CNMLY 2012 : (

No more MNL 143? Wahhh!

Of all the finalists to Cinemalaya’s Directors Showcase and New Breed competitions, I was most excited with the proposed full-length entry of Emerson Reyes. He was a promising find last year. I loved his hilarious short film Walang Katapusang Kwarto, which won the Best Short Film award at Cinemalaya 2011. It is one of those rare films that capture the personality of its maker. The film is charmingly funny with large doses of impishness.

Unfortunately for the young director, his entry titled MNL 143 was recently disqualified by the Cinemalaya monitoring committee headed by Robbie Tan. The main reason given was Reyes’ insistence on casting Alan Paule and Joy Viado as main leads. Tan was quoted in PEP’s exclusive article as saying that the pairing will not work and lacks chemistry. He still hasn’t learned his lesson with the Sheika controversy years ago. Sheika’s film director Arnel Mardoquio withdrew his film from the New Breed competition because Cinemalaya officials were convincing him to replace his unknown actress with a more famous star. The Sheika team was vindicated when it won the NETPAC award that year from Cinemalaya. The lead star, Fe Ging-Ging Hyde, later won the Urian Best Actress award from the Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino.

I’m outraged with Tan’s remarks. Reading between the lines, the gist of his explanation is that Viado is not good looking enough to have Paule as a boyfriend/lover. Tan seems to prefer Star Cinema’s romance films in which the young leads are all good looking and Seiko’s titillating films in which sexy girls and handsome hunks frolic in skimpy attire. Are love stories of ordinary looking people not good enough for the big screen?

But, more than the alleged lack of chemistry between the two proposed leads, I think the real reason behind the disqualification of the film is its perceived lack of box-office potential. Paule and Viado do not have the clout to pull in moviegoers. However, a good script can overcome that liability.

Box-office money (and the elusive theater run) is now the end-goal of Tan and company. Greater audience acceptability is an important criterion behind the casting of Cinemalaya films. The Cinema One Originals group has also succumbed to the lure of box-office bonanza. The group led by Ronald Arguelles has amended its rule to provide more money to projects with box-office potential. Isn’t Cinema One Originals a competition? So where is the fairness in providing more money to commercial projects?

It’s the end of the local film grant world as we know it, folks. We'll be seeing less of experimental, edgy films and more of bland, commercial films. Maybe in the coming years,  we'll see the likes of  films with titles such as 'Enteng N'yong Lahat' barging in at the competitions. The likes of Vic Sotto, Ai-ai de las Alas, John Lloyd Cruz, and Derek Ramsay will bring in the crowds. Wahhh!

It's a good thing there's still the Film Development Council of the Philippines giving grants to indie filmmakers, most of them are not based in Manila. Now their films are likely to be original and sporting a new breed of filmmaking. There's still hope for indie film lovers.


Related link/s:

PDInquirer article

Pasinaya 2012: The CCP Open House Festival

Do you love…

Art

Cinemalaya films

Dinagyang

Fun

Ilonggo culture

World-class performances?

Then get ready for the Pasinaya 2012: The CCP Open House Festival on Sunday, February 26. Get info here.

Register now! to avoid long queues.

****
 

Watch the winners of the 23RD GAWAD CCP Para sa Alternatibong Pelikula at Video at the Dream Theater:

9:30 AM        

Documentary:

1st Prize AGOS (WAVES) (TRT: 00:20:00)

By Samantha Lee

11:30 AM

Animation:

1st Prize PAANO HULIHIN ANG ARAW (TRT: 00:09:00)

By Jane Mariel L. Almoneda

2nd Prize SANAYAN LANG ANG PAGPATAY (TRT: 0:03:15)

By Gil Joseph A. Sanchez 

Honorable Mention AY BULATE! (TRT: 00:04:00)

By Daryl R. Layson

Honorable Mention HIMIG (TRT: 00:05:02)

By Edlaine Ann S. Mercado

Honorable Mention KALARO (TRT: 00:07:27)

By Girlie A. Palo

2:00 PM

Short Feature:

1st Prize SARONG ALDAW (TRT: 00:14:30)

By Marianito Dio, Jr.

