Deo J. Fajardo, Jr.'s East of Paradise - Marooned in Many Levels

Here's a piece previously scheduled for a December 3 (2012) posting. Though the narrative is not particularly designed like a Pink flick, the story actually focuses on its male protagonist. Like many B-flicks of this generation, the female character takes a backseat while subtle emphasis is given to the appendage-gifted male star. But then this is a Deo Fajardo, Jr. movie whose characteristic hybrid of pseudo-action/drama and sex clash like water and oil.

STORY

On his way to meet his girl friend Amy in Cebu, Edgar (Ian Ileto), an air force officer, survives a plane crash that maroons him on an uninhabited island. Days later, he finds Lara (Sofia Lee) unconscious in a hidden cove. When she regains consciousness, they both realize that they only have each other to survive this ordeal. They subsist by fishing from the bounty of the sea and gradually learn about each other. Edgar's girl friend doesn't approve of his precarious employment and wants him to leave his job. This puts strain to their sketchy relationship. Lara, on the other hand, dances in a bar and sees this mishap as a way to redemption - out of the seedy grind of her job.

Edgar and Lara soon develop feelings for each other. But while Edgar is desperate for rescue, Lara prefers to stay. Edgar's concerns are valid: "Paano kung may emergency? Paano kung mabuntis ka't manganak?" Meanwhile, Lara is enraptured by their misfortune and is becoming increasingly apprehensive of the probity of their relationship. Would it survive once back in the civilized world? More importantly, has Lara been trashing Edgar's SOS signs? This frustrates Edgar no end. Will they ever get rescued?

Director Deo J. Fajardo, Jr.'s foray into "Blue Lagoon" territory straddles between mediocre drama and soft porn. His narrative candor is bogged down by his inability to go beyond the film's premise, i.e. two strangers marooned on an island. In fact, the tension of the plot is hobbled by a flimsy narrative burden. There's really nothing to do in the island but fish, make dubious rafts, go skinny dipping and shag the living daylights away. That's all they do; talk nonsense then go at it like rabbits.


There is, of course, the exploratory artifice to introduce dilemmas concerning their lives back in the dry lands, but they seem terribly unimportant, an excuse to smokescreen the immediate and more salient goal of disrobing the film's protagonists. Sofia Lee ("Batang Ifugao", "Pagnanasa", "Big Night", "Ken at Abel") is tentative and more perfunctory than earnest. She doesn't imbue sympathy to her tepid character even when she cries buckets so you're left staring at her unaffected. Ian Ileto does better. He looks like a screen hero and carries himself with confidence. This is evident even in the way he delivers his lines. It's too bad we haven't seen much from him since (this film was in the can since 2010 and has found a venue only in 2012). Ileto, it seems, is busier these days as cinematographer ("Hawla", "Butas 2", "Ang Jowa", and recently in Cudail's "Scorpion Lovers") and film editor ("Students Project", "Sulot", "Hawla", "Ang Jowa").

This is not a Pink Film by presentation and thematic design. It's a straight film, but Deo Fajardo (who rose to fame for "discovering" Robin Padilla) has always been known for his subtle homoerotic streaks even in pseudo-action/drama flicks like "Casa" with Asia Agcaoili and Paolo Paraiso, "Bangkero" with Michael Rivero; and let's not forget titles like "Hatulan si Baby Ama", "Miss na Miss Kita" (Ang Utol Kong Hoodlum 2) and "Anak ni Baby Ama". His cinematic vision is nothing to crow about. Remember the confused "Students Project" (2011)?

Edgar rescues and finds Lara.

NUDITY

In terms of nudity, there's plenty to go around here. Sofia Lee displays her gargantuan mammary in several scenes. Where frontal scenes are concerned, it's Ian Ileto who accommodates with his err... "considerable" endowments: in love scenes with his leading lady and in underwater scenes (shot in Bolinao, Pangasinan). In fact, these scenes recall Brooke Shields and Christopher Atkins' underwater frolic in the Randal Kleiser flick. So Ileto exposes his "slithering snake" flopping away in wondrous splendor. He isn't shy and it's understandable why. J

"Nasaan ako? Bakit ako nandito?" asks a disoriented Lara.

