When the Storm Fades (2018) - full transcript

Super Typhoon
Haiyan raced across the Philippine Islands,

kicking waves
up to 19-feet high.

Whole towns
looking like they've been washed away.

Thousands
of people have been killed.

Climate change,
without a doubt, is warming up the oceans

and oceans are where big
storms get their energy from.

We're looking at the
aftermath of one of the strongest storms

to ever tear across the ocean
and smash into land.

The economic cost
of this storm will approach $15 billion.

It is very, very difficult
conditions for the people here on the ground,

and it's not clear how much
longer it can continue like this.



Something has gotta give.

Get
international help to come here now.

Not tomorrow, now.

Hi.

Hi.

Ah, okay. Manumi.

I'm gonna get these as well.

Forty per kilo.

Okay, 40 per kilo.
Sounds good.

Papaya.

- No, no, no.
- What?

This one is...

- What is this?
- Papaya.

Papaya. Okay.



That's all, thank you.

We've just taken off
the bottoms, I think.

Uh, you'll just get one

- so that the roots will come out.
- Oh, okay.

- Put it in this one?
- This one.

One, two, three.

- Okay, maybe let's...
- Ah. It's full...

Your memory's full.

What?

I can't take any more pictures.

I thought I wiped it.

No, can I delete some stuff?

Well, yeah, but what is it?

Okay. Um...

There's some stuff
in the room, just kind of

the shoes.

No, not the shoes
'cause that's a funny shot.

- Okay.
- Of all the shoes 'cause they're so dirty.

Right. Okay.

Can I go back
further then, or...

Sure, yeah, go back further.
You can go back to...

- Go back to before we came.
- Okay.

Yeah, it's got pictures of

the dinner that you made

for me before we left.

How many of those are there?

There's, like... I feel,
like, there's 30 of those.

Okay, let's delete two.

You get the flash off?

Yeah, I don't
have the flash on.

You got it on HD?

- HDR, yeah, yeah.
- Okay.

So when you come, you stop,

bend down,
and keep your eye on...

on the... on the rim, and
then you just go for it, okay?

That's the physical part.

The mental part is you just
gotta believe in yourself.

Or else, it's like,

why'd you even show up, right?

So check this out,
do it exactly like I do it.

Here, that's how it's done.

That was close.

I mean, I usually
get it on the first try, but...

Going for it.

Yeah, that was...
That was good. I mean,

it was a little bit
of a sloppy start

but you got the goal,
so why does it matter?

We see the world
the same way, and that's why.

I think we are... found each
other and work together.

Yeah, because, I mean,
obviously we're... Thank you.

Perceptions, like, opened up
and we can like see more.

- Yeah.
- But, um...

But we have the...

- We have the money to come and do that.
- Yeah.

So it's like you're buying...

Buying yourself...

- Did that kid just throw a rock at a dog?
- Yeah.

That's fine. That's, like,
what it's like here.

How long will they take
to get that big?

Uh...

That, uh, mangrove,

uh, 2013, we, uh, planted that.

You feeling lunch soon?
Anyone feeling lunch?

The other one
we plant in January.

- This January, 2016.
- I can wait.

And they grow up fast.

I didn't have much
for breakfast but that's okay.

You know,

it's what the world wants
for us not to nap.

You know, first to work hard
and then go to another job

and work hard at that,

and then go and deal with family
at home, which is like work.

And then never have time to nap

and then, you know,
you don't feel like yourself

when you wake up from a nap.

You get to when you're 60,
you don't feel like yourself.

I think animals do it right.
Like cats.

Cats are just laying around.

Wake 'em up with a noise, they wake up for a second.

Then they go back to bed.

Yeah, you're like a cat.

I'm like a cat.

I'll watch you.

Well, if you wanna join me,

you're more than welcome.

But, uh, they wanted us all
to wear really short skirts,

like, lot of leg,

and, uh, I didn't
want to do that...

...uh, so I quit that, um...

And then
I was working for a while

as a receptionist
at an acupuncturist.

- What is that?
- Um...

Like, acupuncture is like, uh...

people come in and
they... they stick needles...

- Oh, okay.
- ...in their bodies.

Yeah, and it feels, like, good.

Like, people want to do that.

But I just feel like it wasn't
really challenging, so I would, like,

fall asleep at my desk,
and no one cared.

So, um... So I guess
I don't know. I'm, uh...

kind of trying to figure it out.

- You're still finding what you want.
- Yeah.

Yeah, still trying to find it.
But I guess whatever it is,

I hope that it's,

like, spiritually fulfilling,
like, feels good.

