"School Service", "Mamang", "Kung Paano Hinihintay ang Dapithapon", "Musmos na Sumibol sa Gubat ng Digma" - Cinemalaya 2018

"School Service" is director Louie Ignacio's most solid work to date. It's driven by a rattling good tale of a dysfunctional family of grifters who lives in a rundown, roving school service, abducting children along the way. The children are tasked to beg for money used to buy food and medicine for the ailing patriarch (Joe Gruta) and to pay off cops. 

With 6 unrelated children now in their fold, Rita (Ai ai delas Alas) is having a tough time managing their affairs. It doesn't help that elder brother Robert (Joel Lamangan) is hopelessly enraptured by his lover Kiko (Kevin Sagra), the driver, who's trying to convince Robert to sell the vehicle and run away with him. One day, while Rita is scouring the city with the children, Robert fails to return on time. Rita fears that her suspicion has finally come true. 

The film follows the daily routine of Rita's "family" as they brave the concrete jungle. I am reminded of a few movies: Ralston Jover's "Hamog" and Eduardo Roy's "Pamilya Ordinaryo" which tackled familiar ground of urban vagrancy. The scene of children sniffing rugby to ward off hunger was very familiar. 

The strength of the story is its unpredictability, as we're compelled to sit back and wait for things to unravel. It's hard to double guess the string of events, and you're left wondering. Life in the big city can be harsh, and there are always extraneous factors that affect even the best laid plans. 

Some of the memorable scenes include Rita getting called out by a shop lady for her lies as she pretends to be physically debilitated; Robert trying to stop Kiko from smothering his sick father; and, finally, Rita chasing after little Maya who's stoned from sniffing glue. 

I have to mention Joel Lamangan's substantive portrayal.

The first movie I wanted to watch for the festival was Denise O'Hara's "Mamang" - and I got lucky. I am not sure why this was highly anticipated, even by some of my friends who rarely watch indies. Maybe because Celeste Legaspi is one of the movers behind the unforgettable little MMFF movie that could - Loy Arcenas' "Ang Larawan". Legaspi has always been synonymous with quality. Think Barbra Streisand, Philippine version.

"Mamang", however, was underwhelming. The protagonist's downspiraling cognitive skills seemed episodic at best. Like a tedious litany of the symptoms of dementia. In fact, there was a disconnect and I couldn't fully empathize with Mamang.

Part of this is Legaspi's uneven characterization. Make no mistake, she's a grand presence on screen, but there are stark inconsistencies with her character. She'd be surly one minute, then timid and blushing, and headstrong the next. She's like a brat acting out for her close up. And Norma Desmond is a solar system away from who Mamang should be.

I am aware of the behavioral abnormalities associated with dementia: depression, anxiety psychosis, agitation, aggression, disinhibition, and sleep disturbances. In their realms, the past crisscrosses with the present. I know. I've lived with a grandmother who suffered from it. This was one of the things that drew me to the movie.

Sadly, it was a struggle to relate to this story. I am aware too that this was based on real events. So we're down to the writing. There was not enough tension to sustain my interest. Even her hallucinations (she gets a visit from a few characters - her dead husband, a constantly hungry soldier, etc.) were novelty ideas that wore off fast. I was barely moved by her joy or grief. If stoicism is a product of a narrative, then my disinterest was appropriately justified.

Carlo Catu's "Kung Paano Hinihintay ang Dapithapon" was an interesting watch because it involved a marital dilemma usually discussed among people way under 60 years old. How does the senior population deal with these precarious situations? Is it any different? Do wisdom and calm demeanor figure into the resolution of these predicaments? 

For 27 years, Teresa (Perla Bautista) and Celso (Menggie Cobarrubias) have lived a harmonious life together. One fateful day, Teresa gets an unexpected call for help from Benedicto (Dante Rivero). Bene, the husband who abandoned Tere in the past, is afflicted with Glioblastoma, a malignant and aggressive cancer of the brain. Would Tere extend a helping hand? Would Celso allow her to?

With a cast of reliable veterans, the story comes alive as the characters maneuver the slippery slope of past and present relationships. The film also poses a question: Do we still care for persons even if they've hurt us in the past? Bautista, Rivero and Cobarrubias navigate a delectable roundelay that effectively coaxes emotional calisthenics from us. It helped that director Catu judiciously employed this rich atmosphere of nostalgia, I could practically smell regret and yearning from the walls of Bene's ramshackle house. 