ABRUPT ENDING

The film culminates in anti-climactic fashion, ultimately losing steam as it wallows in narrative apathy. If getting shipwrecked provided Lara's redemption, ending this story was the film's ultimate accretion. Thank heavens for that. Otherwise, we're further subjected to aimless cinematic ramblings. Ending it abruptly prevented people from further embarrassment.

Spear fishing, anyone?

Raft construction turns intimate.

Underwater frolic.

Lara worries about "getting rescued". Go figure.

Ian Ileto: actor, cinematographer, film editor

Sofia Lee

Sofia Lee

Sofia Lee gets photo op with Dennis Trillo.

Peque Gallaga's Seduction - Tepid Persuasions

As a firefighter, Ram (Richard Gutierrez) is dodging fire, embers and falling debris as much as he’s eluding people he owes money from. With dwindling resources, he is close to biting the bullet with his mates’ dubious practices. Headed by his friend Irvin (Jay Manalo), they extort money from building owners whose properties are aflame. Spew out P50,000 or they won’t put out the fire. You see, Ram has volunteered his kidney to save his father (Mark Gil) from impending kidney failure, but money’s tight and a transplant operation requires a lot more than what he is paid at the fire station. “Di ko nga alam kung papatulan ko na lang yung intsik na bading sa Binondo,” he tells Irvin.

 

When Ram saves Sofia (Solenn Heussaff), a French-Filipina journalist, from another raging inferno, it seemed like an answer to his prayer. Grateful for saving her life, Sofia hires Ram as driver and bodyguard – and money is no object. After all, the pretty mestiza is bequeathed with considerable wealth from her departed parents. Suddenly, the emotionally impecunious heiress seems to have found her “salvation” in the dashing fireman. Unknown to Sofia, Ram is warming up to Trina (Sarah Lahbati), a lovely neighbor who’s shown him compassion and affection. The attraction between Ram and Trina soon turns into passionate romps in bathrooms and bedrooms. It helps that Ram has conveniently moved to Trina’s boarding house.

 

When Trina learns of Ram’s financial dilemma, she even decides to sponsor the transplant operation by putting her house up as collateral for cash loan. Meanwhile, Sofia is intent on seducing Ram who’s gradually disquieted by Sofia’s sexual advances, not to mention the ubiquitous camera following them around (a French camera man, played by Artista Academy’s Jon Orlando follows them around, documenting their every move). When Ram moves away from Sofia’s grip, situation turns testy. After all, hell hath no fury like a rich woman scorned, right? What is obsession, coupled with an unhealthy dose of neurosis, not capable of doing?

Peque Gallaga revisits his fascination with stories redolent of his characters' unbridled passion; a familiar theme that always allows dramatic approach into the suspense genre. Like most of Gallaga’s ouvre, he tells his stories with characteristically provocative camera work. The scenes are exquisitely framed, the movement deliberate. Unfortunately, with a story that doesn't really convey a sense of exigency, it feels like the narrative has taken the sideline from the scenographic ruse. Let's take the scene where Sofia burns Trina's house: every "take" stretches on, robbing the moment off of its requisite urgency. 

There are inconsistencies in characterization, particularly of Gutierrez's Ram. When a woman (Shyr Valdez) drops in at the fire station to demand for money he owed her, he doesn't think twice to "work her up" in a room with frosted window, while his workmates could hear (and see) them next door. In another scene where he gets a visit from Sofia at the fireman's quarters, he bafflingly turns into a shrinking violet, rebuffing her advances. He would shag a matron and not a beautiful French woman who pays oodles of cash for his services? "Siguro naman, kaya mong sindihan ang aking apoy," Sofia suggests. So what gives?        

Richard Gutierrez postures like he usually does, but like previous efforts, he fails to convey sincere emotions, thus empathy is hard to come by. What's worse, a movie supposedly built around "passion" feels a tad frigid, which is a mystery considering the presence of Heussaff, who pulls out all the stops to inhabit her fruitcake character. The thespic palette gets better with the ladies: Solenn Heussaff plunges into her role with spot-on precision: she charms, she seduces, she turns pitiful (a challenge when you're rich, beautiful and successful), and just as easily, turns contemptible. Who would have thought of Solenn, when she was starting, that she'd turn into an instinctive, intuitive actress? These days, Heussaff does well in any genre she appears in, even in inane comedies like "D Kilabots: Pogi Brothers...Wehh". What's more inspiring, she has an enviable reputation for her impeccable work ethics.