Yes, I don't know,

maybe work with kids or
something, I don't know. But, um...

Do you know what you wanna do?

- Yeah, I want to become a chef.
- Yeah?

- A chef? Amazing.
- Yeah.

- Are you in school for that?
- Yeah.

I'm in, uh, Atrium.

It's a hotel restaurant
management.

Oh, okay. So what do
you... What do they teach?

Baking, uh, bartending,
housekeeping, um, cooking.

- Wow.
- Yes.

And in my fourth year,
my last year in college,

um, we go to Singapore

for the on-the-job training

for three to six months.

But I don't know yet
if I can go there

'cause we don't have
enough money.

But my mama and my papa

is keeping the money
for me to go there.

Great. Wow!

Well, sounds like
you have it all figured out.

I don't know what I wanna do

so you're better than me
with that.

Thank you.

- Cheers, guys.
- Cheers.

How many different
groups are around there?

Two hundred or so
in Tacloban even, is it?

- Here in Tacloban?
- Yeah.

Seven to eight, probably.

Every one.

Every major one
you've ever heard about.

- Yeah.
- And, um,

- a couple of hundred of them...
- UN, UNICEF,

Save the Children,
the Red Cross.

We were building, um,
kua homes in Barangay 83-C,

and they were just
designed to be

replacements for their homes
that people were living in

that were knocked down
by Yolanda.

- That's amazing. That's great.
- Yeah.

Lot of the mangrove trees
got, uh, destroyed as well.

So we've been kind of
out in the shoreline,

uh, kind of planting the trees.

What they do is, I don't know
if you're familiar with them,

but they have very strong roots,

and the strong roots kind of
permeate and grow like a tree,

uh, throughout, like, and
they kind of solidify the shore.

There's a certain space between the
mangrove trees that you need to have,

which is something that
we learned from Abner.

Um... so there's this whole,
like, give and take between me,

and Clare and Abner,
who's teaching us

about the kind of rules

- of how they function.
- Oh. We don't know.

- Yeah. We know some stuff.
- I mean, we know him, we're not...

We know some stuff.

There's no give and take.
It's mostly,

- he's giving us knowledge and we're helping...
- Right. Yeah.

- We're helping. Yeah.
- ...in a small way.

- So... Yeah.
- Yeah.

- Yeah. We're just planting those.
- Yeah.

Hopefully, you know,
they'll do some good.

- Yeah.
- Yeah.

I was working with
the university here.

Uh, we were looking at
replacing the mangroves

- that were originally planted...
- Mmm-hmm.

...with some
tissue culture samples

- from a different species...
- Oh, okay.

- ...since the first species didn't actually take.
- Oh.

Um, unfortunately, now
they're, uh, carrying out

or building the new wall,

- instead of the mangrove, right?
- I'm building a compost box.

I know you were talking about
building, I'm building a compost box.

Yeah. Yeah.

It's like the first one, I think, that's
gonna be in the neighborhood,

- like, ever.
- Well... Yeah.

What's, um... Mmm-hmm.

What's, uh, what's your
educational background?

- Ah, I just have a bachelor's degree in biology.
- Wow.

How long did you
go to school for?

Uh, it took me six years
to get my bachelor's,

- but I did...
- Wow, that's a long time.

Yeah. I did a degree
in anthropology first.

- Wow.
- Oh, cool.

- Amazing.
- I didn't know that.

- Well, ethnography has been really useful...
- Yeah.

...for understanding various
aspects of such a different culture.

- And next year, I'll be enteringinto a master's in toxicology.
- Wow.

Which is what my project
right now is centered around.

- You all right?
- Yeah.

Are you sure?

- Yes, I'm okay.
- Yeah.

You want me to join you in your solemn walk?

You're already here,
so, yes.

I...

hate that you're saying that's
how my body looks.

Less wide of a stance.

A bit more...

A bit more curves and swirls.

- That's beautiful.
- Yeah.

Nilda, um, I wanted
to give you a gift today.

And this is for you.

- Thank you.
- Yeah, you can smell it.

It's... Do you like
the smell of it?

Yes, I like it. Good smell.

- It's nice.
- Yeah. It's called lavender.

I know it has
kind of a funny smell

but it grows in our garden
at home,

so my mom cut it and sent it
to me to give it to you.

- Oh, yes. Tell your mom "thank you."
- I will! I will.

This is a flower
from Canada to Philippines.

I guess it's a bit silly

for the flowers to travel
on a plane.

It's also not just a flower.

It also has, like,
medicinal purposes.

Oh, yes. Nice.

The smell is meant
to make you feel relaxed.

