Romy Suzara's
Somewhere (Viva Films) achieves thematic unity through its theme, that man is a victim of circumstances. Silvio (Rudy Fernandez), is sentenced to life imprisonment for a crime he did not commit. Similarly, Silvio's attack on Logan (Johnny Delgado) is as much a product of fear for his own life as it is revenge for the death of his best friend Tengteng (Dencio Padilla). In a sense, Silvio is guiltless, both legally and morally. Despite his innocence, however, he is convicted, discriminated against and finally killed. The film also succeeds in putting violence in its rightful place. The shoot-out at the end is particularly well-done. It is a violent scene with ruthless men going at each other's throats the way only caged animals do. There is blood all over and Suzara succeeds in balancing gore with significance, blood is there, but it is there for a purpose. The scene is violent because the film can only end in violence. A directorial decision however is the root of the film's failure. Suzara chooses to begin and end the film with Shirley (Lorna Tolentino), now a popular singer, singing the movie's theme song which bring memories of her entire experience with Silvio. In other words, the whole story turns out to be a catharsis of sorts for Shirley. This narrative frame fails because Silvio's story revolves around the theme of being a victim. There is no indication of any hope for victims of societal prejudice. Like Silvio, in other words, Shirley should be a victim of society. If there is anything we learn from Silvio's plight, it is that there is absolutely no hope for the poor and the oppressed, that victims will always be victims, that man is forever enslaved by forces much bigger than himself.
In terms of performance, Lorna Tolentino's fiery emotional labor mines the lurid and lasting legacies of social transformation in the life of a singing superstar hemmed in by the contradictions of love and success. The changes in her life nourish the mental resources which she participates in changing her society and her being a woman. Rudy Fernandez's brave and resolute depiction of a man wronged and determined to claim the woman he loves chills to the bone. The backstage elements of the story are merely perfunctory with Michael de Mesa playing Shirley's manager, George and Deborah Sun as Beba, her personal assistant. The supporting cast are particularly excellent, although special mention must be made of Armida Siguion-Reyna's Doña Corazon and Col. Victor Morena played by Leroy Salvador. On the whole, then, if we ignore its narrative frame,
Somewhere could have been a significant film. It says what has to be said about human nature, that it is not supreme, that it is subject to various attacks, that it is brutal and violent. This melodrama therefore assumes the dimensions of a fable about people who look for love in the wrong places and find it on the run.
Somewhere says something significant, then loses its nerve.
Directed By: Romy Suzara
Story By: Carlo J. Caparas
Serialized In Pilipino Komiks
Screenplay By: Jose N. Carreon And Orlando Nadres
Director Of Photography: Ernesto dela Paz
Musical Director: George Canseco
Film Editor: Ike Jarlego, Jr.
Production Design: Manny Morfe
Produced By: Viva Films
Release Date: July 26, 1984
Somewhere theme song performed by Regine Velasquez
