Short Film Review: Gawilan (2019) by Kelsy Lua

Ernie Gawilan‘s story is a genuine triumph of life. He was born in the Paquibato district of Davao City, with underdeveloped extremities resulting to him lacking both legs and an underdeveloped left limb due to surviving an attempted abortion and poor pre-natal healthcare. His mother died of cholera and his father abandoned him to his grandparents who were the ones to raise him. Eventually, when he was 9 years old, he took up swimming, which eventually became his way out of his life. After many international awards, in 2015, he satisfied the Olympic qualifying time that allowed him to compete for the 2016 Summer Paralympics held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

“Gawilan” review is part of the Submit Your Film Initiative

Kelsy Lua's 5-minute documentary focuses on his current situation through a number of scenes showing him training in the pool and walking in the streets, with his narration communicating his thoughts about his life, and particularly the mocking and bullying he has experienced throughout it, and the ways swimming has helped him overcome both this and his physical limitations. “No matter how hard life is, you need to remind yourself to focus on something” says Gawilan, synopsizing the documentary and its didactic/empowering nature in the best fashion.

DP Bardo Wu focuses on Gawilan's body intently, juxtaposing his underdeveloped extremities with his rather muscular body, with the latter essentially being a metaphor for his past and the latter for his present and future, and the ways he overcame his limitations. A second antithetical juxtaposition, that of the poor streets and the impressively depicted water of the pool, seems to state roughly the same. Gawilan's narration provides an adequate soundtrack for the movie, to the point that the actual music seems somewhat unnecessary and even too melodramatic in its nature, with the same applying to the extended use of slow-motion. On the other hand, the ending with the Olympic Games is impressive and provides a well-fitted finale to this touching story.

Kelsy Lua's short may emerge as too melodramatic on occasion, but its purpose, of highlighting a remarkable man and, in the process, motivating people with similar issues all over the world, is achieved 100%, deeming the film a more than worthy watch.