Walay Balay

Filipino director Eve Baswel collaborates with Malaysian filmmaker Gogularaajan Rajendran for this black and white Cannes 2024 Director’s Factory short about a daughter (Ruby Ruiz) and her mother (regular Lav Diaz collaborator Shaina Magdayoa).

The context - a backdrop of the Siege of Marawi, which left many displaced from the city as the government clashed with militants for months - is quite tricky to get a handle on but the emotional underpinning of the film rings true.

The directors generate a deep sense of longing as we watch the women go about their lives from their home on the beach, particularly from the older Ruiz, whose gaze out to see, her voice, mimicking the sound of a ship’s horn tells us all we need to know about her state of yearning. The filmmakers also draw on the natural environment of the sea and the wind in order to create a sense of movement that contrasts with the women's stillness. As the film unfolds, there starts to be a delicate exploration of what the concept of home means.

The light is captured beautifully by Pao Orendain and the framing is poetic and handled with care.