Lahbati, on the other hand, displays unfeigned countenance. When she delivers her lines, there are no emotional excesses. Isn't it ironic that Lahbati had to come into her own when she's finally decided to desert the business? What a shame.

Peque Gallaga will always be remembered for his masterpieces, "Oro, Plata, Mata" and "Scorpio Nights". "Seduction", on the other hand, could hardly be considered a milestone in film excellence, except that 40 years after Director Gallaga's directorial debut in a film called "Binhi" (with Rosemarie Sonora and Dindo Fernando, 1973), he is still churning out movies about passion and the desires of men. This time though, he missed his mark where "sexy" is concerned.   

Richard Gutierrez

Sarah Lahbati

Solenn Heussaff

Sarah Lahbati and Richard Gutierrez

Joel Lamangan's Menor de Edad - A Discordant Tragedy

At 15, Jenica (Meg Imperial) is a pallet of quandaries. She doesn’t do well in school where she doesn't have friends. Her boyfriend Jimboy (Arvic Rivero) is seeing another girl after she gets cold feet and turns away from a sexual dalliance. On the home front, Jen is constantly embarrassed by her mother Edna’s (Ara Mina) relationship with Jaggz (Jaycee Parker), a lesbian security guard, who lives with them. Bemo (Jim Pebanco), a bothersome neighbor, dogs her around while street thugs (Mico Aytona, et.al.) plague her with innuendos. Her anxieties push her way into a hiphopping girl gang called Sosy who empower themselves with a lot of attitude, vandalizing innocent civilians at every turn.  Ariel Basco (Wendell Ramos), Jen’s Pilipino teacher, provides succor in her miserable existence.

Meanwhile, Ariel is his school’s Most Outstanding Teacher. Students flock to him and his fellow teachers (Jef Gaitan) are drawn to his benevolent demeanor; this despite being relatively new in the institution. He even offers free tutorial sessions with students who need help – like Jenica! But Ariel skirts from a tenebrous past. In a previous school where he taught, he barely got off a sexual harassment case filed by a student. What’s worse, Ariel couldn't shake off his penchant for gambling. In fact, their household finances are a shamble, what with his wife Layda’s (Almira Muhlach) pregnancy and “illness”.

One day, Jen comes home distraught, claiming she was molested by her favorite teacher, Mr. Basco. Is Ariel’s past finally catching up with him?

Joel Lamangan’s “Menor de Edad” reeks with a heavy handed exposition and an exasperatingly obstreperous plotting. Like most of Lamangan’s ouvre, social ilks are brandished without heed for narrative restraint. What transpires is a story that feels inordinately overdone, you end up throwing away any form of empathy that the film builds early on. How do you relate to a miserable girl who rebuffs the sexual advances of a boy he loves, yet she throws herself to her sympathetic teacher? Then she accuses and takes to court the only soul who’s ever given attention and understanding?

Moreover, why would you commiserate with an individual like Ariel who throws away his salary to chance? He navigates the dark alleys of his neighborhood as though he isn't a respected high school teacher, comes home late to a sleeping wife, reports to class wrapped with tattoos and bruises? So much for building a character, right? While Wendell Ramos isn't a lamentable actor, his performance is as confused as his dubiously written character.

Jenica and boyfriend Jimboy

Meg Imperial, on the other hand, coasts on incongruous direction.  She never quite got the grasp of the material though she wasn’t awkward in it. The culprit could be the dated writing of Raquel Villavicencio whose treatment of her protagonist is that of an ungrateful daughter. You see, Jenica’s mother Edna was not the nagging kind; Jen was neither physically abused, and her lesbian “stepparent” seemed to care for her. Other than cloaked in the mediocrity of poverty, why all the worthless angst of a seemingly lost teener? She’s not the only one who hasn’t come to know of her biological father who, as events unraveled, was the sniveling, whimpering, spine-tingling, and more importantly, stalking neighbor Bemo, played by Jim Pebanco. Like most of his previous performances, Pebanco disgracefully depicts his character with stagey flourish. In all of Pebanco’s years in the business (he was in Bernal’s “Himala”, for crying out loud), he is yet to learn how to relax his thespic muscle (Cinemalaya Best Supporting Actor trophy not withstanding). Heavens help DJ Durano (wink wink) for we see a pattern in their situation!