There are unforgettable moments that define this movie: Teresa admits her true feelings for Bene - and it was sincere and straight-forward, if a bit brutal; and estranged son Chito (Romnick Sarmenta in a short but grippingly intense scene) comes face to face with the father who abandoned them.

Director Iar Lionel Arondaing knows how to present the most ravishing images in his latest movie, "Musmos Na Sumibol sa Gubat ng Digma". The opening scenes alone were eye-poppingly gorgeous; a far cry from his previous entry with Cinemalaya, "Sa Gabing Nananahimik ang mga Kuliglig". Arondaing tackles another revenge story in the form of "rido", the tribal wars that fatally play like a vicious cycle of violence among clans in the south.

In the story, Eshal (Junyka Sigrid Antarin) escapes her burning house with pregnant mother Manahil (Star Orjaliza). But it didn't take long before Manahil delivers her baby on the boat in the middle of a mangrove forest (a stunning shot that drew gasps from the cinema audience). Unfortunately, Eshal's mother bleeds and expires after delivery. Young Eshal, as earlier suggested by Manahil, cuts her hair and pretends to be a boy named Hamed who has to take care of her newborn brother Affan. 

The next day, Hamed rescues a boy named Farhan (JM Salvado) who suffers from the same predicament after having escaped from tribal in-fighting. They become fast friends as Farhan helps Hamed take care of the baby. But Hamed noticed the "kufi" (a brimless rounded cap worn by Muslim males) on Farhan's head. Could it be her father's?  

While undeniably interesting, "Musmos..." is hobbled by throwaway scenes that would have benefited from judicious editing. In fact, about 20 minutes less would have given it a tighter, more focused story. There were also stilted lines straight out of 9 year old kids: "Nangarap ka na ba minsan?" Huh?

For its music, the film made use of "sufi supplications" (Islamic chanted prayers) playing overtime, disparately garnishing the cinematic canvas, some too distractingly, particularly when the characters were in a conversation. Like his previous movie, some of Arondaing's scenes were too dark to see. We had to guess what was happening.  

We can't emphasize enough the relevance of cinema in stating the obvious; i.e. that war is but a folly - and pride unnecessarily creates grief. We need more movies that tackle social ills because they help mirror problems that could be remedied by reflection. Cinema can be such a vessel.

If Sheron Dayoc's similarly themed "Women of the Weeping River" (QCinema Best Film, 2017) was a face-off between wives, "Musmos..." was a matter among children. It is also clear that Dayoc's work is artistically better realized.






#schoolservice   #mamang   #kungpaanohinihintayangdapithapon   #musmosnasumibolsagubatngdigma   #cinemalaya2018

Miko Jacinto's Salo - Accommodating Affections

Rene (Paolo Rivero) is 30. Every day, he routinely leaves his steaming cup of coffee on his way to work. He runs a business that his family has left for him. Though relatively well off, Rene keeps to himself. He leads a solitary, albeit lonely life. He also employs a driver Levi (Kristofer King) who waits for him all day. Back home, his grandmother Mila (Anita Linda) lies on her sick bed in a coma. Rene gets regular visits from his “tita” (Perla Bautista) who does odd things for them: she (supposedly) takes care of her bedridden friend and occasionally sets the bashful Rene for blind dates. But he never quite connects with anyone. He in fact harbors a secret that had dire consequences one time he unraveled it. He is gay. And he harbors affection on Levi who unfortunately is in a committed relationship.

When another of Rene's blind dates doesn’t materialize at a beachside resort in Pangasinan, this opens an opportunity for Rene to spend time with Levi who, conveniently, prefers a naked frolic while he enjoys the ocean waves. Will Rene’s wistful glances come to a fruition? Will tattooed Levi entertain his closeted employer? Guess.

Miko Jacinto’s “Salo” (Share) is a surprising work. Unlike most pink films, Jacinto engages and dives into his narrative - frame after frame - with hardly a spoken word. In fact, most of the spoken lines are left hanging, i.e. there’s hardly an exchange of words. This eventually creates semblance of mood and nuances. “Salo” also benefits from Romy Suzara’s beautifully composed scenes, giving the impression that this isn’t your hurried, shoddy, one-take production.

