Notes from Unknown Maladies

Liryc Dela Cruz / Philippines / 2017 / European Premiere / 62 min.

synopsis

A minimalist observational portrait of 94-year-old Concepcion presents the life of a person suffering with mental illness for fifty years. After a nervous breakdown, the filmmaker’s grandmother decided to isolate from the rest of the world and deal with the disease itself. In her solitude she is haunted with random memories, hallucinations, and gradually begins to face loss of memory and intellect. A black-and-white film steeped in a melancholic mood sensitively captures the themes of old age, disease and human loneliness. The slow pace and limited dialogue helps the viewer to transcend the world of a suffering single woman in a discreet and highly suggestive manner.

"Dear Grandma, If you will see me lost in the unknown one day, please remind me about the suffering and memory of our nation. Only history and truth can save my fragile heart." L. P. Dela Cruz

biography

Liryc Paolo Dela Cruz (1992) is a Filipino film director, screenwriter and producer. He is the creator of several short films that are thematically related to his origins, history, and personal psychology. He often collaborates with the Philippine independent filmmaker Lavey Diaz and is considered one of the representatives of the slow cinema movement. In his contemplative films, he uses long minimalistic shots, without either a story or dialogue.