The nail in the coffin for this messy tripe is a quasi-journalist named Nancy Molina, played by Chynna Ortaleza. Molina editorializes her report when they should be delivered objectively, making her segments contentious at best. Or do we have to lecture about journalism? She gropes for words, a dastardly performance for one whose supposed to be a veteran tele-journalist; kinda like a Ricky Lo without his netherworld accent. Take note that in more than three of Molina’s episodes, she only covers a single set of subjects, a charmless gang of publicity hungry girls called Sosy. Metro Manila, with its population of 12 million, is bereft of more interesting subjects that a journalist would linger on a single group of personality for one whole month? Go figure. Ortaleza desperately ought to practice her reportorial spiels to be decently believable.

In one scene, Reporter Molina sees Jenica with the Sosy Gang. “Bago siya?" She asked, yet two interviews ago, Jenica was already seen with the group. How can one journalist not notice this? They’re supposed to be a very observant lot! Or just maybe she probably suffers from Attention-Deficit Disorder? At any rate, this doesn't make her a competent media practitioner, does it? From out of the baffling blue, Molina quipped, “Iba na s’ya ano? Astig na!” Huh? Didn't she just say Jen was a newbie? Ano ba talaga, ate? Then like ray of sunshine, a bulb flickers and she suddenly associates Jen with the case of the revered high school teacher who allegedly sexually assaulted his student. How convenient.

Jaycee Parker & Chynna Ortaleza

There are more bewildering strains in this flick. Here’s a girl who got gang raped by her neighbors. What do we expect from her? Stay at home and recuperate from her genital abrasions and crushed self worth, right? She’s instead seen practicing her karate chops with the rest of the girls who looked like they haven’t seen the bathroom in, say, five-hundred-twenty-five-thousand-six-hundred minutes. A message of self empowerment? Go go go, feminists!

During the court proceedings, no one remembered that a medical report (i.e. an internal examination) of the victim is parcel to trying a rape case.

But – did you know that, if you were to follow Reporter Molina’s story, these fierce girls peddle their flesh for cash? What then do we have here? Tough teenage street urchins who immerse in gang wars – and prostitution? Huh? If you've never used “incoherence” and “incongruence” in a sentence before, this is the golden moment for that. Otherwise, you might as well go home, plant camote, grow letsugas in your backyard, braid your labandera’s hair, decapitate a spider; grow bed bugs in your lolo's bed, anything but watch this horrifying tripe. Sanity alert!

Meg Imperial plays Jenica. She'd rather take the only person who has shown her respect, mercy and understanding to prison than get the bedeviled thugs who actually raped her. Now, children, let's do this in unison: "Why?"

Wendell Ramos plays award-winning teacher Ariel Basco. This exemplary person also gambles until he's blue. Err I mean "red"?.  ;->

Anatomy of an Interview - The Ricky Lo-Anne Hathaway Debacle

A partial "swindle sheet" of the interview:

