A bold thriller that unwinds time and desire

From left: VJ Vera, Aliya Raymundo, and Rinoa Halili represent the film’s charged dynamic of desire and consequence on screen

Time moves in reverse in Salikmata, a film that peels back its story layer by layer until all that’s left are the raw truths beneath desire and guilt.

Directed by BC Amparado and written by Jason Paul Laxamana, it premiered on Oct. 23 at Market! Market! Cinema as part of the inaugural CineSilip Film Festival, which celebrates bold and unconventional Filipino storytelling.

Told through 13 chapters that play backward in time, the movie traces how guilt, lust, and power intertwine in a small town. It follows Jordan (Aerol Carmelo), a young man drawn into an affair with Karina (Aliya Raymundo), the daughter of a powerful politician portrayed by Jeffrey Hidalgo.

Each sequence moves closer to the origin of their tragedy, revealing the layers of deceit and consequence that led them there.

It’s a clever concept that immediately catches attention, pulling the viewer into a mental exercise of connecting fragments in reverse and questioning how every action led to its undoing.

From left: Aerol Carmelo, director BC Amparado, and Jeffrey Hidalgo attend the premiere of ‘Salikmata’

But while the idea is refreshing, the execution doesn’t always hold steady. The tension that fuels the early chapters loosens midway, and by the final scenes—technically the beginning—the emotional impact softens when it should hit hardest.

What keeps Salikmata engaging is its distinct visual atmosphere, which sustains the tension even when the pacing falters and gives the film its sense of emotional claustrophobia. The cinematography captures confinement through tight framing, dim lighting, and muted colors. It’s a visual language that communicates without relying on exposition.

Among the cast, Aerol Carmelo stands out with a controlled yet affecting performance. Even in reverse chronology, he keeps Jordan’s arc emotionally grounded, allowing viewers to feel his unraveling piece by piece.

Where the film stumbles is in its supernatural subplot, which introduces the mysterious Kulariut, a creature rooted in Kapampangan folklore, but never fully anchors it within the story. Instead of heightening the tension, it feels more ornamental than integral.

Despite its uneven rhythm, Salikmata remains an ambitious work—one that values perspective over predictability. It challenges audiences to look backward to understand how choices, however small, can lead to ruin. — Jasper Valdez