An animated film is hard to come by in the Filipino movie industry and it took Saving Sally ten years to find its home on the big screen (although some cinemas decided to ignore it). Despite not being a fully animated film, Saving Sally makes use of animation to create a comic book geek’s dream-come-true: A beautiful, charming, and heartwarming film where the geek himself is the star of the story.
The hero of the film is Marty, an art student with a talent for making comics who falls in love with his best friend, Sally. Against a phallically-depicted boyfriend, physically abusive parents, and the dreaded friendzone, Marty tries to save Sally and express his feelings for her, while juggling his own life as a comic book artist with a deadline to meet. Marty presents himself as the not-so-knight-in-shining-armor to Sally’s manic pixie dream girl-esque damsel in distress. However, Sally – who suffers domestic abuse from her parents – is not a shy and reserved damsel in distress. The movie successfully connects the main elements of Marty’s life—romancing Sally and becoming a published comic book artist—and puts them together almost seamlessly, only missing the mark when it comes to following Marty’s progress after he gets together with Sally. The pacing was a bit off, though, with both dull moments and moments too crammed with plot development. It does help to have a good memory to fully appreciate all the bits of detail that the filmmakers added in the 90-minute film.
The film thrives on these little details: the monsters that Marty sees around the world, the whimsical establishment signs like “Sandara Park” and “TukMall” and the fact that the main characters look like they wear the same thing everyday. It’s all part of the charm of the film. The animation highlights all the small things, but this isn’t a case of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. The animation had to provide a much-needed emotional boost to the film to augment the flat acting by Enzo Marcos as Marty. The monsters that scattered in the film could have featured more interaction. The film also suffers from poor character development with Sally. Despite being cute and endearing, her character was all over the place, not clearly having a singular goal. Moments like when she managed to get a boyfriend despite her strict parents and her decision on a college made her character feel incomplete. Rhian Ramos delivered a great performance, but could not save Sally from being a confusing character. The ending didn’t satisfy the suspense held throughout the film. The slow burn type of ending did not give the climax deserved after all that happened between the two main characters.
Despite the errors that plagued the film, the film redeems itself in its small moments. Scenes like Sally eating isaw and Marty falling smoothly from the real world then drowning in an animated ocean were incredibly enjoyable moments. Supporting characters like Marty’s amusing parents and the kooky publisher of Marty’s comics enrich the story. The gratifying feeling of Marty achieving his dreams distracts from the plot holes and the dull acting.
In the end, the undeniable feeling of endearment and attachment to these moments overwhelms the technical flaws. For a venture into a seemingly unknown territory in the Filipino film industry, Saving Sally delivers a charming take on the popular romance genre.
Rating: 3.5/5