Ricky Lo: Hello, Uhnn. Nice movie.
Anne Hathaway: Hello.
Ricky: Oh-some. It’s so spell binding.
Anne: Thank you.
Ricky: First off, Uhnn, You lose the 25 pounds for Fantine and how did you do it and how did you get it back?
Anne: Haha! Umm, I’d rather not talk about the way I lost it please.
Ricky: Ah-hehe! (He chuckles as if it’s the most amusing thing in the world. Then he gasps for air.) Okay, how else did you prepare for the role?
(Anne replies with a lengthy dissertation regarding her process of preparation.)
Ricky:  You’re sin (scene), uh, showing you singing "I Dreamed a Dream" was memorable.
Anne: Thank you very much.
Ricky: I have a friend in the Philippines. Her name is Lea Salonga.
Anne: Huh! Hmmmm. (She touches her left chest with her right arm, lifts her head, closes her eyes and smiles.)
Ricky: I told her that I was going to en-terview you which is ah… (this part becomes unintelligible). In fact she has a me-seyj for you.
Anne: She does? (She grins and leans forward to check Lo's phone.)
Ricky: Yuh, I’d say he’s uh… oh dats set (that's it). (He hands over his phone, and Anne reads the message.) She texted it to me from da, from de US. (Lo sits back smugly.)
Anne: Oh I hope to meet her too.
Ricky: Oh see said see could hardly wait to hiss see da movie.
Anne: Oh my gosh, I adore her. I…
Ricky: Yes… (Lo cuts her.)
Anne: I adore her.
Ricky: You really say in uh Vogue en-terview that you could never have compared with Lea? And your mom who also played Pantene… Kate Mac-COW-ley! Why did you say dat? But you’re uh (shrugs 3 times as he grasps for a word he couldn't seem to remember) tea-rific in da movie.
Anne: Thank you. Thank you. (Then she talks about how Lea has made a career as a singer, “one of the great voices of our time” – Oddly, Anne doesn't seem to regard Salonga as an actress of considerable repute considering that “Les Miserables” was a musical played by “singing actors". The musical is not exactly just a concert. Salonga played two roles for the Les Miserables' Broadway run from March to October that year.)
Ricky: Did you get any pointers from your mum?
Anne: No!
Ricky: None? Now, for somebody who’s perceived to have, uh to live a life of luxury and privilege, how were you able to identi- (this point he turns gibberish) hu-wee… identify with uh Pantene.
Anne: Ehhh….
Ricky: Have you ever experience to be hang-gree (hungry), be poor, and you know, just like the character…
Anne: That’s a very personal question.
Ricky: A-hah-hah, okay. (Then he looks at his phone.) Yeah, how about uh, what’s your favorite sin (scene) in the movie? And hard-eest (hardest) to do?
(She replies it’s the scene where she gets to come back as an angel…)
Ricky nods ecstatically and mutters something unintelligible.
Anne: I got to feel nice. (Anne chuckles. Then Lo drops his phone…) Oh careful! The hardest scene was “I Dreamed a Dream.”
Ricky: Oh, I dreamed… (gibberish) yes, yes, yes, yes. And uh, they’re sayin that you’re a SHO-in for da Oscars uh next year, uh how do you feel about it? (Anne smiles.) … At this early!
Anne: It is early. I feel like it’s early. Its… it would be extraordinary if it were to happen but I’m not counting on anything.
Ricky: Yes, what about  ey-ny (any) other musical that you like to do maybe on stage or in the movie.
Anne: Many.
Ricky: Oh!
Anne: Many.
Ricky: Yes. Uh would you like to say ah ey-ny me-seyj for Lea who’s looking forward to watching the movie and to meeting you in person?
Anne: Buh… we've already talked about that.
Ricky: Ah you did!
Anne: Yes.
Ricky: Ah okay.
Ricky: Ah what about inviting uh fans uh in the Philippines showing January yet.
Anne: Why don’t you invite them? I think they’d much rather hear from you.
Ricky: Ah okay (He chuckles with glee and embraces himself).
Anne: Hmmm hmmm (she laughed with pursed lips)
Ricky: Ah okay thank you.
Anne: Thank you very much.

As early as Friday evening, my BFFs Iyaya and Kyle had been separately prodding me to watch the viral interview between Philippine Star entertainment editor and columnist Ricky Lo and actress Anne Hathaway. They wanted to know what I felt about it. To cut the long story short, it was one of the most painful interviews I've seen in a long time. In fact, I shrunk several inches smaller by the time Ricky Lo muttered his last “Ah okay.” That it had to be uploaded online meant that it was available to the general public. This also meant that opinions about its content are rightfully expected. After all, the interview was made available to a very public platform. And why not? People love Anne Hathaway. She was a darling at 2011’s Oscars where she shared the stage with James Franco, singing about Hugh Jackman, etc. Her hosting spiel was charming and, to quote a Time Magazine piece about the show, “strangely aggressive.”

Ricky Lo’s interview with Hathaway, which happened on the first week of December 2012 at a hotel suite in Tokyo’s bustling Roponggi District, drew more attention due to the graceless exchange between the blundering Lo and the lovely actress. It is easy to see why this has gotten much attention from netizens. One entertainment writer (Tempo’s Ronald Constantino) dismissed this hullabaloo as “Much ado about nothing”. Clearly, this wasn't nothing. Something has to be done so we can avoid this embarrassment from happening again.

