Chito Roño as of late has been busy churning out horror films. So when I read that his Sineng Pambansa project was titled Badil, I thought it was another chiller. I have no idea what the title means but it seems like a name for a monster.
There is monstrosity alright in this spectacular film but not in the supernatural or paranormal sense. There is horror in there, too. But this time it is political in nature.
Badil is Chito Roño's update on political realities he expertly touched on in the films Dekada 70 and Eskapo. While the latter two films are set during the Martial Law regime of President Ferdinand Marcos, Badil is set in contemporary times in an unnamed island.
Upon hearing the word 'dynamite' from a character onboard a boat, I thought the issue is dynamite fishing. However, the main film topic is more tragic and devastating than that. Badil brilliantly shows how love for money subverts elections in the country. Vote buying is so entrenched in a fishing community that almost every resident there is on the take. Registered voters sell their souls to the highest bidder.
Money is a major reason why candidates win in elections. It is also money that keep them firmly in their positions. In Badil, the minions of a challenger attempt to dislodge a moneyed local official by fortifying their stronghold. They keep track of strangers who may convince residents to turn around. The election race is so tight that a mere family of turncoats can be the 'dynamite' that can wreck havoc on the challenger's dream of winning.
Another local term used by the residents is 'ink stain.' Originally referring to the ink used by menacing cephalopods, it is used to describe voters who have had their fingernails stained by indelible ink. Supporters of the seated official realize that if they cannot convince the clannish residents to vote for their bet, they can at least coerce registered voters not to exercise their right of suffrage with a generous amount of bribe. Registered voters can always say that they did not vote for the opposition.
Also keeping with fishing parlance, the film features a case of 'sleeping with the fishes.' Another one has been caught up in the tentacles of the Leviathan called election violence. The supporters of the challenger cannot match the moolah of the local official. Hence, they resort to desperate measures by bringing in political assassins.
Why do politicians and candidates kill for public positions?
According to a Philippine Daily Inquirer article, the Philippine National Police recorded 177-election related incidents from January this year to September 22. From these incidents, 96 candidates and officials have died.
How do candidates recoup the tremendous amount of money that they have spent during campaign period?
Comelec is pursuing cases of vote-buying and excess advertising spending by politicians.
The likely answer to those questions is in the news.
Pork barrel. President Benigno Aquino III refuses to heed his bosses' clamor for the abolition of legislators' pork barrel. Why? Because he doesn't want the legislators to target his own pork barrel. There goes the so-called checks and balance in our government. There goes the taxpayers' money.
*********
Sineng Pambansa 2013 sked at Shang Cineplex
Top picks:
Worth your while:
- Sonata
- admired the nods to Hollywood classic films and actors such as Greta Garbo
- Ang Tag-araw ni Twinkle
- succumbed to the poetry and beauty of spoken Tagalog
- loved the performances by Ellen Adarna and Arnold Reyes
- Ano ang Kulay ng mga Nakalimutang Pangarap?
- fascinating end-frame
- the backstory, though, could have been better
- I still prefer Brillante Mendoza's Lola over this film
Guilty pleasure:
Bahay ng Lagim
Don't judge a film by its poster.
I'd shied away from viewing the film Otso because of its theatre poster. No, it's not the one above. The poster I'm talking about has a picture of about four nude hunks in lieu of Sabina's picture. The beefcake picture seems to suggest that it is a gay film. Well, it isn't a gay film. It is, how do I put it, an artistic meditation on truth and perception.
A balikbayan scriptwriter named Lex is enamored with old Manila. He treads the cobblestones, rides the calesa, and admires the statue of Laong Laan. The picturesque beauty of Intramuros soon gives way to images of a chaotic, cluttered city caught up in electioneering frenzy.
Lex rents an apartment and starts to work on a commissioned screenplay. One day, he sees a pretty co-tenant. He follows her and sees her wearing a necklace. The piece's prominent design is that of an infinity symbol. From that point on, his creative juice explodes. What follows is a Kaufman-ian glimpse into the maddening scriptwriting process. An eternity of cascading images, characters, and storylines collide with one another and metamorphose into an impishly script.
A character from the film advises Lex to show his script to Brillante Mendoza. I think Lav Diaz is the better option for him because topics such as truth, artists, and art are major concerns of most Diaz films. But, Otso is unlike any Lav Diaz film. It is sui generis. What film can combine diverse characters and issues such as Anita Linda (playing herself), a pair of porn stars, a fresh, young scriptwriter, and the issue of pork barrel and pull it off?
The fun part is trying to figure out who's who and what's what after the denouement.
I'd finished watching all of the major new films included in the Sineng Pambansa National Film Festival. Otso and Chito Roño's impeccable political film Badil are my top picks. If you can only view one film today (17-Sep), then make it Otso. There's a chance that Badil may get an extended run.
Sineng Pambansa National Film Festival is an excellent showcase of the filmmaking skills of 12 acclaimed directors. I've seen eight films and majority of them are movies worth seeing again. Even the clunkers have their unique assets and possibly have their own legion of backers.
The sleeper hit of the festival is the special entry Bahay ng Lagim by horror master Celso Ad. Castillo. It is a super-duper chiller to the core. A young lady named Fatima (Karel Marquez) has recurring nightmares of a girl asking for help. But, when these pleas begin to bug her even during waking hours, she seeks the help of a healer, Sister Sophia (Bing Loyzaga).
The whole segment leading to the delicious, wonderful credits is high-level suspense. When the names of the cast appear onscreen, I had a gleeful smile while being at the same time shivering from the chills. There I am slinking in my seat with my head down because I had a feeling someone possessed will sneak up on unsuspecting people. The fear factor won't ebb down for another 45 minutes.