3rd Prize DAHIL SA 'YO (TRT: 00:11:00)

By Gym Lumbera

3:30 PM

Documentary:

Finalist WORKING WHILE IN CLASS (TRT: 00:20:00)

By Maevelyn Calapardo

4:00 PM

Experimental:

1st Prize CLASS PICTURE (TRT: 00:04:40)
By Timmy Harn and Gym Lumbera

3rd Prize MANENAYA (WAITING) (TRT: 00:14:53)
By Richard Soriano Legaspi 

4:30 PM

Short Feature:

Honorable Mention MAN OF THE HOUSE (TRT: 00:08:14)

By Chuck Hipol

Honorable Mention INOSENSYA (TRT: 00:14:00)

By Mikhail Red

5:30 PM

Short Feature:

2nd Prize AWIT NI MARIA (TRT: 00:30:00)

By Nica Santiago


PLUS: Re-runs of Cinemalaya short films...

Sa Kanto ng Ulap at Lupa (2011, Mes de Guzman)

A rare trip to my hometown Bayombong, capital of Nueva Vizcaya, made me appreciate the realism of Mes de Guzman's award-winning film Of Skies and Earth. I saw firsthand the majestic beauty of cloud-capped mountain ranges. It seems heavenly to anyone gazing from afar. But, as one gets up close one sees that not all is tranquil up there. Roads ravaged by storms and torrential rains will add hours and sometimes days to your travel time. Heck, a newspaper even labeled Nueva Vizcaya as the ‘bad roads capital of the Philippines.’


Life in the highlands becomes grey and muddy with the onset of the rainy season. Groups of indigenous people complain about the effect of bad roads on the sales of their farm products and the provision of much-needed services. Not much work is required during this wet period. 


Sa Kanto ng Ulap at Lupa is set during such bleak economic period. A pair of kids, Rodolfo aka Yoyong and younger brother Poklat, descend to Bayombong and adjoining municipalities to earn some money. They take shelter in an abandoned house along with two boys, Uding and Boying. The four kids do various odd jobs.


The best scenes show the kids at play or just plainly conversing with one another. They remind me of my childhood experiences and the stories told by our elders. One such story I’ve heard during my recent trip was about how my aunts and their playmates would nonchalantly shoo away floating feces during their swimming escapades. Ilocanos also has this habit of scaring each through ghost stories. The slaughterhouse manager is scared shitless because of the kids’ story about vengeful porcine spirits.


A most memorable scene from the film shows Yoyong and Uding ambushing a young lad. Instead of a fist fight, we see Yoyong meekly apologizing to his fellow teenager Adoy. The four kids may have some mean streak in them but they do have good hearts. All they need is some guidance and probably more education.



As seen in the film, services 
in the province are well provided in the lowlands but not so in the highlands. A team of police arrives immediately at a crime scene. A truckload of firemen responds promptly to a fire alarm. The manager of the slaughterhouse worries about the possibility of a random inspection by the town mayor. The residents of the highlands are the ones getting the short end of the stick.


Director Mes de Guzman gained prominence with his pro-education film debut Ang Daan Patungong Kalimugtong. He once again highlights the importance of education. Yoyong is barely literate. Lack of accessible education must have been the likely culprit. A few reading lessons turned the young man into a loving person. A few more years of formal education would have transformed Yoyong into a better, caring person.

The final scene shows how the bleak, grey lives of the kids turn into a colorful albeit short-lived existence. Heaven for them is a bountiful harvest. But, who will survive to attain that divine promise?

Ka Oryang (2011, Sari Raissa Lluch Dalena)

Among the 10 films from the Cinema One Originals Festival 2011, Sari Lluch Dalena’s film Ka Oryang was the only one to get a perfect 10 on my scorecard. It was my bet for the Audience Choice award, which eventually went to Six Degrees of Separation from Lilia Cuntapay. For those wondering about that mysterious citation, the award was chosen by a group of viewers privileged to see all 10 entries way before the gala premieres at Shangri-La Cineplex. (Salamat nga po pala sa Cinema One team para sa mga libreng screenings at pagkain).

The Martial Law film may not have been popular enough to win that certain award but it was spectacular enough to nab the Best Picture award handed out by the festival jury. Right off the bat, Ka Oryang grabs the viewer’s attention with its lean, jugular black-and-white depiction of the Diliman Commune at the University of the Philippines (UP). The crisp powerful images (including that of a female Oblation) and chilling soundscape (e.g. piercing banshee wails of the students) send shivers to my bones. I’m moved and teary-eyed as I recall the heroism of students and the sacrifices of young martyrs during the seventies. Those were the years of rage against the regime of President Ferdinand Marcos.

