I can remember.
I always want to be
three steps ahead of everybody, or more. In my first year of college, I was
already interning at film companies. I was already filming shorts and
documentaries. I was already winning at film festivals. My first big project
was when I directed a documentary for my college and had director Jose “Joey”
Javier Reyes, a god in the Philippine film industry, as my producer. I was in
my second or third year at that time. After that, people hired me to be their
cinematographer, director, and/or producer, and I wasn’t even out of college
yet.
My biggest influence
in filmmaking would be my past and my childhood. I know, most of the time,
filmmakers credit other filmmakers they admire as their influences. My films are
mostly drawn from my own life. I lived in a small conservative town in this
province in the Philippines called Laguna. I’ve heard stories from my aunts and
uncles about provincial life, and I’ve experienced my own story of recklessness
and rebellion from that type of life.
Fireflies, in a way, was born from my story of
recklessness, when I moved to Manila for college and shifted toward a more liberal,
independent way of life. That recklessness is important to me. I needed that at
the time. I think that’s where my source of anger comes from as well. A
director is known for his unique source of anger that makes him do the type of
films he does. I think my childhood is my source of anger.
What was the biggest challenge in making
this film and how did you overcome it?
As usual in many small
independent films, the biggest challenge was funding. All funding came from my
family’s pocket. We were middle-class people earning a standard income and trying
to make a high-budget film.
But come to think of
it, money never felt like an issue during production.
Many people offered
free locations, equipment and work, in exchange for nothing but the experience
in making a film. I’m eternally grateful to my crew. They stayed up all night
for nine days to finish our film. I’m also thankful for my producer, Jayvery; my
co-producer, my mother; and for my family and relatives who travelled from
Laguna to Manila to help with my thesis film.
Every character you
see in Fireflies, as well as every crew member you don’t see, is played
by a friend, relative, or schoolmate. I would not be where I am today, and the
film would not be where it is today, if it were not for them.
What can we expect from you next?
I was a finalist in a recent
film pitching event in the Philippines with a short film I am currently
developing. I won two post-production prizes for it and I’m currently applying
for a production grant, so we’ll see where that goes. I’m also waiting for a
music video project to be greenlit, and I’m still waiting for more
opportunities to open for me.
Fireflies was screened recently at the 2019 SeaShorts Film Festival in Melaka.
Interview answers have been edited for clarity.
Interview answers have been edited for clarity.
Written by Joshua Ng