Amateur Hour at the Cinemalaya 2017 - Let There Be Light - Please!

This year, nine films brave to navigate the cinematic dark waters for this year’s Cinemalaya film festival. By “dark”, we’re imputing cinematic theme – and technical proficiency or the lack of it.

There’s illiteracy and terrorism (Perry Escano’s “Ang Guro Kong Di Marunong Magbasa”); a child’s loneliness (Thop Nazareno’s “Kiko Boksingero”); abuse and the government’s lack of empathy for its foreign workers (Zig Dulay’s “Bagahe”); murder and infidelity in a small town (Iar Arondaing’s “Sa Gabing Nananahimik ang mga Kuliglig” and Sonny Calvento’s “Nabubulok”); superstition and drug smuggling in a fishing village (Joseph Israel Laban’s “Baconaua”); obscure definitions of a relationship (Nerissa Picadizo’s “Requited”); artistic struggles in the squalor amidst extra judicial killings (Alberto Monteras II’s “Respeto”) and false hopes and urban legends (Mes De Guzman’s “Ang Pamilyang Hindi Lumuluha”).

Despite the provocative plots, there’s scanty good news to be shared from my end. In fact, this was one of the most challenging set of entries I had to endure to watch. I am, in fact, trying to remember the last time it was this bad. But I am getting ahead of myself.

OVERBEARING DARKNESS

Poor production values, pedestrian direction, clunky writing, cluttered exposition, miscasting and overwrought performances hobble the entries. One common characteristic is darkness. While I understand the preponderancy of atmosphere and dimly lit scenography, it’s a different matter altogether when the silver screen is but a patch of black. One geriatric viewer had to remark: “Wala akong makita”. No, lola, it isn’t your cataract nor your macular degeneration. It’s the film you’re watching.  I’m not talking about a single title. There were several: “Baconaua” leads the guilty parties. Wouldn’t it have been appealing if we actually recognized the color “red” when the sea turned bloody? 

Here’s a trivia about colors: you need light to distinguish them! Isn't the concept basic in photography (cinematography)? When the sea spits apples, and all you find are silhouettes, you’re doing the audience a disservice. From my seat, the apples looked like mounds of excreta! The same affliction characterized “Sa Gabing…” and portions of “Nabubulok”. “Maybe they’re experimental?” quipped one hopeful viewer, I had to laugh in my dark corner.

BACK TO SQUARE ONE

In the early days of the Cinemalaya, the audience were patient of such film-making gaffes. But, boy oh boy, that was more than 10 years ago. There’s been tremendous advancement in technology, and indies aren’t two-bit artistic inventions anymore. Or are we back to square one?

Let’s take Perry Escano’s “Ang Guro Kong Di Marunong Magbasa”, about a farmer who’s tasked to takeover teaching duties at a remote grade school in Muslim Mindanao. Here’s the clincher: Aaquil (Alfred Vargas) is himself illiterate and doesn’t have the foggiest about his three R’s. 

While undeniably an interesting concept, the film is clunky at best, the performances abominable, particularly from Vargas who’s too well scrubbed and healthy to represent a marginalized sector of the countryside. This is a curiosity because we’ve always considered Vargas an adequate performer. In this movie however, Vargas’ demeanor is reduced to being “pa-cute” and juvenile. And don’t let him scamper for his life by dodging bullets. Five paces later, he’s breathless. The scenes are awkwardly blocked, you feel like watching an old flick in Piling Piling Pelikula. Mostly, they are turgid and amateurish. Is this a Cinemalaya film we’re watching? I had to ask myself. In the end, the whole narrative conceit is as fraudulent as the ineptitude of the movie’s general direction. Who read this script and thought this was festival-grade? Aren’t there quality-control measures to assure the inclusion of legitimate film makers?

Sonny Calvento’s “Nabubulok” follows the train of events after the disappearance of Luna, wife of Jason and mother of three, after her cousin Ingrid (Gina Alajar) starts sniffing around. The story takes the tedious and impudent style reminiscent of Carlo J. Caparas. In fact, every character is suspicious or annoying. Each scene screams the obvious. So much for elements such as foreshadowing. It could have benefited from Gina Alajar’s erstwhile astute dramatic insight. Alajar remains to be one of the industry’s best actresses of all time. Unfortunately, time has rendered Alajar shrill and irritating. When she eventually delivers her “Tang ina nila” line (uttered thrice) in bravura look-at-me-I’m-acting moment, I was awash with regret. How has passing time reduced Alajar to sheer mediocrity. 

The movie likewise fails to make use of promising Jameson Blake and the ubiquitous JC Santos. There were several conspicuous lapses in the story. A farmer inadvertently witnesses the unplanned burial in the dark night. The American patriarch is buying cement at the hardware shop. Ingrid and the neighborhood smell the overpowering stench of a rotting carcass in the household premises. Are you following this? Wasn’t Luna’s body buried in the fields? What was rotting away inside the house? Were there multiple bodies worth checking out? Where was cement used? At the farm? Sometime in the story, police officers suddenly arrive at the scene bearing a search warrant. Right away? Instant warrant, you blink and it’s there. As I’ve mentioned earlier, this takes Carlo J. Caparas’ storytelling sensibilities!