It's nice smell. I'm relaxed.

Yeah. So it's good
for sleeping

or rests for Arnel and so...

I just thought because
you don't have lavender

in the Philippines,
that would be nice.

I have. I do.

I see I have lavender.

- Oh, okay. Sure.
- Can you hold this? Yes.

Where did you put my...

Fuck!

This one, I have lavender.

Smell. You can smell this one.
It's very good.

Okay, yeah,
that's lavender there. Okay.

I guess I didn't
need to bring this then.

Okay. So let's talk about
why we're here today, okay?

Uh, let's talk about
safety first.

I, you know, don't wanna
hold the knife by that saw blade.

So, uh, you know,
I love the food here, okay?

I love it, uh,
but it's a lot of meat, right?

Uh, it's a lot of meat and rice.
Not a lot of veggies, so...

You know, what kind of veggies do
you, do you like or that grow here?

- I don't really know many.
- Yeah, so many vegetables.

Oh, there are so many? Okay.

- Okay, what are some of them?
- Eggplant. Repolio.

- Malunggay.
- Okay.

Camote tops, petsai, squash.

- Sayote. Ampalaya.
- Okay, that's a lot.

- Mangoes. Tomato.
- Okay.

- Mmm...
- Yeah.

Are you...

- Potatoes.
- That's...

Uh, we can talk
about that later.

- Uh, but that's... I didn't know about that.
- Carrots?

- Yeah, it's carrots.
- Carrots.

Uh, but where did
the veggies come from, right?

That's kind of
what we're taking about today.

They come from the soil, right?

So, we wanna make sure that
this stuff is fertile and ready to grow.

That's what the compost bin
is gonna do.

So, Arnel, do you wanna
come on down here

and help me out here?

Clare, can I ask you something,
uh, personal question?

- Yeah, of course.
- Um, are you Catholic?

Uh... I feel like
I'm like a spiritual person.

But I'm not... I've never reallygone to
church before so I don't, you know...

But not... I know a lot
of Catholic people at home,

great people.

There's traditions that
we take part in, you know,

like Christmas and, um...
is one, and then

maybe Saint Patrick's Day.
Is that here?

I think that that's,
uh, Catholic,

but, um...
No, I think it's great.

I, I would love to have
something to really believe in.

So I believe in myself
and, and people, mostly.

- Okay.
- Yeah.

- Wait.
- What?

No, it's okay.

There we go.

Now we're get...
Now we're getting somewhere.

You build anything else?

Oh, yeah. Easy-peasy.

Now we gotta
kind of, like, both...

Hey, Arnel, can you go
get me some water?

- Okay.
- Thanks, man.

This is house of my sister.

And here is our kitchen.

And then
this one is our bedroom.

Living room for, uh,
watching TV,

and singing and dancing.

The baby is falling down there

from the terrace
and also my sister.

Falling down there. That's bad.

I can sing, uh, before.
Now I don't know how to sing.

- Trevor?
- Hmm?

Do you ever think about

what's gonna happen
when you die?

Don't worry, you're a
good person, you know that.

You don't have to worry
about anything.

You go... You'll go
to a good place.

And who determines, you know,
what's good enough from...

How do you know
what's good enough?

You don't.

But God, God doesn't forget
we're Catholics and Christians.

Some people just... It's
ghosts for them, some people.

It's just ghosts.

What do you believe's
gonna happen to you?

I don't know.

I'm at a heavy metal concert.

It's so big.

And also...

Give me a hot dog.

Music. Music.

Just turn on the music.

One more. Can I have one more?- -

Thanks very much.

Who do I talk to
if we wanna whale watch?

What are you
working on?

Uh, I was just gonna
post a photo of Arnel,

but I can't decide
between these two photos.

I like this one
because he looks happy,

and then this one, he's
got a hammer, which I like,

because it shows
his commitment to the project

and what we're doing,

but he doesn't look as happy
as the other one.

Yeah, he really looks like he
doesn't wanna be there, right?

- Well, it was hot.
- Yeah.

Yeah, he looks not happy.

You look nice, though. You look
really happy in that picture.

Yeah, but it's not about me.
It's about him.

- I want people to know about Arnel.
- Mmm-hmm.

You know, that's what...

Maybe if... Hmm.

Maybe if I photoshop
the hammer hand

onto the body of the Arnel
that's smiling,

then you can get kind of
the best of both worlds.

Yeah...

Do you think that maybe
it's a bit problematic, though,

to be creating an image
of something that never existed?

Well, that's fair to say,

but I think that there are
two types of photos.

There's one
that captures a moment.