But there is a problem where narrative details are concerned. Perla Bautista’s character, for example, bewilders. She’s the coquettish “tita” who “barks” loudly, spewing lines like: “Bumangon ka na. Masaya ang mundo. Naalala mo pa ba, dati sabay tayong nanlalalaki?” You aren’t sure this was meant to be spoken by an elderly matron. In another scene (where she gazes at the driver washing the car), she said: “Type ko siya. Matrona ba, magaling ding maghugas.” When told that Levi’s spoken for, she replied: “Kahit gawin mo pa akong kerida, ok lang!” And as if to seal the real identity – or sexual preference – of the character: “Nakadami ka na ba?” Though I understand that her character was meant to stir vitality to an otherwise dour story, her character is a tad too uncouth to be believable. You only have to see how matronly she dresses to feel this incongruence to her peculiar manner of speaking.

Spoilers!

Then there’s Anita Linda, Lola Mila, who’s confined to her sick bed. She doesn't move, doesn't open her eyes, doesn't speak. She was never given a line - not even for a short flashback. And the essence of Anita Linda lies in her expositions which were curiously clipped making this cameo nothing short of befuddling.

When her grandson Rene confessed that he’s actually gay, the news so distraught her, she went into coma. Yes, it's a homosexual-induced comatose it's one for the medical books! This spotlights the gravity of “coming out” – it can drive people to coma! J Moreover, the whole time she lay on her bed, we don’t see her with an IV line or a nasogastric tube. Since she never wakes up; how then does she feed? What’s funnier was when Mila eventually expired, this was when we find evidence of life: a pulsating jugular neck veins and the flickering of lashes. Wee.

Paolo Rivero and Kristoffer King have been around in the business so it doesn’t surprise that they lend their scenes a degree of realism and natural grace. Director Jacinto seems also aware of the thespic limitations of Jeff Luna (who plays King’s live-in partner Manny) so his spoken scenes have been played down; his dramatic lines are cleverly shot with half of his body partially covered by frames or shadows.

Because of its genre, de rigueur scenes of nudity find Rivero and King in states of undress, each has 4 bathing scenes, while King shares a shower with Jeff Luna. Showers and bathing scenes constitute a salient feature of a Pinoy Pink, didn’t you know? But consider King’s amusing scenes at the beach: he runs towards the shore then gradually takes his clothes off as he plunges into the waters. Between huge boulders, he pulls down his briefs then sits on a rough bed of pointy, sandy, scratchy corals. Can you imagine what particles get lodged in his anatomical crevices? Ouch.

Despite carefully planned scenes and artistic experimentations, there’s something gravely disturbing about an elder lady – a “tita” – who advocates polygamy. I was having second thoughts if Perla Bautista wasn’t meant to play a transvestite. Let me cogitate on that.

Jeff Luna, the sexy king of monotones.

Note:

Please read our featured post on Cinema Bravo and why we're sometimes nginig about Web Criticism:
- http://makemeblush2.blogspot.com/2016/10/cinema-bravo-film-criticisms-execrable.html

Redemptive Spring in Alix's "Haruo" - Plus "Ulan" & "I See Everything"

As much as it insinuates “redemption”, spring is as deceptive as the little blooms that festively gather around in the season. Each one would eventually wither away.

A morbid turn of events brings Haruo (Jacky Woo) to the squalor of Manila. A prized asset of the feared Yakuza in Tokyo, Haruo, aka Tadano Hayashi, escapes the criminal syndicate with bountiful cash, a helpless Filipina bar girl (Nina Kodaka) – and tragic consequences. Now solitary, he has uprooted himself to the railside slums of the metropolis, wistfully fending for himself. Still hiding from his past, he rents out a small room, seemingly lost in the clutter of wandering souls desperate for survival. There, he spends his days anonymously roaming the congested streets selling food, and even giving them away for the hungry. But he mostly keeps to himself, even to the inquisitive Edna (Rosanna Roces), an aging bar girl with whom he occasionally shares his bed.

Other characters navigate Haruo’s surroundings: Aling Lydia (Perla Bautista), a cantankerous mute who lives her days rearing her grand children with heavy hands; Popoy (Junjun Quintana), a street hawker who peddles everything from fake Rolex watches and garments to longganisa; and Edna (Roces) who’s constantly anxious that the grown child she’s rearing will eventually leave her for his real mother. Yet Haruo keeps mum of his putrid past, and these desperate faces frame Haruo’s survival like a noose waiting to tighten around his neck.

One day, he meets the mysterious Michelle (Roxanne Barcelo) who, along with her cousin Charlie (Arnold Reyes), is cloaked by an air of paranoia. Are they running away from something? Despite Michelle’s veneer of detachment, Haruo is drawn like moth to a flame. It isn’t long until his harrowing past haunts him back. Will Michelle, like the Japanese spring, bring Haruo’s redemption?