Employing the backdrop of a religious festivity (ho-hum!), Iar Arondaing’s provocatively titled “Sa Gabing Nananahimik ang mga Kuliglig” is a whodunit piece that involves two murders and spotlights the comeuppance of perfidy. 

Madga (Angel Aquino) confesses to Father Mike (Jake Macapagal) the murder of her friend Dolores (Mercedes Cabral), her husband Victor’s mistress. On the same night, Victor (Mark Dionisio) is found bludgeoned to death. Hector (Ricky Davao), Magda’s husband, is then arrested for the crime. Unfortunately, Father Mike is bound to the seal of the confessional. What to do?

The film is hampered by borderline production values, as the story interposes the unraveling events with religious chants and the ensuing festivities. Most of them seem disconnected to the moving picture taking place before you. It’s like hearing Manny Pacquiao quote another biblical passage and realize that something is amiss in the silly exercise. In the first hour alone, scenes successively show Angel Aquino navigate the darkness: at the bathroom, in the kitchen, then inside the bedroom while she gets dolled up! We are baffled by the perversion of darkness to frame a more urgent story that needed telling. If this isn’t a case of style trumping substance, I don’t know what is. 

Direction, camera work, lighting (or the lack of it) are just baffling, if not stifling. All these atmospheric scenarios muddle an already-messy story. Moreover, there are grave flaws in the artistic choices: Jess Mendoza, looking like he’s fathered 5 already, plays the subservient son of Mercedes Cabral? Seriously? Is this suspension of disbelief? I had to tap my heels silly to knock me some patience in the midst of the film’s inanity.

“Matt and I has separate rooms.” (wink wink)

I heard the loudest chorus of chuckles as Nerissa Picadizo’s “Requited” drew to a close. The road movie, reminiscent of Ellen Ongkeko-Marfil’s “Lakbay2Love”, has less drone shots and a lot more verbal scuttle between its two characters: Matt (Jake Cuenca) and Sandy (Anna Luna). Matt is afflicted with alopecia. Errr. No, something else that’s more lethal, thus he embarks on a journey from Manila to Mount Pinatubo to end it all. But shrill Sandy, the once-popular volleyball star, decides to tag along to “not define” her relationship with the unemployed architect.

“Ang relikang yan ay galing doon.” 

(Baybayin at bigyang kahulugan ang salitang “relika”.)

Let’s just say that when the suicidal loverboy pushes his mi amor down the cliff, then walks away while we see her abdomen heaving for air, we couldn’t help but suspect that this wasn’t a romantic drama after all. Picadizo apparently confuses her genre every so often. She eventually allows her protagonist to walk away, as though catharsis is to be had once he buries the love of his life. 

Too bad – because Jake Cuenca seems to have invested his heart and soul to breathe life to Matt. Cuenca is one of this festival’s most committed performers. (And listen, I’m trying to “unsee” Matt pleasuring himself among the rocks as final homage to his requited love.) Now tell me: what keeps people from committing to each other if their affections were mutual? This movie does not have the answer. Go fish elsewhere. Hah!

Joseph Israel Laban’s “Baconaua” auspiciously starts out with riveting scenes by the shore. 

It has been 90 days since Divina’s (Elora Espano) fisherman father got lost at sea. People believe that a sea serpent (“bakunawa” – a mythical sea dragon believed by old folks in the Visayas region to devour moons thus causing eclipses) has taken him away. Soon thereafter, the sea turns red. Supposedly. The screen was almost in pitch darkness to appreciate this,

Shall I then bestow it with a special award: Dark Picture Award. This movie takes the cake. However, this isn’t the only issue dragging the movie down. Not only are there expendable biblical references (apples wash ashore, a serpent crawl through the mangrove), numerous narrative elements sloppily pile up: an illegal Chinese alien (whose face you can’t even see), drug trafficking, military operations against terrorists; an unlikely romantic triangle; and, yes, a sea monster that selectively chooses his victims. The latter even sounds like Nessie of the Scottish Highlands. Gather these elements and you have one ambitious, but blotchy yarn. 

The film reminds me of Kristian Cordero's "Hinulid" (starring Nora Aunor). In it, the director floods his narrative with a thousand-and-one quotations from so many references. You suspect he has 3 dozens of encyclopedias full of philosophical, biblical and scientific sayings. I just cringe. Laban tries to inject numerous disparate elements to spice up his cinematic palette. Mas maraming sahog, mas masarap, debah? Tee hee.

The good thing about this film: you can finally use your imagination to try to make out what’s on your screen. It’s a good cognitive practice, if you ask me. It's like closing your eyes and allowing your mind to soar. But in this film, your eyes are wide open as you stare at a Cimmerian shade of celluloid. Just a thought here - the director will probably be able to tell a more focused tale if there's a little more light? .

The festival's most irritating performance.

Zig Dulay’s “Bagahe” feels like masochism-porn the way Mercy (Angeli Bayani) handles her sticky situation. 

The 35-year-old OFW was caught leaving a newborn child on her flight back home from overseas employment. A high profile investigation soon follows with every political personality wanting a piece of the limelight, including a Social Welfare secretary, a senator, the media, the NBI, the church and her family from Kapangan, Benguet. Her demeanor leaves much to be desired in the ensuing circus.