An apathetic student named Gregoria de la Cruz (Alessandra de Rossi) witnesses the brutal suppression of legitimate dissent during the First Quarter Storm. A bloodied acquaintance of hers lies dying in front of the College of Arts and Sciences.

Fast forward to the mid-1970s, Gregoria, now a dedicated rural doctor, tends to a bloodied comrade of Ka Noli (Joem Bascon). She asks questions about Ka Noli’s work with the underground movement. Even though she has seen first-hand the abuses by the minions of Marcos, she remains apolitical and just serves the people in her own unique way. She is not unlike real-life rural doctor Bobby de la Paz who treated sick people no matter what their political affiliations are. De la Paz was eventually gunned down at his clinic in Samar because of rumors suspecting him to be a communist or with links to the New People’s Army (NPA). Aside from de la Paz, young martyr Ma. Lorena Barros is another peg for the character of Gregoria. Barros was a UP student who joined the armed guerrilla revolution. She was a beautiful amazon who rose to the ranks of the rebels.

Gregoria’s main reason for joining the rebels is not clearly delineated. (This is not a weakness of the film for it is similar to the case of slain student leader Edjop, who mysteriously shunned his privileged background to take up arms.) It must have been love or it must have been belated awakening to the sufferings of the Filipino people. Or it could be a whole lot of other reasons.

Most likely, one of the reasons is a person who makes an appearance in the film. A surprising documentary footage shows President Ferdinand Marcos and family hobnobbing with and charming the socks off of Chinese leader Mao Zedong. Marcos has often been cited as the number one recruiter for communists in the Philippines. Widespread human rights abuses during the Marcos period pushed people to join the revolutionary movement. The black-and-white footage is somewhat apt then. Communist leader Zedong meets the number one recruiter of Reds in the Philippines.

Gregoria is just one of the countless emboldened Filipino women, inspired by Katipuneras such as Ka Oriang de Jesus, who fought for their rights and the rights of their countrymen. She meets other women warriors in prison after her arrest.

Director/scriptwriter Dalena presents harrowing experiences of these female political prisoners. A nude female recruiter for the NPA is tortured atop a block of ice. A pregnant detainee ends up being a punch bag. A mother is shot point-blank in front of her kid. Most of these tales are said to be based on real-life experiences of Martial Law victims.

Ka Oryang is a tribute to those young people who gave up their lives fighting the dark forces of Marcos. It is an important film for it serves as a reminder to a dark, grim period in the history of the Philippines. There have been high-profile attempts to portray the Marcos era as mostly a positive period for the country. Well, this film debunks that revisionist image. Ka Oriang de Jesus had some words for people who twist history for vested interests. The lakambini of the Katipunan said ‘fear history, for it respects no secrets.’

Anatomiya ng Korupsiyon (2011, Dennis Marasigan)

Anatomiya ng Korupsiyon is notable for its incorruptible character, Attorney Cely Martinez. The film starts with a Bing Lao-styled establishing shot of the main character’s house and inner disposition. We see lots of diplomas plastered on a wall of this derelict house. The beauteous young lady prepares breakfast on what is her first day of work. Her mother is disappointed to learn that she will work for the government. The elder mutters that she’ll end up just like her father, who was not rich enough to make his family live the sweet life. The smiling young girl says nothing and eats heartily her simple breakfast of pandesal. However, the smile, somewhat awkward and mocking, seems not to be what the director ordered. Maricar Reyes as Cely Martinez started on the wrong foot but showed brilliance in most latter scenes.

Reyes gets into the groove of things as she portrays a dedicated, maverick hearing officer. Martinez’s diligence and promptness in dealing with her cases cause annoyance amongst her colleagues and co-workers. Fellow lawyers prefer a delay in their cases because more hearing appearances translate into more fees. Stenographers and regular clerks also benefit from prolonged cases. Her colleagues subtly, and later on directly, show her illicit ways of earning quick bucks.