With a bristling narrative and the calculated manipulations of its color palette, smartly doing away with those shaky handhelds, Adolf Alix, Jr.’s “Haruo (Springtime Man)” plays out like a blank canvas that gradually unravels right before your eyes, peeling veneers of its story in delectable stages of unrelenting tale, way until the full story is laid out like a masterpiece. Albert Banzon’s cinematography is a joy to behold, and the conscious selection of color scheme is nothing short of spectacular: while most of the background is muted to almost black and white, objects surrounding – and framing – each scene have been saturated into sumptuous hues. Several scenes jolt out like kinetic objects – as exemplified by a magical scene where a cart drives away from a rail track, the side rails frame the scene in red-orange hues. I was mesmerized!

SPOILERS

I do have a few quibbles about the film. When the Yakuza eventually finds Haruo, didn’t he ever consider that if he ignored their request (they want him back), they would harm Michelle? Why didn’t he exert the effort to protect her first before eventually declining their order? You couldn’t be so thoughtless as to allow another love one harmed again, could you? Furthermore, a few scenes that supposedly transpired in Tokyo looked inherently Manila. There’s also a little confusion in the timeline of flashbacks, though, on the most part, they worked.

Jacky Woo turns in an insightful performance rich with pathos and empathy. Roxanne Barcelo plays the damsel in distress with emotive charm and mystery, you do wonder why she isn’t getting the lead roles that she deserves! But this film should remedy such injustice. Rosanna Roces always lends a degree of realism to any film she appears in, thus watching Rosanna “suffer” anew was such joy. In fact, she was one of the reasons why, for a very short while, I became a teleserye junkie when Nora Aunor’s “Sa Ngalan ng Ina” was on TV. Perla Bautista romps off with a dichotomous character, at once sympathetic and loathsome. Nina Kodaka, who has uncanny semblance to the beautiful Barcelo, plays the Filipina bar girl who falls into Yakuza territory. Though she seems a tad tentative with her attack, it wasn’t perturbing. You just know she could fare better.

But the breakout performance comes from a relative unknown – Junjun Quintana who plays Popoy, the haggler who sells everything, even his soul in exchange for money. Quintana enveigles a charismatic presence radiating with charm, a graceful streetwise demeanor and cinematic allure reminiscent of the younger Coco Martin and Sid Lucero.

Alix’s “Haruo (Springtime Man)” is a compelling slowburn; a character study about evoking a degree of atonement that, to some people, never comes. Sometimes, the situations that surround people make for an imponderable road block.

Rosanna Roces


Roxanne Barcelo and Nina Kodaka


Nina Kodaka


Roxanne Barcelo


Junjun Quintana

STUDENT SHORT FILMS

Along with this full length feature, MMFF has decided to include student films from which 10 short films will be screened alongside the 4 "New Wave" (indie) full length features. We saw 2 student shorts: Michael Jainoran’s “I See Everything” (Southville International School) and Nikka Palma and John Wong’s “Ulan” (La Consolacion College and Pixel Art). To be fair, since these are scholastic efforts, I’ve decided to be nice and reserve our acidic tongue so as to inspire these young souls to work on their craft.

Jainoran’s “I See Everything” follows the watchful eye of a geek who perceives herself at the bottom of the “food chain” where it concerns the denizens of her class. These are the campus heartthrob, the sassy girl, the musician, the bully. On cursory glance, they follow the social strata as they’re perceived to be. But on closer look, their stories waver into the unforeseen. And the geek, by her own ministrations, bears the power to rise above the social ladder… with her sentient camcorder. The staging of scenes is a bit rough around the edges. The casting could have been better conceived. But there’s an unmistakable rankle of idea that could have soared had the narrative been fine tuned.

Palma and Wong’s “Ulan” is more technically polished. One night, Nikka leaves younger sister CJ on her own while the former attends to her social commitments. While she was away, CJ entertains herself watching television, playing piano, foraging through the only available food. That same night, the rains pummeled through the roof and Nikka failed to make it back home. In the wee hours of the night, CJ gets a strange call from her Uncle Alex. What’s become of Nikka? Filmed in sumptuous black and white, there is proficient generation of mood that helped create a workable narrative. Employing the narrative detour of Shyamalan’s “The Sixth Sense” further gives the story fictive heft though it’s weighed down by a lukewarm treatment of its concluding scene. Still, it’s a watchable fodder.