PAINFULLY PASSIVE

Dulay’s script, usually engrossing and insightful in previous works, is a sloppy parody of the OFW distress story. Each personality is written like cardboard characters. It doesn’t help that Bayani’s portrayal is painfully passive, you feel the unease of being manipulated into sympathizing with her. There’s something pretentious, even deceptive, in her depiction of the ultimate victim. If you’re easily bamboozled by woeful facies, you’d proclaim her queen of the cinematic ball. Kumbaga, nang uuto! For me, hers was one of the festival’s most irritating turns.

Alberto Monteras II’ s “Respeto” is this festivals most technically accomplished entry. It is insightfully casted and cleverly crafted by Monteras who, prior to this, has been directing hundreds of music videos. 

Set in a chaotic urban neighborhood, amateur rapper Hendrix (Abra) crosses paths with reclusive poet Doc Fortunato Reyes (Dido de la Paz) when the former decides to rob the old gentleman’s book shop. Thrown together by circumstance, the two start a mentor-protégé relationship, one that would soon get tested by the spate of killings happening around town. 

Rapper Abra turns in a more-than-decent performance worthy of, at the very least, a citation. He will give Jake Cuenca a tight fight in the lead actor category, though, in my book, Cuenca delivered the more substantial and consistent performance. Dela Paz’s poetic number at the rap competition was amusing. It was also awkward, misplaced and rough around the edges. Nevertheless, dela Paz gives his career-best in “Respeto”.

Thop Nazareno’s “Kiko Boksingero” tells the story of Kiko (Noel Comia Jr.), a lonely 11 year old boy who pines for the affection of his father. After the demise of his mother, the young boy is left under the care of his nanny (Yayo Aguila). One day, George (Yul Servo) shows up at the empty apartment that Kiko frequently visits. Kiko's life is never the same.

The cool temperatures of Baguio adroitly frames the young protagonist’s longings in a story affectionately told. This bittersweet tale demonstrates that you don’t need a lengthy exposition to tell a good story. Nor does one require loud bickering or convoluted plot to engage your audience. The movie is a calm emotional discourse about grief and the ties that bind. Servo is charismatic as the former boxer who welcomes his most loyal fan in his temporary home. Yayo Aguila is an affectionate presence. Young Noel Comia Jr. is perfectly cast as the hopeful boy who forges a relationship with his noncommittal father.

"Kiko..." is a balm of hope and inspiration. It mirrors kindness and affection in a world that has embraced discord and indifference. If your idea of cinema is one that lifts your sagging spirit, look no further. This is the perfect vehicle.

The festivals’ most charming entry is Mes de Guzman’s “Ang Pamilyang Hindi Lumuluha” which stars Megastar Sharon Cuneta who’s aptly back in the indie scene after the whimsical comedy “Crying Ladies” (2003). What’s with Cuneta and “crying”? But I'm not complaining. The movie is a departure from one of my favorite indie directors' style who’s known for his glacially-paced introspective dramas usually set in the back roads of small towns. Pamilya takes place in Laguna.

In the story, Cora dela Cruz (Cuneta) is a former broadcast journalist wallowing in the doldrum of her solitary life. She has lost everyone important to her, including her husband (Richard Quan), her children (Michelle Vito and Philip Olayvar) and even her career. With the help of her oftentimes-discombobulated maid Bebang (the irrepressible Moi Bien), Cora hires the services of Biboy (Nino Muhlach) to find the mythical “Family that Doesn’t Weep”. The family of four is an urban legend believed to bring back lost object or person – for a fee, of course. Cora’s dilemma isn’t an easy one. Moreover, she's just too desperate to doubt. She has pinned her hopes up on this strange family. Cora's penultimate journey abruptly ceases when fate swerves to a dead end. Her desperation almost kills her, as she eventually ends up at the emergency room.

Cora’s story is a cautionary tale about hope and deliverance. Happiness and success aren’t attained by subscribing to superstition nor should they be dependent on the mere presence of others. Sometimes, our contentment is defined by what we think we need when, in truth, happiness could be had with so much less. 

VEERING AWAY FROM EASY

A story like Cora's is fodder for maudlin caterwauling, but De Guzman decides to take an unexpectedly light approach to tell his story. "Drama" would have easily benefited Cuneta more, but the narrative path veers away from inexorable sentimentality. If anything, this artistic choice is fortuitous. After all, both De Guzman and Cuneta more familiarly tread the dramatic genre. Comedy, then, becomes an "extraordinary" choice. In this respect, we applaud De Guzman more than ever - and can't wait for his next film. 

I initially didn't expect a lot from the movie after watching some scenes from the trailer; none of which made it in the final cut. 

But such is the joy of unexpected surprises. The movie is funny, but ultimately heart breaking. It’s probably inappropriate to say that this vehicle is a return to form for the iconic actress. After all, she isn’t known for quirky comedies (Wenn Deramas’ “BFF” notwithstanding). Cuneta is treading unfamiliar waters. There are awkward moments of improvs, but Cuneta’s character is completely delineated and bravely depicted. This is a comeback of sorts for Cuneta whose last cinematic foray was Joel Lamangan’s “Mano Po: A Mother’s Love” eight long years ago. There were SRO crowds in the two screenings we've managed to catch (long story!), but this was expected, considering she’s the only stellar name in the current festival. 

