Chapter 110 - Positano

May 15, 2012 – Tuesday 1 pm – Positano, Italy

"Ah… I guess this will do, right ladies and gentlemen?" Tayaw said proudly as him and his company arrived at their accommodation. Over the past few days, Tayaw cannot book any hotel rooms in Sorrento and the nearby cities of Pompeii and Salerno.

Tayaw, with the connections of the translator who worked on his film's Italian subtitles, managed to rent a huge five bedroom house in the coast village of Positano which is only 9 km away from Sorrento. Without the translator's help, Tayaw would have had to rent hotel rooms in Naples, which is over an hour away from Sorrento.

"This will do? You rented a HOUSE! And. The view is also very beautiful. Did you have to?" Iliene said.

Even though Positano is small, the village built on the cliff side along the Amalfi coast. This means that the sloped layout of the village provides practically every house and every building in the village a good view of the blue Tyrrhenian Sea.

"Hey. The owner of the house was gracious enough to give me a discount. It's fine. Or. Would you rather ride an hour or so every day to Sorrento?" Tayaw said which was true. The house is a vacation home by a businessman in Milan and is usually not for rent.

"Well. You're right. I mean, the traffic alone…" Iliene said.

This year, an estimated 15,000 people are invited by the festival. It consists of people that are expected to attend like actors, directors and screenwriters. A good chunk of the attendees are also people who work behind the scenes like cinematographers, editors and others.

Industry professionals however are just a small chunk; around 20% of the 15,000 people. The majority of the people invited by the festival are not even film professionals at all but friends of the Sorrento Festival board like socialites, film distributor representatives, and executives that are sponsoring the festival. Some are also people who will cover the films like reputable journalists, and famous movie critics.

15,000 people were already more than enough for all the hotels, inns, and other accommodations of Sorrento. 15,000 after all is just a thousand shy away short of the entire population of Sorrento. What makes it difficult to rent a room in Sorrento, and even the nearby cities of Salerno and Naples, is because it's not only the 12,000 that would flock to Italy.

Movie fans from all over the world are also flocking in Sorrento, Salerno, and Pompeii. Even though these movie fans were not invited for the festival, theaters all over Sorento, Salerno and Pompeii would conduct screenings parallel to the Sorrento Film Festival. These movie theaters however, are going to show films that are were among the 50 films that were selected by the festival jury for the competition.

"Alright. I'll take my room now. You guys also rest, y'all look tired. If you want to go out, please be careful. Uranto, Iliene, your translators are not arriving until tomorrow." Tayaw said and excused himself. He then went up excitedly to the room he already chose prior to their arrival. From the photos of the owner sent him online, Tayaw already knew the general lay-out of the house and which room has the best view and lighting.

Tayaw is actually not planning on watching any films in the first few days of the festival. From the submissions he read in the film festival's website, Tayaw could already guess how the films would go. The sports genre is still one of the most popular topics for movies even in an international film festival like in Sorrento.

Stories about fictional sports stars: sports star struggling with fame, a sports star struggling choosing his love of his life or his career, or an unassuming pro athlete that would change their life after finding love or a new friend. There are also stories about an athlete/s' journey: an aspiring athlete or a rookie climbing, grinding, and fighting their way to the top.

Then there are movies about sports teams, the classic underdog story. These movies usually end two ways; the team become champions for the first time, or they are just shy away from winning a championship but they have proven themselves that they're something.

There are also the sports movies Tayaw abhors; coach stories. Stories like; a pro athlete that was forced to retire then turns to become a coach to continue his passion. Then the type of movies he hates the most are the ones that tell the story about some coach that grew up in a well to do family that goes to the inner city or slums to train the kids, for charity. This is especially prevalent in English speaking countries like USA and UK, or countries like the ones in South America and south Asia. The story goes the same every time.

The story goes: a rich coach goes to the inner city and they don't welcome him. He goes home shell shocked and tells it to his wife or girlfriend. Then the wife or girlfriend convinces the coach to not give up. Then the coach goes back to the inner city, draws out their rough and ragged beauty, then the next scene, he'll be dancing or wearing shit that he would never otherwise wear, just to belong.

While he admits that these films are dramatic, heartwarming and sometimes are well told; they've been told many times before, only in different skins.

The second type of movies in the festival, is just as old as cinema itself; Romantic movies.

The typical premise of a romance movie is that two characters meet, usually of opposite genders, then part ways due to an argument or some kind of hurdle in their relationship. Then, they after going over the hurdle, they finally realize their love for each other. Sometimes the premise goes; two people would meet and quickly becomes a couple, then they must struggle through challenges, like a third party that disapproves of the relationship, or just the traits of each character that would make it hard for the couple to maintain a relationship. Finally, the movie usually ends on a happy ever after.

"Even though 'September Ninth' is also a type of romance film, at least it's different and new." Tayaw said to himself. He classifies his movie belonging to the Romance genre because of how Steven and DIwaya, by the end of the movie, reunited again. It was not as simple as that, however.

Steven's character is very flawed; he is materialistic and deemed himself as more important than he actually is. On the other hand, Diwaya is understanding, kind, and optimistic. This is why Steven could never be with Rita because he is too selfish. At the beginning of the film, Steven looked as if he was never going to change.

In order to change him, Jouny gave Steven an inescapable prison where he is forced to constantly confront his flaws. Whether Jouny intended it or not, it was a genius premise; in the first look at the film, the viewer no matter how knowledgeable they are in films, are not going to notice that Steven under the time loop, will inevitably change. This results to the viewer to anticipate the next step that Steven takes.

At first, Steve would understand the rules of what's happening to him. Next, he would try to fix it. When he cannot, he would try to get out. When he cannot get out, he would ask for help from the closest person he knows; Diwaya. And when he realized that he cannot escape his new reality, he will exploit it and is pushed into two paths: He indulges himself until he gets bored, or he challenges a specific goal until he has to admit his loss and move on to the next. The latter being the path he will be forced to take.

Tired of indulgences, he would now want to take Diwaya back as his goal. He tries everything he thinks of, but fails half the time. Even at the times he succeeds, Diwaya would still see the real Steven under all the gifts and serenades. The rejection and hurtful looks from Diwaya forced Steven to get to know himself, experience his flaws from being both evil and good.

Then, Steven gives up and would rather die than change for Diwaya. Despite knowing that he cannot die, he would try every way of dying he can think of and pursued them. So once again, Steven is exhausted in that path. That was when he realized that his life and what he wants isn't only things that matter.

There is nothing left for him to do, but change. Steve would try to make other people's lives better and because of how great it made him feel, he started becoming a good man. He goes back to Diwaya to take her back again, and make her realize that he is no longer the man he used to be. Even as Diwaya accepted Steven back, Steven is still trapped in his prison.

Realizing that Diwaya will never truly be his, he decided to finally let her go. He would let go of his desire and continue to make people's lives better, over and over again, forever. At this point, Steven reached the true essence of selflessness. That was only when he was released from his trap, and came out of it a better man, a perfect man for his true love.

In the end, the movie is not about the romance, but how Steven, a seemingly unchangeably unlikable man, change into a much better man that can be loved not only by Diwaya, but every person he meets. How Steven, a man who measured his happiness with things, found true happiness by living not only for himself but for other people.

"I just hope the Jury saw that." Tayaw wished.