Journalists sent on junkets have to learn from this debacle. Ricky Lo didn't just represent himself and he knew this. Why else would he keep namedropping his compatriot and “friend” Lea Salonga as though she was the only one to have portrayed Fantine; as though Salonga was in the same film Hathaway had flown to Japan for? A mere mention would suffice, but Lo had to repeatedly ask and even share his phone’s SMS to the Oscar-nominated actress. He was bestowed a 5-minute audience with an A-lister and he had to insinuate Lea Salonga 3 times within his 5-minute time limit? Ever heard of overstaying a welcome?

Lea Salonga as Fantine

Was Hathaway rude? Ricky Lo sure thought so. In his Funfare column, Lo said he was not offended at all. Was she rude? “Hmmm only a bit,” he prudently offered. What did “only a bit” mean exactly if that wasn't a clear statement: Yes, Lo felt that Hathaway was rude. Then he added: “I must say that (ehem!) the more than 200 other Hollywood stars I have interviewed were absolutely more delightful, far nicer, and totally engaging.” This comes from someone who was not in any way offended by how he was being replied to. Which begs the question: Didn't the 200 Hollywood stars, not to mention two or three decades of interviewing personalities, train him how to conduct a better, albeit decent interview?

Ricky Lo should have come prepared. Mere research doesn't suffice. He should have vocally practiced some of his questions because he had them written on his phone anyway. He was, after all, facing the camera as well. He could have done away with a lot of “uh” and those inscrutable gibberish that only the heavens could understand. Several of his questions were dotted with unintelligible words; I had to transcribe the interview to be factual. His “scenes” became “sins”; “hungry” became “hang-gry”; “interview” became “en-terview”; “any” became “ey-ny”  and “hardest” became “hard-eest”. Heck, he can’t even pronounce Anne’s name right, calling the actress “Uhnn” as though she just crawled out of a cave and we're still in the Paleolithic age. “Hi, Uhnn,” he’d greet her. Moreover, he called Anne’s mom “Mc-COW-ly” (Anne’s mother is actress Kate McCauley Hathaway). As in “moo”? He fumbles with his tenses and subject-verb agreement. Between statements, he turns gibberish.  My favorite, of course, was “shoo in” which sounded ”SHO-in". 

The most glaring problem with this interview was how a veteran entertainment editor couldn't seem to “connect” with his subject. Lo seemed tentative and awkward. Anne was guarded and selectively nice. In Lo’s recent article (a sort-of “rebuttal” which he referred as “putting things in proper perspective”), he wrote that Anne perked up when he showed her Lea’s message. He continued, “When she gave me back my cellphone, I accidentally dropped it, prompting Anne to exclaim, Be careful!” Lo’s statement is spurious because, if you check out the video, Hathaway handed back Lo’s phone at 1:35 and his phone fell at 3:16. This was when the actress reminded him to be careful. Isn't it rude fiddling with your phone while talking to someone, and on cam at that? It is important to pay attention to your subject instead of constantly gawking at your phone. Spontaneity is to be had when you listen! 

LESSONS

What transpired should provide a valuable lesson. A junket like this is made possible by the movie"s distribution arm. In this case, it is Solar Entertainment. Couldn't they have properly chosen someone more adept at interviewing stars? The better question is, how do they choose? Tic tac toe? Spin the bottle? Or maybe they consult Marites Allen's feng shui for their pick? There are plenty of journalists who are not too fixated with Lea Salonga, aren't there? Or is the country in a dearth of good journalists that people who can’t speak intelligible sentences had to represent the Philippines? And for what, so they can make fools of themselves? And how can an entertainment editor perform so dreadfully? 

That Ricky Lo finds nothing wrong with his “performance” is a study of ignorance; that he finds it “amusing” is a more serious matter and could be a reflection of cognitive or psychological malfunction, unless these declarations are nothing but avenues of self-preservation. Wasn't this debacle a pondering of taste (or the lack thereof) and blatant inadequacy? Is Lo the best that the country can offer in terms of entertainment journalism? If this were so, aren't we in a lamentable state? Finally, why are GMA7 and Philippine Star fond of hiring people whose screen personas and TV appearances make my skin crawl? I can name two others. Guess who?   