Thank God for the few good movies. This has been a challenging experience at a Cinemalaya festival. There were moments that felt like self-flagellation, to be honest. But watching “Pamilya…”, “Kiko Boksingero” and “Respeto” made the whole drill worth the time I invested.

Honor Roll

To cap this post, here is our honor list for this festival:

Best Picture: Alberto Monteras II’s “Respeto”

Best Actor in a Leading Role: Jake Cuenca (“Requited”)

Best Actress in a Leading Role: Sharon Cuneta (“Ang Pamilyang Hindi Lumuluha”)

Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Dido dela Paz (“Respeto”)

Best Actress in a Supporting Role:  Chai Fonacier (“Respeto”)

Best Director: Alberto Monteras II (“Respeto”)  

SHORT FILMS

As an addendum, the shorts fielded this year were quite impressive. Their directors displayed more technical proficiency than many of the main features’ megmen. Carl Adrian Chavez’s “Sorry for the Inconvenience” told a complete tale of vengeance and the lopsided face of justice. Ronwaldo Martin is engrossing as the perennially bullied student. Karl Glenn Barit’s “Aliens Yata” is viewed above ground (drone) so the perspective is ground-breakingly alienating, but nevertheless fresh and provocative. Juan Karlo Tarobal’s “Islabodan (Free Men)” is told through multiple frames (as though watching a comic book) about warring gangs. Though the technique used is occasionally disorienting, you can’t deny the dynamism of such storytelling. E del Mundo’s “Manong ng Pa-aling” is told (mostly) underwater. How's that for new perspectives?

The visual techniques employed are varied, adequately using them to move their stories. On the whole, it’s important to remember that no cinematic element is more important than the story itself. On his diatribe about film school, celluloid maverick Werner Herzog once remarked, “Academia kills the cinema.” It is important to hone one's story telling acumen. Otherwise, technical proficiency will not amount to much.  

#cinemalaya2017

Jun Urbano's "Ibong Adarna - The Pinoy Adventure" - Cutting Down Classic

In the kingdom of Maharlika, Sultan Mabait (Joel Torre) reigns over his people with Queen Mabuti (Angel Aquino) and their son Sigasig (Rocco Nacino). The royal family is well loved by their people. But not Datu Maimbot (Leo Martinez), Mabait’s ambitious brother, who dreams of becoming king.

When Mabait falls morbidly ill, thanks to the incantations of a witch (Lilia Cuntapay) tasked by the duplicitous Datu Maimbot, the royal family went out of options. No medicine could cure the beloved ruler as his health briskly deteriorates. Sigasig, as "salinlahi" and a dutiful son, is sent to seek the advice of the Nuno (Gary Lising) who then spoke of a magical bird, the Adarna, whose ethereal singing could cure any illness. Moreover, this avian is believed to excrete gold and other riches. But the path to the mythical bird is arduous and treacherous; and death is imminent. Aware that this was the sultan’s only chance for recovery, Sigasig sets off for the bird-catching adventure. Maimbot, along with bumbling sidekick Sipsipayo (Benjie Paras), volunteers to join his nephew, with the intention of stealing the bird from Sigasig.

On his way to Lupang Tigang, Sigasig strays away from his uncle and meets a motley of characters who become either an ally or obstacle: the Aeta child Labuyo (whose task is to assist the gentle heir); fierce Bontok warrior Dulamkaw (Ronnie Lazaro); and a thirsty beggar who transforms into a deity, diwatang Masuri (Patricia Hernandez).

With Sigasig’s benevolence and kind heart, the encantada offers him gifts for his journey: “sagitsit”, a plant to be poured over self-inflicted wounds so he won’t be lulled to sleep when the Adarna starts singing its sleep-inducing songs – and a “salakot” (a wide-brimmed hat) that protects him against bird droppings that turn men into stone. Will Sigasig be able to catch the Adarna for his dying father? Guess.

This folkloric tale is loosely based on a sprawling 18^th century epic called “Ibong Adarna”, aka "Corrido at Buhay na Pinagdaanan nang Tatlóng Principeng anac nang Haring Fernando at nang Reina Valeriana sa Cahariang Berbania" written by someone who goes by the name of Jose dela Cruz – “Huseng Sisiw” – whose real identity was never uncovered.

The “korido”, a Filipino literary form, came about during the 300-year rule of the Spaniards in the archipelago. It has precise measure, i.e. it contains 8 syllables per line, and 4 lines per verse. Moreover, this poetic form was sung through before an audience. In Adarna, we follow the lives of a king and his three sons, Don Pedro, Don Diego and Don Juan. The story itself is convoluted; one that would probably make good material for a protracted “teleserye” because of its plot contrivance and narrative roller coaster.

ADAPTATIONS

GMA Network based its recent television series – “Adarna” which starred Kylie Padilla and Geoff Eigenmann - from this literary work. But there were prior incarnations on celluloid: Manuel Conde, National Artist for Cinema, and more importantly Urbano’s father, directed “Ibong Adarna” twice – a black-and-white flick released in war-torn 1941 which starred Mila del Sol and Fred Cortes, and its color remake in 1945. Dolphy had a couple of Adarna films in 1972 (“Ibong Adarna”) and 1973 (“Ang Hiwaga ng Ibong Adarna”). Even Rene Requiestas had his parody, “Si Prinsipe Abante At Ang Lihim ng Ibong Adarna" (1990).

