MANILA, Philippines - A Cinema One Original, Paano Ko Sasabihin? is written and directed by Richard Soriano Legaspi, and features young stars Erich Gonzalez and Enchong Dee. It’s a unique love story that dares to be different in terms of approach and substance, skirting more commercial possibilities, and yet carrying its own winsome charm. Much of the film’s chance for success hinges on its premise on love overcoming physical handicaps where they don’t even exist; and how love can survive when first impressions, expectations and disguises are set aside.

Ehryl (Erich) is part of a scriptwriting team, and has a deaf-mute brother (Wilhelm); her dream being to help her mother purchase the hearing aid her brother badly needs. A chance encounter on the LRT has her watching Mike (Enchong) interacting with a deaf-mute child, and she presumes he’s similarly afflicted. Immediately “signing,” she thinks that by doing so, Mike will be more attracted to her. Mike is a teacher in a School for the Physically Handicapped, and while he, like Ehryl, can speak, he similarly takes her “signing” as an indication that she’s deaf-mute, and does not let on that he can speak. What follows is a whirlwind relationship founded on parallel deceptions — each worried that once either reveals the truth, the other will feel he (or she) were taken advantage of, and so the charade continues. Naturally, this can last only so long, and the film’s premise is to unravel these deceptions, and discover how said love can, or will, survive.

While Enchong is successful in his portrayal, it’s Erich that truly shines, showcasing a gamut of emotions that heralds her as one of the really fine young actresses we should watch out for. Luminous, yet never distanced, she takes this film into the palm of her hand, and turns it into “her project.” There is some stiff dialogue (example, the line about lip-synching), and the plausibility of for how long they can continue the “deaf” charade is stretched, as there are far too many situations when their speaking up would seem natural. Enjoyed the director’s light touch, as in the humorous sequence when a taxi driver presumes the two are deaf, and proceeds to talk about his marriage and sex life. All in all, a film that manages to stay true to its vision, and succeeds on its own merits — an indie film that has the same kind of spirit and charm that (500) Days of Summer had, and the chance to enjoy a degree of mainstream success.