Sister Sophia's fight with the beast is another highlight of the film. Who says you cannot teach old directors new tricks? The hideous monster magically comes alive via computer graphics.
I was wary when I learned that the horror film was being prepared for the fest without the guidance of Castillo. The late director was supposed to create a new film specifically for the festival but he died of heart attack in November 2012.
Followers of the late director decided to spruce up an unreleased film, Bahay ng Lagim. They did an amazing job. The film is a masterpiece of Castillo and a worthy inclusion to the All Masters Edition of Sineng Pambansa.
Sineng Pambansa is here... there... and everywhere.
Forget the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF). Sineng Pambansa is the real national film festival. SM cinemas from all over the country are screening 10 new works by accomplished local directors from September 11-17, 2013. Admission price is only PHP 101. Yes, we can watch more films that are hopefully of better substance than the stale MMFF fare we get every year.
Here are the major new films and their running times:
Ang Tag-araw ni Twinkle (1:53) - Gil Portes
Ano ang Kulay ng Mga Nakalimutang Pangarap? (1:32) - Jose Javier Reyes
Badil - Chito Roño
Bamboo Flowers (2:12) - Maryo delos Reyes
Eman - Tikoy Aguiluz
Lauriana (1:58) - Mel Chionglo
Lihis (1:38) - Joel Lamangan
Otso (1:23) - Elwood Perez
Sonata (1:47) - Peque Gallaga and Lore Reyes
Tinik - Romy Suzara
Updated (11-Sep):
As of tonight, only seven films are showing at SM Megamall. I have no idea what happened to the films Badil, Eman, and Tinik.
I'm happy with what I have seen so far. These two films, Sonata and Ang Tag-Araw ni Twinkle, are better than most of the films featured at Cinemalaya 2013's Directors Showcase.
Sonata is an ode to films, opera, and Negros Occidental. Ang Tag-araw ni Twinkle highlights the allure and beauty of spoken Tagalog.
*****
Searching for the Sineng Pambansa theatrical schedule for all SM malls? Click here
I've pasted below the cineplexes that can accommodate the full slate of ten films. Sadly, all of them are in Metro Manila. (Are there cineplexes with at least 10 theaters outside Metro Manila?)
SM Fairview
Day 1 to 7
Screen 1 - Otso
Screen 2 - Lauriana
Screen 3 - Sonata
Screen 4 - Lihis
Screen 5 - Eman
Screen 6 – Ang Tag-araw ni Twinkle
Screen 7 - Tinik
Screen 8 – Bamboo Flowers
Screen 9 – Ano ang Kulay ng mga Nakalimutang Pangarap?
Screen 10 - Badil
Screen 11 – Bahay ng Lagim/The Gospel According to Celso Kid
Screen 12 - Salvi
SM Manila
Day 1 to 7
Screen 1 – Bamboo Flowers
Screen 2 – Otso
Screen 3 - Sonata
Screen 4 – Ang Tag-araw ni Twinkle
Screen 5 - Lihis
Screen 6 - Tinik
Screen 7 - Badil
Screen 8 - Lauriana
Screen 9 - Eman
Screen 10 - Ano ang Kulay ng mga Nakalimutang Pangarap?
Screen 11 – Bahay ng Lagim/The Gospel According to Celso Kid
Screen 12 - Salvi
SM Megamall
Day 1 to 7
Screen 1 - Sonata
Screen 2 – Ang Tag-araw ni Twinkle
Screen 3 - Lihis
Screen 4 - Lauriana
Screen 5 – Bamboo Flowers
Screen 6 - Badil
Screen 7 - Eman
Screen 8 - Otso
Screen 9 - Ano ang Kulay ng mga Nakalimutang Pangarap?
Screen 10 - Tinik
Screen 11 - Bahay ng Lagim/The Gospel According to Celso Kid
Screen 12 - Salvi
SM North Edsa
Day 1 to 7
Screen 1 – Ano ang Kulay ng mga Nakalimutang Pangarap?
Screen 2 - Lihis
Screen 3 – Ang Tag-araw ni Twinkle
Screen 4 – Bamboo Flowers
Screen 5 - Eman
Screen 6 - Lauriana
Screen 7 - Tinik
Screen 8 - Otso
Screen 9 - Badil
Screen 10 - Sonata
Screen 11 - Bahay ng Lagim/The Gospel According to Celso Kid
SM Sta Mesa
Day 1 to 7
Screen 1 - Sonata
Screen 2 - Otso
Screen 3 - Lihis
Screen 4 - Lauriana
Screen 5 – Bamboo Flowers
Screen 6 – Ang Tag-araw ni Twinkle
Screen 7 – Ano ang Kulay ng mga Nakalimutang Pangarap?
Screen 8 - Eman
Screen 9 - Tinik
Screen 10 - Badil
Note: The rest of the cineplexes will change their slate of films every day to enable them to feature all 10 new films.
Click here for theater schedules
in Marikina, South Mall, Mall of Asia, San Lazaro, Bacoor, Cebu, Consolacion, Iloilo, Davao, Lanang Premier, Pampanga, Clark, San Fernando, Olongapo, Baguio, Calamba, San Pablo, Sta. Rosa, SM Lucena, SM Naga, Aura Premier, Podium, General Santos, Cagayan de Oro, Dasmariñas, Bacolod, Taytay, Tarlac, Baliwag, Marilao, Batangas, Lipa, Rosales, Muntinlupa, Novaliches, Sucat, Bicutan, Valenzuela, Masinag, Molino, and Rosario.
Phew! That is a total of 46 malls. Here's hoping there are new masterpieces showing out there alongside the classics Maynila Sa Mga Kuko ng Liwanag and Genghis Khan.
All Masters Edition? Let's wait and see...