Attorney Martinez remains steadfast in shunning grease money. Even when hospital and medical care bills start to pile up, she manages to elude the menacing tentacles of a corrupt government office. She even makes a hasty exit from a Christmas party because she cannot fathom to mingle with corrupt people. As she ambles out, we notice her sweet smile, a smile that could only emanate from a pure heart. It is a smile that seems to say “Dad, I’ve kept your name clean.” The movie should have ended with that smile but it goes on for a few more minutes.

A fine blend of Dennis Marasigan’s reliable deft direction and Bing Lao’s creative inputs, Anatomiya ng Korupsiyon is an almost solid Cinema One Originals entry. I adored it so much right up to Cely Martinez’s victory walk. But when she steps into the elevator and darkness engulfs her, the film goes down a few notches for me.

The movie has made a strong case against corruption so I was bewildered with the elevator scene and subsequently, the Jun Lozada footage. Cely Martinez is no ordinary office employee that cannot afford to lose her job. She can easily get another job. Her father’s legacy seems to be her bedrock of courage. She is not supposed to be helpless against the dark forces.

Meanwhile, the Jun Lozada footage shows the whistleblower at a 2008 Senate hearing narrating how his boss Romulo Neri instructed him to ‘moderate their greed.’ As it is, the footage is not clear enough on what message it wants to impart. Yes, it does suggest that not much has changed since the Marcos years. But is it a call to accept moderate corruption or is it a call for more courageous whistleblowers to come forward to eradicate wrongdoing in government? If it is the latter, then help and hope is indeed on the way for those people doing the right thing in public offices.

The last two or three minutes of this film will likely elicit conflicting extreme reactions from moviegoers. I didn’t like the elevator scene and the Jun Lozada footage but the scenes that came before them and the character Cely Martinez are good enough to make me rate the film highly among the Cinema One Originals entries.

Six Degrees of Separation From Lilia Cuntapay (2011, Antoinette Jadaone)

Four women directors upstaged their male counterparts at the Cinema One Originals Festival 2011. Sari Lluch Dalena won the best director award for her brilliant Martial Law film Ka Oryang. Ivy Baldoza’s sensuous and sultry film Mga Anino sa Tanghaling Tapat nabbed the jury prize. Shireen Seno’s ambitious film Big Boy got rave reviews from prominent film bloggers. However, those three films have their fair share of detractors.

The hilarious mockumentary Six Degrees of Separation from Lilia Cuntapay (SDOSFLC) is the runaway popular and critical hit of the fest. The fourth female filmmaker, Antoinette Jadaone, deservedly won the best screenplay award. With ample support from Raymond Lee and Joyce Bernal, the charming filmmaker/scriptwriter crafted an engaging, incisive, and rollicking look at the travails of a bit-player in a cult horror movie series.

Ghoulish looking Lilia Cuntapay (played by Lilia Cuntapay) has been in the movie industry for thirty years. She endured countless hours waiting for her turn during shoots. She has disrobed for the camera in the film Babae sa Breakwater. All those dedication and commitment have finally paid off as the septuagenarian bit player nabs an acting nomination from AFTAP. The film shows how Cuntapay responds to this bit of great news. She prepares a speech in case she wins the best supporting actress award.

The big night arrives and the camera captures a nervous Cuntapay resplendent in a silver dress. Angel Aquino then reads out the winner of the best actress award… Lilia Cuntapay!

Wait a minute… Silver dress? Angel Aquino? Best actress? In a scene that could have been made specifically for this movie, Cuntapay really did win an acting award, albeit shared with Maricar Reyes. She took a deep breath and acknowledged that she didn’t expect to win the Best Actress award at the Cinema One Originals Festival 2011. Proof of that is she didn’t prepare a speech. As a result, she had a mental block and failed to thank directors Peque Gallaga, Lore Reyes, and Jadaone. The combination of spotlights, cameras, and the presence of Nora Aunor might have unnerved her during her speech, which is not unlike those fictitious speeches in the movie. Initially, I thought the movie’s speech segments were weak as they show Cuntapay’s limited acting ability. But, having seen the acceptance speech of Cuntapay, I realized that she is not acting in those speech segments. That is the true Cuntapay we are seeing. If she seems uneasy and uncomfortable it is because she just doesn’t buy the idea that she’ll be nominated for an acting award much less wins an award. Savor the speech segments for a glimpse of the true Lilia Cuntapay.