The interview here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kPPMjDgHVA&feature=youtu.be

Kim Nguyen's War Witch - Senselessness

Like most people in the sub-Saharan territory, Komona (Rachel Mwanza) lives in the squalor of her riverside community. At 12 years old, her village is invaded by rebel forces, headed by one called the “Great Tiger” (Mizinga Mwinga), who forcibly recruit and kidnap children, transforming them into ruthless soldiers. For Komona, she was ordered to shoot her parents with an AK-47. “Shoot them, or I will kill them with a machete, and they will suffer more,” prods the invader. She does so, thus she was taken to the rebel camp where they’re forced into manual labor.

At an encounter with government forces, Komona becomes the sole survivor. She is bestowed the superstitious tag, the “War Witch” – she who’s able to see hiding enemies in the ornery jungles. At 13, she meets their fascinating rebel leader, believed to possess magical powers much like a “spirit medium”. Komona is further “deputized” as a lucky charm; someone who could help the rebels avoid imminent death and eventually win their war. She meets Magician (Serge Kanyinda), a fellow child soldier, who constantly looks after her. One day, Magician convinces her to desert the rebel forces. They leave and fall in love. Unfortunately, the life and gruesome past of a “war witch” aren't easier abandoned. What future does Komona have?

 Two years ago, Gerard Butler appeared in a film called “Machine Gun Preacher”. The film, based on real events, centers on Sam Childers (Butler), a former biker who turned preacher and defender of African orphans kidnapped by the malevolent forces of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) led by Joseph Kony believed to have recruited between 60,000 to 100,000 child soldiers and displaced around 2 million people throughout South Africa. The LRA is a militant religious, albeit superstitious cult, operating in Northern Uganda, South Sudan (the setting of “Machine Gun Preacher”), and the Democratic Republic of Congo where “War Witch” was filmed. Komona’s story might as well be a chapter in Sam Childers’ chronicles. That being said, “War Witch” is a fitting companion piece to the less successfully realized “Machine Gun Preacher”.

Director Kim Nguyen’s “War Witch” (Rebelle) sets his narrative in an unnamed African country, giving spotlight to this virulent infliction of brutal wars in African territories. Nguyen tells his story with impressionistic strokes that's almost anti-schmaltz. Half way through the story, he unexpectedly lunges into rom-com territory: Magician proposes to Komona who would agree to marry the former if he finds her a “white rooster” as a sort-of dowry; one of the traditional pre-wedding practices in the region. Problem is, white roosters are exceedingly rare in Africa. The film swerves to a different flavor when Komona is re-captured by the rebels (after all, how can they win the war without their “witch”) who then becomes sex slave to a rebel commandant (Alain Lino Mic Eli Bastien). To exact her revenge, she finds an avocado seed, cuts it to its core, insinuates a razor blade inside, then places the seed inside her vagina. You can just imagine what transpires with a “forcible entry”, right?

The real Lord's Resistance Army

Nguyen delivers his exposition with bewitching narrative artifice, like showing Komona’s parents as ghosts – ashen faced and solitary. Their society believes, much like ours, that the dead has to be properly buried for their souls to rest. This has Komona’s ghostly parents intermittently haunting her, pleading for a proper burial. In these impressionistic expositions, we find a world that's far removed from ours, but these reflections offer glimpses into a universal truth: war is senseless. There is a need for constant reminders, but people keep forgetting anyway.

“War Witch” is one of the five Oscar nominees in this year’s Best Foreign Language Film category. It is Canada's entry to the Academy. It already won several awards including Berlin's 2012 Silver Bear Best Actress Award for its 14 year old lead Rachel Mwanza who likewise won at the Tribeca Film Festival. Interestingly, Mwanza was discovered by Nguyen on the streets of Kinshasa, the capital of Congo. Just FYI, Brillante Mendoza's "Captive" joined Berlin's 2012 Main Competition - the first time a Filipino film was able to penetrate the Main Competition in 3 decades after Bernal's "Himala".

  

Komona meets the "Great Tiger".

Restless "ghosts"

Komona's parents ask for proper burial.