These loose adaptations are a proof of the creative scale of the story. I can only dream of a more faithful adaptation featuring an all-star cast, duly produced by, hmmm, say the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and directed by either Lav Diaz (because it’s going to be a long movie) or Aureus Solito (because he is familiar with the subculture of ethnicities). Imagine that! This is of course wishful thinking.

Jun Urbano’s “Ibong Adarna”, as homage to his father, takes a narrative detour in more ways than you can imagine to suit (probably) the production’s finances. That the fabled Adarna eventually transforms into a beautiful princess makes the narrative a tad derivative (“Frog Prince”, “Beauty and the Beast”). Production values likewise tend to be mediocre. In fact, the mythologic “richness” could have been mined further but eventually settles into one that’s run-of-the-mill.

Rocco Nacino suits the dashing, kind-hearted and valiant prince, but he’s mostly wasted by the gaunt, if humdrum characterization. Leo Martinez, once again overbakes his comedic affectations, but his slapstick artifice (delivering familiar aphorisms, then clinches his line with, “Ay tanga!”) soon wears out its novelty. Joel Torre makes the most of his underwritten character. Angel Aquino, while decidedly competent, wears her queen a bit too seriously (after all, her “king” is on death bed). However, you get a nagging feeling that she’s performing on a wayward level, like a discordant note playing on a different musical scale.

There are few moments that will entertain: like when Sigasig and Labuyo ride a giant kite flown by a humongous bird; or when Sigasig escapes from a ravenous giant; or when the Adarna (voiced by Lara Maigue) starts singing her dissonant melodies. There are moments that for a split second take you back to your childhood. But these are way too fleeting to really indulge or enjoy. Once reality slaps you right back, you realize that, in this film adaptation, there isn't much to munch on other than its predictable strain.

If you think this is the “Ibong Adarna” assigned for reading among first year high school students (as Jose Rizal’s “Noli Me Tangere” is for sophomores, and so on), you’d be disappointed. This doesn't even have three clashing brothers. But if you like birds transforming into beautiful princesses like that other fairy tale, you may want to reconsider.  

Who wants to paraglide?

Finding the tree of the Adarna.

Hungry carnivorous giant Dagungdong.

Crossing "tulay na poon".

Ronnie Lazaro questions Rocco's motives?

Patricia Hernandez plays Diwatang Masuri

Note:

Please read our featured post on Cinema Bravo and why Web Criticism isn't always about good and credible writing:
- http://makemeblush2.blogspot.com/2016/10/cinema-bravo-film-criticisms-execrable.html

Emmanuel Palo's Sta. Nina - Coco Martin and Redemption

The parched and dusty sprawl in the sleepy town of Bacolor reflects the moral stagnation that has characterized Pol Mungcal’s life in the last ten years since his two-year old daughter Marikit died from meningitis. His abode is a desolate landscape of dust, mud and haze. And he subsists by quarrying the ravages of laharland. One fateful day, children unwittingly exhume the coffin that bears Marikit’s corpse. What’s baffling? The child looks well preserved and doesn’t show signs of decay.

With steadfast resolve, Pol (Coco Martin) embraces the coffin and singlehandedly takes his “child” back to town. His thoughts are a flurry of suppositions. This can’t be mere accident. It has to mean something.

Pol lives with a demented, albeit burdensome grandmother, Lola Bining (Anita Linda), in an unfinished house. Madel (Alessandra de Rossi), Marikit’s mother and Pol’s cousin, has long abandoned Pol for a life of less scrutiny by morally supercilious and economically gaunt townsfolk. Pol even turned his back sculpting religious artifacts out of wood. For someone who has lost so much from his missteps in the past, Pol is suddenly seized by a sense of hope. Could Marikit be his ticket to redemption?  

News spreads like wildfire. Soon people from the hinterlands visit to witness a miracle; something that hardly comes to an impoverished town gripped by apathy. People seem to hold on to faith in times of desperation. The crowd outside Pol’s home grows by the day. The ailing governor even drops by, hoping there’s cure for his cirrhosis. Even the media’s been poking its ugly head. When Madel gets wind of this, she tells Pol to just bury their daughter, but he wouldn't budge. Everyone believes. But the church. After all, not a long time ago, Melchor, a young man who allegedly saw the Virgin Mary, turned out to be a hoax. These days, Melchor is a crossdressing person named Zora. He is reviled by his neighbors and “sinusuka ng simbahan”. People are understandably more circumspect.

Then ailing people start getting healed. Lola Bining regains her lucidity. The governor’s cirrhosis disappears. Ben, the dysuric neighbor, can urinate with ease. His financially struggling – and very pregnant wife Malou – wins lottery. A child’s neck mass recedes. Who can turn their back on this spate of miracles? The town experiences resurgence of religious conviction. Pol now wants his daughter’s corpse – and accompanying wooden sculptures - be blessed and proclaimed a saint. The believers soon organize a “lakbayan” (a procession) to rally for Marikit’s sainthood in front of the Bishop. What becomes of Pol, Madel. Lola Bining, and the hundreds of faithful? Is Marikit really miraculous? Or will she turn out to be another ruse like Zora?