Jadaone’s film is a stunning meta-movie mind-fuck. It blurs the line between fiction and reality. All throughout the movie, one is left wondering what the truth is. Is Myra a real relative of Cuntapay? The actress who portrayed Myra won the best supporting actress award and acknowledged Cuntapay as her aunt in her speech, which shows her good sense of humor. Again, she is what she seems to play in the movie. I loved the part in which she helps Cuntapay practice her lines. Their rapport seems to suggest some blood affinity. Is that the place Cuntapay really lives in? Only the cast and crew know. How I wish I could attend a post-screening forum someday so I could unravel amazing details about the film.

I liked this film better than the Cinemalaya blockbuster film Ang Babae Sa Septic Tank (ABSST) for one major reason. ABSST seems to spring out of envy. That film comes across as being made to spite successful filmmakers such as Pepe Diokno and Jim Libiran. On the other hand, SDOSFLC was made out of deep love for an underdog, a film underdog at that. I love stories of ordinary people making it big. And with this film, a bit player morphs into an award-winning actress. A few more sold-out screenings and the name Lilia Cuntapay will be on most moviegoers’ lips.

Bisperas (2011, Jeffrey Jeturian)

T’was the night before Christmas, and… all hell breaks loose for the Aguinaldos, members of a middle-class Filipino family. Grudges, hurts, sins, and even turds spill out in the open. The next day we find the family members lining up for communion during the Christmas Day mass as if nothing happened. They are mere Christians in name. They have a perverted sense of right and wrong. They regard themselves as being always right while others are in the wrong.

Bisperas is a nice comeback for Jeturian after a disastrous foray in short feature filmmaking. His X-rated AmBisyon 2010 project is off-putting for its brusque depiction of disapproval for the administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. I agree with the message but not the way it was conveyed. I preferred Jon Red’s PSG, which is a subtler and beautifully-lensed take on the matter.

Jeturian scoops up the dirt once more and smears it this time on hypocrite Catholics. Ouch! That really hurts… Bisperas is a film that will make lots of viewers uneasy and smelly.

The film starts with a well-staged Panunuluyan, a Christmas tradition commemorating the travails of St. Joseph and the pregnant Virgin Mary. Among the participants is a young man eager to communicate with his brother. His smile is met with rude indifference. As the procession is in progress, a gang of robbers strikes at the home of the Aguinaldos. This crime unleashes past conflicts and trespasses among family members. Despite the season, love and peace don’t seem to reign in the hearts of the village residents. Even the children who are supposed to spread good tidings with their carols and hymns yell out cusses to residents who don’t give out offerings.

Scriptwriter Paul Sta. Ana crafts his best screenplay yet. The theme of Christian hypocrisy is slowly unveiled before our eyes. The amazing thing, and somewhat unfortunate at that, is the viewers see themselves in the despicable characters. The tight story benefits from superb acting. As the characters drown in a cesspool of lies, the mother (Raquel Villavicencio) remains calm and acts as a buoyant lifesaver. There's a scene showing her grabbing a knife. How we react to that scene speaks much of our disposition. The mother is not angry. She never gets angry despite all the trespasses inflicted on her. Villavicencio won a well-deserved award for her gentle performance. The ending shows the thief doling out aguinaldo (gift) to his inaanak. But, is he really the thief? What are the evidences that he is the one? Sta. Ana caught me empty-handed. It was unChristian of me to judge the man wearing the Ateneo jacket. 

There is a thing, or two, that bothers me though. The Aguinaldo family is lucky to have a fast-responding police force to their home on Christmas day! The team even has someone in charge of taking fingerprints. I was wondering whether it was really set in the Philippines. I sure hope that it is the case with most responding police teams in the country. I also hope that the taking of fingerprints is standard operating procedure during robbery investigation.

Films like Bisperas should be the ones shown during the Christmas season instead of inane Metro Manila Film Festival sequels. The family drama may not bring in long box-office lines, but it may send repentant viewers to line up for the confessional booth.

Bahay Bata (2011, Eduardo Roy Jr)

Baby Factory, the English title of the film, gives us a better description of what to expect. Dozens of babies are delivered every day at the Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital (DJFMH) in Manila. The hospital staff is more than ready to meet the deluge of babies, though. It is no surprise then that the country’s symbolic ‘seven billionth person in the world’ was born at DJFMH.