And there's another type

that collects moments
to create an experience,

and that's what
I'm trying to do.

There are more dimensions
to Arnel

than just one moment.
You know, like,

sometimes he's happy
with the hammer,

sometimes he's not
happy hammering.

Sometimes he's... unhappy,

but he doesn't have the hammer.

And sometimes,
he is happy without...

- the hammer.
- Hmm.

So it's, like...

it's more...
It's more dimensions.

Two hundred forty,

seventy, eighty...

- Ninety.
- ...ninety.

Fuck! Ugh!

Did your computer crash?

No, my mom relapsed. She's...

on oxygen
and she's awake, but...

Okay.

Um, is there anything that
you need to do right now?

There's nothing really I can do.

♪ Baby, you're always
in my heart

♪ I wanna say I love you

♪ I don't know where to start

♪ So come and walk with me
now, baby ♪

Hello.

Right, ah...

Okay.

♪ The love that I knew

♪ Is living again

♪ And nothing else matters

♪ We're together again

♪ And nothing else matters

♪ We're together again

Oh!

Lovely!

Hmm?

- No.
- Yeah. She's a good Catholic girl.

- Are you okay?
- Yeah.

Sorry. It's just been a while.

- Where are you guys from?
- Canada.

You ever seen
a whale shark before?

- No.
- They're beautiful.

Largest fish in the ocean.

Something like 3,000 teeth,
you know?

They don't use 'em.

- They just drink plankton.
- Hmm.

Internationally protected.

I think there's still hunted
here in the Philippines

in some places.
Savage, really.

I'm gonna be there in the water
with you the whole time.

We're not that far
from the shore.

- Yep.
- I'll be there.

- Okay.
- And if you want to get out

at any point, just let me know.

- Okay.
- I'll get out with you.

- It's gonna be fine.
- It's gonna be fun.

Okay, yes. It's gonna be fun.

- It's beautiful out here.
- Mmm-hmm.

Be it done unto me

according to thy word,

and the word was made flesh

and dwelt among us.

Pray for us,
oh, Holy mother of God.

That we may be made worthy
of the promises of Christ.

- Amen.
- Amen.

Okay, I think this food
is now safe to eat.

You guys wanna come
spearfishing with me tonight?

It's fantastic.

It's best to go after sundown,
at night,

as late as possible.

The fish are actually asleep.
They're in kind of holding patterns.

It's very easy to drag
them back. It's quite fun.

Yeah, that sounds good.

- Yeah?
- That sounds fun.

Clare?

Uh, the idea of traipsing around
in the dark with a spear gun

shooting fish sounds like a
nightmare. So, I think I'll pass.

There's not a lot of
traipsing, you're in the water.

But, you're into it?

I'll pick you up around
9:00 or 10:00, you're in 106?

- Yeah, yeah.
- Perfect.

You know what, Clare,
you can go squid fishing

with my brother or you can go
with me to see the fireflies.

It's amazing.

That sounds very nice. Thank
you. I'd love that. That'd be great.

- Then I'll just...
- Yeah, thank you.

Great.

So, then,
the mango...

Sorry. The...
The mangrove trees,

what they do, is they support
the shoreline with the roots.

It's kind of... It's kind of,
like, coverage.

It's a good thing.
It's sweet.

It's very good. You should
feel good about that.

- It's interesting.
- What are you, uh...

What are you doing here?

Are you two on vacation?

No.

So you're here
for business then?

Um, yes, I'm here for work, yes.

Hmm. What kind of work
do you do?

I'm in insurance.

Lots of people like to invest
in various parts of the country.

Uh, but after the storm,
and other events like that,

they like to know the risks
associated with that.

And I'm here to report back
on that risk.

So...

Um...

so you must be working
in, um, Tacloban.

- It seems there's a lot of...
- Yes, primarily, yes.

Oh, good.

There needs to be a lot of
reconstruction in that city.

I agree. Very insightful
comment, Trevor. Thank you.

What kind of construction
are we talking about?

It's, like, um...

Hospitals or...

- schools?
- No.

No, it would be
private enterprise.

- Industrial, commercial businesses...
- What part of Tacloban?

...various businesses.

Um, mostly along the water,
the shore,

the unlivable areas.

Um, they're not unlivable.

We know people that live there.

That's dangerously stupid
of them to do so.

Reckless, in my opinion,
to be quite frank.

So it's, it's, it's not okay
for people to live there,

but it's okay for companies
to make money there.

Last time I checked,
people having more money

to survive is a good thing.

You can agree with that,
can't you?

That's a very vague thing
you're asking me to agree with.

Yes, money can help people
improve their lives.