Director Kim Nguyen

Paul Singh Cudail's Scorpion Lovers - Deception in Elementary Exposition

Romy (Karl Matthew Garcia), a call center agent, lives with lover Angelo (Dice Vergara), a student whom he financially supports. In a two-story apartment, they play out their seemingly harmonious lives. But Romy is on the verge of resigning from his job, looking forward to a well deserved summer holiday in Dumaguete with Angelo. What he doesn’t know is that Angelo failed his classes (he keeps putting off showing his class cards). What’s worse, their congenial relationship is a one-way affair; and Angelo’s itching to get rid of his doting benefactor. Meanwhile, a new boarder moves into a room downstairs. Vince (Glenn de Luna), the new guy, is imprudent, something that Angelo despises. the new housemate is a former macho dancer now being kept by a lascivious housewife (Jessica Ruiz) whose husband works overseas as a seaman.     

While Romy is away, Vince catches the disagreeable Angelo pleasuring himself while holding Vince’s missing underwear. This gives Vince the opportunity to seduce Angelo who, with nary a second thought, gives in – and even offers compensation for the former gay bar habitué. “Magkano ba’ng bayad nila sa yo? Siguro naman, kaya din kitang bayaran.” he asks.

Before long, Vince and Angelo become regular bedmates. One day, Romy comes home unexpectedly earlier than usual and he finds his housemates tintinnabulating their bells. What’s a guy to do? Should he accept the gun that his friend Joaquin (Ian Ileto) is offering? Guess.


Director Paul Singh Cudail’s “Scorpion Lovers” is 2013’s first local film released in commercial outlets. And I shiver at the thought of what this hints. Are we going to be inundated with more neuron-challenged male-oriented eroticas? The story, if you haven’t noticed, has been told several times in the past. While deception has many faces, “Scorpion Lovers” is particularly derivative and not well conceptualized. Like most of Cudail’s works, the story is laced with a hundred-and-one loopholes. Romy pays for his lover’s education yet he’s resigning from his job? How is he going to pay for Angelo’s tuition? Sure, they were planning for a summer holiday. But most working men take a leave of absence when taking a vacation; they don’t quit work.

Angelo never showed his new housemate Vince an iota of hospitality – or even attraction for that matter. He despised the guy, yet when he found Vince’s soiled underwear, he scampers to his room so he could “play” with it. This hardly makes sense. Even a sexual deviation like paraphilia has to follow certain rational strains.   

At the film’s second half, the narrative aimlessly rambles; the story gets desperate for a plot device to further move the story that seems to have stagnated. So Cudail presents us with his “deux ex machina” of sorts to address his storytelling dilemma. Enter Ian Ileto, the film’s editor and cinematographer, who cameos as Joaquin, Romy’s friend. His mere presence provides a foreboding that you could smell a mile away. Quite predictably, Cudail, who by then has painted himself into a corner, has found his narrative salvation. Is this brilliance? You could only wish. Similar minded Pink Flick directors like Edz Espiritu, Jigz Recto and Darry dela Cruz always end their stories tragically to provide an undeserved drama. Why not kill off a character? Better yet, why not kill everyone? Let's conclude the whole she-bang with a blood bath for inspiration, debah?

Cudail has been taking down notes from Blush because, for the first time in his mediocre directorial career, he didn’t offer a single shower/bathing scene, thinking perhaps that the absence of which could improve his storytelling acumen. It is wishful thinking, of course. But it is nevertheless refreshing not being able to watch anyone soap away their grime. Make no mistake, it’s still exploitative. A lot of wrinkly derriere (check out the opening scene) is still being flashed around. 

Glenn de Luna gets it on with boyish Dice Vergara.

Dice Vergara is as doltish as Karl Matthew Garcia who, with his tall and lanky frame, tries hard, if a bit too awkwardly. Garcia, who we last saw wave his “light saber” in Crisaldo Pablo’s inane, “Bagito”, must be raring to move away from Pablo’s shadow. Glenn de Luna’s performance is likewise hobbled by caricature. If there’s anyone who registers better than the main characters, it’s the hunky Ian Ileto who earlier topbilled a “Blue Lagoon” yarn for Deo Fajardo’s “East of Paradise”. Unfortunately, Ileto appears in only 3 sequences or so.

Why “Scorpion Lovers”? The title is an afterthought, to be honest. It turns out that both Angelo and Vince were born under one astrological sign - Scorpio. Naw, they didn't turn into predatory eight-legged arthropods with claws and venomous stingers. Cudail would have you believe otherwise, but mark my words. Nothing is vaguely profound in this film. It’s superficial, it’s crass and it’s cheap.

Ian Ileto pawns his gun to Karl Matthew Garcia. Not that gun!