An early important scene from the film shows us how a doctor and nurses handle one such birth. With the mechanical precision of a Formula One racing crew, the staff members do their respective jobs and in less than a minute or so, the baby comes out. Then, they completely dry up the newborn to stimulate breathing and lay him/her down upon the breast of the mother for uninterrupted skin-to-skin contact. Breastfeeding is highly encouraged within the first hour of life. Cord clamping and cutting is delayed. These are all done in complete adherence to a program introduced by the Department of Health and the World Health Organization in 2010. The Essential Newborn Care protocol is projected to drastically cut down newborn deaths in the Philippines.

I’m not sure though if an advice the mother received from a staff member is part of the hospital protocol or government policies. During the childbirth, a staff member is clearly heard reminding the mother to get a ligation. The mother had probably given birth countless times hence the admonition.

The ease at which the mother gave birth reminded me of a highlight scene in the continuing documentary Tundong Magiliw. With only an elder midwife at hand, the Tondo-based mother also gave birth easily. Both mothers have given births more than the national average of 2.5 births per mother. The poorest of these mothers average a staggering 6 births. It is no wonder then that they took to giving birth so easily just like Allan Caidic drilling down 3 pointers or Cinemalaya films winning awards abroad.

But, before Bahay Bata gets embroiled in the Reproductive Health bill debate, it should be noted that the film is the best Bing Lao-influenced Cinemalaya finalist of 2011. Director Roy made great use of his opportunity to film at the hospital premises. Just like Amok’s Law Fajardo, the director overcame the odds despite working in a place teeming with people. His film had an almost documentary feel to it. Vivid, realistic details such as the childbirth and the 1:6 bed-patient ratio give the film heft and panache. The Christmas setting adds poignancy to the drama.

It is when the film veers away from hospital realities and nursing tasks that it bogs down. Mailes Kanapi can’t seem to shake her theatre background as she comes on too strong as a tightwad doctor hated by her subordinates. On the other hand, Diana Zubiri gives out a lackluster performance. She was not able to convince me as a nurse. It is a good thing that she is not the lead. The lead character is the DJFM hospital and boy, it truly is a baby factory with at least 630 mothers/patients at the time of shooting.

Ang Sayaw ng Dalawang Kaliwang Paa (2011, Alvin Yapan)

Kinukumutan ka ng aking titig – R M

This impressive film could have been titled the Dance of the Flitting Eyes and it would have been just right. The eyes, more than the feet, do most of the important actions (and talking) in this scintillating, visually-appealing movie.

A lovestruck rich kid named Marlon Dionisio (Paulo Avelino) is stalking someone outside the Far Eastern University (FEU) campus. When he spots his love object, a middle-aged svelte lady (Jean Garcia), he homes in on her until she reaches her next working place, a dancing studio.

We soon learn that the sexy dancing instructor, Karen Pantoja, is also the literature class teacher of Marlon at FEU. She, with the wistful eyes, asks him about a poem of Ruth Mabanglo (R M). The student clams up and later rues his chance to make a strong impression on his dearly beloved teacher. He seeks the help of classmate Dennis Acejo (Rocco Nacino), who happens to be an assistant of Karen in the dancing studio.

Marlon enrolls in the dance class of Karen. He also secretly hires Dennis as a dance tutor. Marlon perseveres because he wants to shine and perform well in the eyes of Karen. Unknown to him, a different pair of eyes is showering him with love and affection.

Mahal, ako ay napapapikit – R M

With Ang Sayaw ng Dalawang Kaliwang Paa, I’ve finally found an Alvin Yapan film to adore. His first two Cinemalaya films Huling Pasada and Ang Panggagahasa Kay Fe left me bewildered and unsatisfied. The screenplays of the two films seem better off being a nice read than being adapted for the screen.  

Third time’s the charm for Yapan. He has finally learned how to transpose his literary musings into chunks of engaging film language. A ballsy magnificent cotillion scene in Sayaw shows the two boys having an argument. Karen steps in to defuse the heated exchange. It sounds simple enough, but the amazing thing is the characters are ‘conversing’ using only their eyes! Bravo!