- There it is.
- Don't touch me, please.

No, uh, what I've learned
is that,

kind of, money can't buy you
everything, you know,

like people lived
full, well lives

before money was invented.

Listen...

To put it bluntly, a lot of
people with a lot of money

want to put that money
in this country,

and that's a good thing.

I think history has shown a lot.

I mean, countries like this
have had things stolen from them

for hundreds of years,

just so other people
can have a lot.

Yourself included.

Yes, yes.

But I am trying
to do something good

with what I've been given.

Listen, thank you for
the history lesson.

I appreciate it.

I'm sorry. I've had
a little bit too much to drink. Let's...

- agree to disagree.
- Just don't... Don't touch me.

You know, there would be a
lot less suffering in the world

if there were fewer people
like you.

Sorry, Tala. I'm gonna go.

Good night, Clare.

So...

should I not go

with Jerry tonight
to go spearfishing?

I think I just want
to be alone right now.

Okay.

Okay.

Sorry.

Bye.

The night
before Yolanda,

we slept peacefully.

It was around...

8:00 when my mother,
she just panicked.

She was telling us to evacuate
because we might get trapped.

She prepared for a rope.

We jumped out of the roof.

I jumped first. And then

my brothers
and sisters followed.

I had to attend to them.

That was what
my mother said to me.

I thought she was
gonna follow us,

but then she got trapped,

and she gave up.

After the storm passed,

here comes Jerry,
offering me help

to feed my brothers and sisters.

I have no choice.

I think that he's a bad person.

Could you bring me to Canada?

Could you give me a job?

I think that that's a very
complicated process.

I'm sorry.

My mother used
to tell me a story

about this old woman who used
to wander in these trees.

She protects the trees
where the fireflies live.

They say the fireflies glow
to remind us that

if we harm the trees, we
invite the anger of this woman.

Is that too thick?
Is that right?

It's fine. You're doing great.

Yeah. Thank you.

Your fingers!

- Hey.
- What happened to your foot?

Oh. Uh... I just...

cut it on that coral reef.
It's not a big deal. It's not...

It's just not a normal cut.
It's just kind of spreading a bit,

but I'm fine.

Ooh, that...

looks good.
Hey, big man!

Wanna go with your brother?

Thank you.

I always shared a seat
with my brother. I liked it.

I liked it.

All right. Ooh, squid. Oh.

- Eat.
- Okay.

Just... I've never had it.
So...

Here we go.

Oh, it's okay. I'm fine. Yep.
Okay. Here, let me take that.

- It's actually not that bad.
- What happened to you?

Just spearfishing. Oh.

Yeah.

- Okay. Okay. Lay down. Lay down. Yeah.
- Okay.

- What happened to you?
- I cut it on some coral reef

when I was spearfishing.

We will go to hospital.

I think I'll be all right. I, uh...

So that you can
take medicine for your pain.

I'm so sorry. I don't, I don't
speak... Why... I'm sorry.

Uh, we are inviting you

to attend a discussion

about the demolition
here in this community.

Okay, thank you. Yeah.
Thank you so much.

Clare... can
we go to the hospital?

- What?
- I think my foot's infected. Can we go?

- Yeah.
- Hospital.

- Yeah. Okay.
- Yeah.

I'm sorry about all this.

Why?

It's late. I woke you up.
I'm, I'm sorry.

No, it's good.
It's good we're here.

I'm glad.

It's crazy that we're here.

- Mmm-hmm.
- I'm not surprised, though.

We've been through a whole lot

of crazy shit this past while.

Mmm-hmm.

I hurt my leg.

Ow!

I think I should go.

What?

I have people back at home
who need me, like my mom.

I, I need to
be around her and...

Help her.

It's not that bad, actually.

It's all right.

- Thank you.
- Thank you.

So, um... I gotta let you know

that, um, I have to leave early.

Um, I got some stuff
back at home...

with my mom and I need
to be there for her.

But this isn't a goodbye.

It's, it's really...
It's kind of a beginning.

And where I'm from, we kind of
have a saying, which is like,

"See you later, man."

So I will see you later.

You need to give me money.

Sari-Sari store,
you should buy for us.

How much
does it usually cost

to buy a Sari-Sari store?

Is it... Are they big?

Is it a... like a grocery store
or something like this?

It's okay.

All right. Well, love you.

Love you, too.

- Be safe.
- Bye.

Hey.

Yeah.

Do you want to play with me?

♪ My apple, apple kiss

♪ My darling, darling sweet

♪ Look at the rainbow

♪ Under the sunshine

♪ Forever more, more

♪ More, more, more good fish