Supply Lines in the Sea: A Review of Food Delivery – An Intense Trip Through Resupply Routes amid the China Standoff.
Filmmaker Baby Ruth Villarama and her crew embark on a variety of sea craft to record the continuing conflict and its impacts between the Philippine nation and the People's Republic of China over sovereignty of the recently named West Philippine Sea. These waters, viewed by most nations apart from China as part of the Philippines' maritime territory, has seen a growing presence by Chinese maritime forces. While some are fishing boats, the majority consist of China's coast guard vessels that have engaged in harassing, rammed, and attempted to board Filipino boats in the context of the ongoing standoff.
Portions of the film are highly charged, though often the conflict manifests as a diplomatic dance of naval posturing. Crews aboard the different ships exchange heated speeches over short-wave, peppered with legal jargon, engaging in a kind of "airwave diplomacy".
Resupply at the Front Lines
The film's title points to the vital operation by the Filipino military to transport essentials to remote islands in the West Philippine Sea where soldiers hold the line for long, solitary stretches. These "islands" are often little more than patches of sand in the shallows, about the size of a sports field, approachable just with high-speed inflatable boats.
The journeys are undoubtedly scary for the cargo of baby goats, which are shipped with tinned food and further materials. The film shows the goats struggling for better balance as the boats hurtle across the choppy waves.
The Fishermen's Plight
The film also follows fishers living around the inhabited Scarborough Shoal, who voice complaints over reduced harvests attributed to the persistent presence of foreign fishing vessels in their ancestral fishing areas.
A Compelling Subject, Imperfect Execution
Critically speaking, the documentary is slightly weakened by a somewhat scattered pacing and a soundtrack that can feel somewhat melodramatic, overplaying the tense scenes. Yet, it is ultimately a compelling examination of a maritime conflict that is rarely covered outside its region.