The Dance of Two Left Feet also utilized brilliant Filipino poems in a variety of approaches. A poem-song was used as accompanying music during a dance scene. Another poem about heartbreak was dissected by the two male leads. If you loved the poems so much, then I advise you to purchase the Original Sound Track. Included are the poems Kinukumutan Ka Ng Aking Titig (R M), Kontrapunto (Ophelia Dimalanta/Translated in Filipino by Rebecca Añonuevo), Litanya (Merlinda Bobis), Paglisan (Joi Barrios), Ang Sabi Ko Sa Iyo (Benilda Santos), and Nais Kong Madarang (Rebecca Añonuevo). It's a convenient and probably less expensive way of getting all the poems in one go.

The ending of Ang Sayaw ng Dalawang Kaliwang Paa leaves the viewers with a mystery. But by then, we no longer need to unmask the secret in the wet eye of Marlon (and also the pensive eyes of the inexplicably single Karen). Prying more is akin to knifing brutally a ripe star apple. The gentle, graceful, and passionate poems/steps/gazes they shared with us have nourished and refreshed us like a bunch of delicious tropical fruits. Saktong-sakto lang ang pagkahinog. Mapapapikit ka sa sarap sa bawat kataga....

Kamada (1997, Raymond Red | TV movie)

Jaclyn Jose & Francis Magalona

Have you seen a good suspense/mystery local film lately? Hmmmm… There are few films to begin with for both genres, so finding a good one may take some effort unless you’re an avid follower of special screenings by the Society of Filipino Archivists for Film (SOFIA).

The group SOFIA has screened/slated two films that may fit the bill of a good thriller. Danny Zialcita’s Masquerade is structured like a detective film complete with a ‘guess whodunit’ segment in the end. A mysterious benefactor offers money to people attending a special masquerade. Then, a killer strikes and the number of guests dwindles. The second film, Raymond Red’s Kamada, starts with several killings. A young male music student is soon caught up in a web of kidnappings, treachery, and more killings.

Kamada is a rare noteworthy film project of GMA 7. A made for television movie, Kamada benefits from the sure hand of Red, a splendid production design, a gripping story, and fine performances by a cast led by Francis Magalona and Jaclyn Jose. Red adapted his movie from a short film he earlier made with a Super 8 mm camera.

In my search for the English meaning of the word kamada, the most appropriate one I saw was ‘arrange.’ Maybe kamada refers to musical arrangement as the main protagonist is a composer named Julian (FrancisM/Francis Magalona). He rents a room in the hope of getting the solitude and silence he needs to churn out a musical piece. The silence is short-lived as he gets to hear the intermittent coughing from across the hall. His curiosity about the sick person leads to his meeting a fellow tenant, Amanda (Jaclyn Jose).

Amanda, a kidnapped victim, seems to be suffering from Stockholm syndrome as she inexplicably takes care of her wounded, coughing captor. Julian asks her to escape but she refuses. He then learns that a sister is also in the hands of the kidnapping syndicate and she doesn’t want any harm to befall her.

Julian finds a muse in Amanda and begins to finish several musical pieces. He soon aspires to be a hero who will save the damsel in distress. The young man is not unlike a Hitchcockian protagonist obsessed with a femme fatale and slowly being engulfed by a torrent of lies. Magalona imbues his character with the right amount of naivety and innocence.  

Kamada’s influence is seen in the films Sigaw by Yam Laranas and Ilusyon by Paolo Villaluna. Sigaw features a young man getting curious with a turbulent couple across the hall and befriending a little girl. The empty, silent corridors are soon permeated with a creeping sense of dread and deafening shadows of violence. Ilusyon highlights the different shades of red and evokes the zeitgeist of the 1950s through a standard song. It is interesting to note that the two directors and Red are all products of Mowelfund workshops. During a heavy sampling of Mowelfund film shorts (including Jon Red’s Tiempo) I noticed several filmmakers’ fondness for the 1950s feel. I don’t think it must have been due to their age. The workshops must have emphasized more the aspects of cinematography and production design. The 1950s era has a strong character that makes it visually and aurally appealing. Antique items are put to good use in the dream sequence of Julian. Incidentally, the film utilized Doris Day's 1957 version of the song titled 'Dream a Little Dream of Me.'

Kamada is up there with Anino and A Study for the Skies as my favorite Red films. It is like a rare, story-filled photograph that ought to be archived and definitely saved in case of a fire. I hope Red pushes through with his plan to remaster the film.