149. Nervous Translation; movie review

NERVOUS TRANSLATION
Cert PG
90 mins
BBFC advice: Contains mild sex references

This is a startling figure - one in four Filipinos will work abroad and send money home.
This means that children don't see one or both of their parents for months or maybe years at a time.
It is a way of life which was known in the UK in the 1980s when men went to work on building sites in Germany or the Far East but less so nowadays.
Consequently, Nervous Translation will not chime as loudly as it will do in the Philippines and other countries which see a mass exodus for work.
Shireen Seno's film stars Jana Agoncillo as eight-year-old Yael who is bright as a button but withdrawn and living in her own private world.
Indeed, she seems way out of step with her cousins who act their age by dancing and singing in front of their relatives
Yael lives at home with a mother while her father is providing money from a job in Saudi Arabia.
Her only connection with him is the recorded cassettes which he sends to her mother and to which she listens constantly.
She is then occupied by trying to find a magic pen which is advertised on TV as being able to translate nervous thoughts.
Shireen Seno's movie is odd and will only appeal to those who appreciate very quirky movies which have little focus.
I'll be honest and admit that I struggled with it.
Yes, I saw the sadness of a little girl, split up from her dad and the pressures working away brings upon families.
But the movie is mainly dedicated to trying to get inside the head of an eight-year-old who does little more than listen to cassettes, watch TV and practice English sentences.
Consequently, it just isn't very stimulating.

Reasons to watch: Quiet exploration of a child's loneliness
Reasons to avoid: Not enough going on to maintain attention

Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 4.5/10

Did you know? In the Philippines, the lure of a job abroad has pulled more than 10 million people out of their homes and scattered them across the world, many in Gulf nations. Official remittances sent back to the Philippines by overseas workers now top $26bn, or nearly 15% of the country’s GDP.

The final word. Shireen Seno: "Nervous Translation is based on my experiences growing up a reluctant child of the Philippine diaspora. It’s a portrait of the quintessential Filipino family nowadays, since the 80s, where we only see and hear fragments of each other, and always in spurts."

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