Director Emmanuel Palo’s “Sta. Nina” rankles with an immersive premise that hooks you tightly into its exposition. In fact, the story telling is grandiose; it reminds you of the narrative dissertation of old classics like Bernal’s “Himala”. There’s diligent care in the build-up of characters; each one subsumed by transpicuous insight. This is evident in the dynamics of relationship among Pol, Madel, Sister Josie (Angel Aquino as Pol’s sister) and Tiya Cora.

The performances are nothing to scoff at. Coco Martin is effusively committed, without the excesses of his teleserye persona. You cannot help but sit back and hold on to your arms rest as he navigates in his desperate bid for redemption. Marikit, his child, was his way to moral atonement. True enough, Marikit was his way out so people could forget his incestuous past with cousin Madel. He ironically derives and reclaims his dignity from a ten-year corpse that was once his source of embarrassment. Indeed, “Bakit sa mga makasalanan nagpapakita ang Birhen,” asks Zora.

Palo’s pace and cinematic mounting seem deliberate and almost elegiac; the emotions on exhibit are most palpable in wistful moments of scrutinizing close ups. Nor Domingo (who has a short cameo) delivers a gorgeous cinematic palette and a dazzling camera work that captures the essence of the place. Dean Rosen’s music is as hypnotic as the volcanic dunes of Pampanga. Liza Magtoto and Palo’s writing is inspired although the concluding part could have been rendered less stagey.

Coco Martin is luminous; his eyes soulful as he carries his dead child. In his face, we feel the weight of gravity as he gingerly takes his stride towards every destination (i.e. his home or the church in San Fernando). As I’ve once written, this is vintage indie Coco Martin, and what a joy to behold. Alessandra de Rossi is equally stirring, but then when was she not? We’ve mentioned about Anita Linda’s redundant role (as a demented grandmother who rambles and wanders around) here, similar to her depictions in Olivia Lamasan’s “The Mistress” and Chito Rono’s “Caregiver”. Irma Adlawan is likewise predictably surly and one-dimentional. Leo Martinez, as the Bishop, is a bothersome presence and, is thus miscast as he lividly caricatures the religious order.

I have mentioned though that the flick is hobbled by a dubitable third quarter – the “lakbayan”. We are all creatures of religion; and we should know more than anyone that there’s a process for sainthood. Lorenzo Ruiz took years; the well-loved Pope John Paul II may take decades. It isn’t like we’re just recently introduced into this predicament. Pol has a nun for a sister (competently played by Angel Aquino). She could have saved them the long travel from Barangay Saplala to San Fernando. And it is annoying how such ignorance had to include other hopefuls who never got the cure for their emotional and physical ailments.  

Sometimes, religious constitution dictates the standards of our morality. We have scruples that continually govern our lifestyle. Such dilemma should be remedied by whatever it is that doesn’t harm others. I would like to think that whenever we face gray areas, our decisions are only answerable to God; not the church. So why do we need their blessing?

Alessandra de Rossi is Madel.

Anita Linda is Lola Bining

Melchor becomes Zora, the former visionary. Judiel Nieva, anyone?

Governor Dodo and his aggressive wife: "Don't you want to be recognized as the governor of Pampanga's first saint?"

Irma Adlawan as Tita Cora

Lola Bining gets her lucidity back

Lakbayan for Marikit's sainthood

Church gets an audience.

Kissing cousins Pol and Madel

Pol and Lola Bining

Coco Martin (above and below)

RD Alba's Biktima - Befuddling Suppositions & Cinematic Deja vu

Alice de la Cruz (Angel Aquino) is a news correspondent in a struggling network thirsting for the big break; the breaking news that would make her a household name in her industry. When Boss Jane (Sunshine Cruz) offers her a crucial assignment in remote Camandao village, she grabs the chance and heads to the Sumal Coast leaving her unemployed husband Mark (Cesar Montano) and five-year old son Buboy (JM Ibanez). However, her ambition would take her off-track as she convinces her contact (Lloyd Samartino) to head to a treacherous area. She gets caught in a crossfire, killing most of her colleagues, but she survives and becomes captive, taken as a “ransomless” hostage.

Six months later, Alice is found unconscious at a secluded roadside. Though she’s amnesic, she gradually regains her memory. In stages, she regains these harrowing vignettes in flashbacks, each one punctuated by acting out and re-experiencing her ordeals (she joins a group of intercontinental hostages; people get killed; she gets raped; she tries to escape but gets caught; as punishment she is tasked to kill another hostage; she tries to escape again).

When she eventually reunites with her family, she finds out that she was indeed taken for dead. Her family and friends have buried her. And Mark and her son are on the throes of moving on. She also discovers that Mark has engaged in an “extramarital” affair with her best friend Sandra (Mercedes Cabral). What’s more confounding are her intermittent anxiety attacks as she re-experiences her harrowing ordeal with the bandits. She suffers blackouts, inflicts pain on herself and conflagrates into bursts of anger. Suddenly, her once amorous family life has turned acetous. Young Buboy had to move in with her aunt while Alice tries to recuperate from her trauma.

But Alice is more concerned with the growing bond between her husband and her bestfriend. And she has decided to unravel the truth behind this coupling. Moreover, she wants her son back. She will get him – at all cost!  

There’s a sweeping sense of déjà vu watching RD Alba’s “Biktima”. On one side, the dubious hostage situation reminds me of Brillante Mendoza’s recent “Captive”. On the other side, there’s Topel Lee’s also-recent “Amorosa”, and if that isn’t enough, it browsed on sketchy post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that also had Angel Aquino herself skirting through cuckoolandia as the titular Rosa. Finally, anyone remembers Lino Brocka’s “Biktima” (1990) which starred Sharon Cuneta and Christopher de Leon? The latter actually won several awards for Gina Alajar who, in her prime, was the most brilliant actress of her generation (she won Urian and Famas for the film).

POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER

But let’s get to the nitty gritty. First off, I have to run a discourse on this oft-misinterpreted psychiatric entity because it’s getting too erroneously overused. Mostly, PTSD is an anxiety disorder caused by an extraordinary major life stress; an accident, death of someone, ravages of war and survival, serious threat to one’s life or physical integrity, sudden destruction to home or property, witnessing physical violence, etc. These events are relived in dreams and waking thoughts. These anxiety attacks don’t necessarily become PTSD unless they satisfy specific criteria called DSM-IIIR in psychiatric parlance. Needless to say, PTSD doesn’t exactly equate to “insanity” because reaction to trauma doesn’t make you crazy! It just makes you scared! Klaro, Topel Lee and RD Alba? When you get scared and jittery, you don't turn nuts. So for the sake of the clueless, albeit lazy film makers and their researchers who keep espousing on PTSD, here is your coffee table criterion:

DSM-IIIR for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

A. The person has experienced an event outside the range of usual human experience and that would be markedly distressing to anyone.

B. This traumatic event is persistently re-experienced in at least one of the following ways:

1. Recurrent and intrusive distressing recollection of the events (in children, repetitive play in which aspects of the trauma are expressed)

2. Recurrent distressing dreams of the event (the most common)

3. Sudden acting or feeling as if the traumatic events were recurring, i.e. illusions, hallucinations, dissociative episodes like flashbacks, even those that occur upon awakening or when intoxicated

4. Intense psychological distress at exposure to events that symbolize or resemble an aspect of the traumatic event, i.e. anniversaries, etc.

C. Persistent avoidance of the stimuli associated with the trauma – or numbing of general responsiveness (not present prior to the event), as indicated by at least THREE of the following:

1. Effort to avoid thoughts or feelings associated with the trauma

2. Effort to avoid activities or situation that arouse recollection of the trauma

3. Inability to recall an important aspect of trauma (psychogenic amnesia)

4.  Markedly diminished interest in significant activities

5. Feeling of detachment or estrangement from others

6. Restricted range of affect, e.g. unable to have loving feelings

7. Sense of a foreshortened future, e.g. does not expect to have a career, marriage, children, long life

D. Persistent symptoms of increased arousal (not present before the trauma), indicated by at least TWO of the following:

1. Difficulty of falling or staying asleep

2. Irritability or outbursts of anger

3. Difficulty of concentrating

4. Hypervigilance (paranoid)

5. Exaggerated startle response

6. Physiologic reactivity upon exposure to events that symbolize or resemble an aspect of the traumatic event (e.g. a woman raped in an elevator breaks into sweat or hyperventilates whenever she takes the elevator)

E. Duration of the disturbance (duration of the symptoms in B, C, D) of at least 1 month or longer

Though this list tends to be overly didactic and/or laborious, fact is, this criterion is quite specific and almost exact. Let’s take Angel’s condition. Item B begrudgingly satisfies only two items where there should be three. Most other features are sketchy and lead more to psychotic criterion than anxiety disorder.

Most PTSD patients would rather shy away from anything that would remind her of the traumatic event, yet Alice is intent on getting her job back. Moreover, we never see her get nightmares or have difficulty falling or staying asleep, usually a hallmark – though not pathognomonic – of PTSD. While most PTSD patients get disinterested or dismissive with significant events, Alice dives into things as though it was another day at work. These are salient points that seem uncharacteristic of PTSD cases.

The point here is, if you’re focusing on a specific diagnostic entity, why not study the case well? Don’t assume you can create situations out of suppositions or hearsay. Consult a specialist because you’re going to feed these indolent thoughts to a paying crowd. They even had to clutter the situation by saying that Angel’s father had a “history of insanity”. It’s muddling an already muddled narrative strain. How convenient, right? Let’s make sahog everything para masaya. LOL

The film is likewise guilty of fast resolutions. This was a woman afflicted with PTSD who actually had violent streaks. In fact, she murdered her aunt. Yet they released her easily like she just recovered from typhoid fever or malaria. What should prevent her from killing her own son since PTSD may have long term repercussions; the symptoms can recur intermittently for years. Isn’t “suicidal or violent ideation” a cause for concern? After all, “killing someone” isn’t part of the criterion for PTSD. How about schizophrenia? Why not Major Depression? How did her closest ties (her best friend Sandra and her Auntie Jean) remind her of the trauma? Were they abrasive or intrusive? Jealousy couldn’t be a stressor for PTSD. I’ve never heard of such thing until now so this one is for the books! We all should make a medical journal out of it.

HOSTAGE WITHOUT RANSOM

Angel was supposedly taken hostage by some terrorist group akin to the Abu Sayyaf bandits, yet despite her stature (a famous TV personality and a news anchor), the authorities or her family were never informed about her being taken hostage. Akala ko ba, hostage situation? She was in fact considered dead after the bomb explosion. Her husband and son have moved on quite easily. What’s a hostage situation without demand for ransom? Don’t tell me they forgot. J She could have fetched a considerable amount, not to mention media mileage because of her stature, couldn’t she? The bandits could have taken the media blitz for their notoriety yet her capture was never known and you simply wonder why.

BAFFLING SURPRISE

When Angel first saw Mercedes, her “bru” (their term of endearment) best friend at a supermarket, their reaction was one of surprise - and discomfort. Not elation. This was again spurious, if not suspicious. Yet Angel was stunned and, once again, this baffles. Did she have an inkling of Mercedes’ indiscretion with her shaggable hubby? Not at that point. Prior to her capture, she received a ring from Mercedes that she was coming home soon from her work overseas. Her presence in the country couldn't be surprising.

And why is Angel’ Alice, the psych patient, confined to her sick bed and hooked to an oxygen nasal cannula? Are PTSD cases in respiratory distress? It couldn't be bronchial asthma or COPD, could it? Anyone can check out our Mental Hospital and other hospital psychiatric wards to know that these patients aren’t exactly bed-ridden unless they undergo special procedures like the electro-convulsive therapy (which shouldn’t take an hour). Most cases are ambulatory. Heck, even the catatonic ones aren't confined to bed. Co-writer Disi Alba (who also plays Tita Jean), supposedly a Family Med physician, should at least be aware of this.

PERFORMANCES

“Biktima” is buoyed by earnest performances lead by Angel Aquino who’s always dependable. In fact, she kept this middling effort afloat. However, you are acutely aware that her depiction is a redundant exercise. Wasn’t she a hostage victim a few weeks ago in “Captive”? Didn’t she get raped in the Brillante Mendoza flick? Moreover, didn't she play the post-traumatic case in "Amorosa"? Cesar Montano is unusually relaxed and casual as the unemployed husband who lost his wife to bandits. He used to be one of the country’s most dependable and insightful actors yet in his older years, he has failed to impress. And I am mostly bothered by his middle-class Taglish dispatches. When he gets news of his wife’s “demise”, he delves into a spine-tingling, “What?” By jeeves! Ano ‘to, English-language flick with subtitles? J  He must have thought he’s still hosting “Singing Bee” or that creepy-crawly talent search “Artista Academy”.

Mercedes Cabral is likewise conjectural. In fact, it feels like she couldn’t make sense of her narrative stock. Why was she suddenly the psychological stressor that stimulates Angel’s aggression? She is, for Pete’s sake, the best friend of our protagonist! Her presence is supposed to provide quiescence and sobriety to her friend’s psychogenic dilemma. When psych patients “panic”, doctors call on their family and closest friends. Does Mercedes look like a bandit for Angel to actually consider her foe? She is, after all, one of Europe’s loveliest, debah? She couldn't be scary.

LOOKING FOR THE SANDRA SHE ALREADY FOUND

After Angel’s threesome dinner with Cesar and Mercedes, Angel went berserk and acts up at the restaurant. She throws plates and bolts out the door – then she drives to her tita, looking for her son Buboy! Then the flustered aunt calls on Cesar and Mercedes warning them of Angel’s state. Why would Angel look for Mercedes when she just left her at the restaurant? She could easily do that by going back to the restaurant. In the following scene, a hospital bed was shown vacated, and the nurse scampers to report the escape of a patient. Was Angel actually confined? How can she join her husband in a restaurant traipsing like a model while being confined in a hospital? Did Cesar help her escape from confinement for a sumptuous dinner out? There’s a stark disconnect here, obviously. Someone got confused. The editor? The story teller? The director? All of the above? 

THANKLESS

The film has thankless cameos by Lloyd Samartino as Fred, the Liberation Organization’s contact; Ricky Davao as Officer Bondalo; Mark Lapid as leader of the kidnap group, Disi Alba (a doctor by profession) as Auntie Jean and Sunshine Cruz as Jane, lovely but otherwise miscast as a television station’s news chief. The production values are a hit and miss. One scene (Cesar takes his child to bed, then the scene cuts to a birthday celebration) runs without sound. And the visuals, dark at times, could be better. The cages where “kidnap victims” were kept look like school play set, I could probably kick a branch and it would fall off like Lego pieces.

“Biktima” is mostly a rendered version of an incipient idea not fully threshed out into a coherent fictive . It is undecided, befuddling and psyched out (no pun intended). I was mostly left disaffected, stolid and phlegmatic for the remainder of the cinematic sprawl. For a flick that’s supposed to conjure high drama, thrill and edge-of-your-seat suspense, “Biktima” drove me to ennui. That can’t be good.

Philip Anthony as one of the hostages. He also co-wrote the story with director RD Alba.

Ricky Davao (right) as Officer Bondalo interrogates Alice.

Alice

Alice and son Buboy

No Other Woman, anyone?

Angel Aquino as Alice, Cesar Montano as Mark and Mercedes Cabral as Sandra

RD Alba