Sineng Pambansa wrap-up, part 2

Among the first 3 films that this film junkie saw in Sineng Pambansa:All-Masters' Edition, it was Elwood Perez' ''Otso'' that impressed strongly. While not exactly a masterwork, the film shows a particular adroitness at the language of cinema which seems to not have been hampered by a 10-year hiatus. Let's see if the remaining 2 films that I saw show the hallmarks of a master at work. 

''Badil'' by Chito Rono (Hometown setting:Samar)

The first time I heard about this new film by Chito Rono, I was already expecting something good from it, out of instinct. My anticipation was all the more fueled because, at the time of the festival's publicity and promotion, this was the film most cloaked in ''secrecy'' - no poster, no trailer, no publicity in regards the cast, nothing. The little that I knew about it was that it was a political film, which was not much of a surprise, as the director made some good politically-oriented films before (''Eskapo'', ''Dekada '70''). And now came the day of reckoning (which was quite delayed because, due to some post-production hassles, the film didn't make it on the first day of the festival). And boy, I was never disappointed! This is Rono's best film - and the best Filipino political film (Tikoy Aguiluz' ''Eman'' may have posed a strong rivalry had it seen the light of day in the festival) - in recent memory. In fact, of the little that I saw at the festival (5 out of 9), this may be considered as the best among the rest. Everything in the film - the script (by theater playwright Rodolfo Vera), the performances (among others, the excellent Dick Israel and Jhong Hilario, who play father and son), the technical aspects, the direction - appears to coalesce into one perfect whole. Instead of tackling big and broad issues, the writer and the director thoughtfully opt to go to the grassroots level, by focusing on the manipulation and corruption ingrained in the local election in a provincial town. It is truly remarkable how the local political machinery blends in with the residents' normal flow of lives that there appears to be no separating anymore the political from the mundane, as if the broken political system has been so much ingrained that it has become part of their culture. There can be no more telling indication of this than when we learn that Ponso (Dick Israel) is being looked up by a generation of voters and local officials, who consider him as an institution and a force to beat when it comes to maneuvering the local elections. In the majority of his past movies, Israel needed to aim a gun in order to strike fear among his hapless victims. Here in ''Badil'', not once does he raise a gun (he only refers to it) but he is more effectively able to convey menace, fear and authority - while being stroke-beleaguered! There is in fact a potent sense of danger and dread in the film throughout while maintaining a seemingly ordinary and calm facade in its political machinations. It greatly helps that the director is particularly skilled in generating suspense. But unlike in his previous horror films (''Feng Shui'', ''Sukob'', ''The Healing''), the approach here is less on jump scares but more on a quiet sense of danger brewing within. Embroiled in this maelstrom is Lando (Jhong Hilario), Ponso's eldest son, who is destined to inherit his ailing father's ''legacy''. We never really know Hilario to be a good dramatic actor, but in the film, he is just astonishing in making us sense his quiet moral turpitude as he step-by-step goes through the ropes of his father's trade. And when he finally reaches the apex of his baptism of fire, he is just as scary. Among the films that this film junkie saw at the fest, this one is the most cynical, as there appears to be no hope that the broken electoral system will ever be fixed, like saying that this way of life has just to be accepted with a cup of coffee. 

''Ano ang Kulay ng mga Nakalimutang Pangarap?'' by Jose Javier Reyes

My last day of the festival ended on a sad note, with Joey Reyes' utterly sad and moving family drama. I was actually a little reluctant in seeing the film, as the director/writer has become somewhat tiresome with his recent spate of romantic/screwball comedies. (I was really planning to see instead Romy Suzara's ''Tinik'', but it just dawned on me that he was the one who directed the awful ''Cedie'' and ''Sarah, ang Munting Prinsesa'', produced by Star Cinema years back.) And how did I realize that I could have missed something good had I pushed through with my initial plan. With hints of Yasujiro Ozu (''Tokyo Story''), William Shakespeare (''King Lear'') and Vittorio de Sica (''Umberto D.''), this is Reyes' most accomplished drama since ''Sugatang Puso'' and ''Minsan May Isang Puso'' - and these were way, way back! There is an impending tragedy right at the film's start, slowly brought about by your own family or, in Yaya Teresa's case, by what you regard as your own family, wonderfully realized by the trio of Jackie Lou Blanco, Bobby Andrews and Ryan Agoncillo (but most especially Ms. Blanco) playing brothers and sister deciding over the fate of their octogenarian nanny after the death of the family matriarch. This is one painful watch (heightened more by Jesse Lucas' haunting cello), with the viewers sensing Damocles' Sword hanging precariously just right above the ill-fated nanny's head. I mentioned in regards one of the films shown at the recent Cine Europa that it doesn't always happen that we encounter films that focus on old people. And when we do, it more often than not strikes a chord in us, as we also have old folks of our own. ''Ano ang Kulay ng mga Nakalimutang Pangarap?'' is another example, as it puts such well-regarded values like family ties, loyalty, devotion, dedication and responsibility to the test, with the family home becoming a haunted courtroom of sorts as it turns into a venue for deciding the fate of the household help. The great Rustico Carpio as Yaya Teresa ages all the more before our very eyes as a lifelong of disappointment, regret and anguish start quietly crashing down on her personhood, realizing that the anchor she thought for a long time to be her greatest stronghold is about to let her go. What's even more astonishing is that Ms. Carpio, while definitely moving, never for once outrightly asks for our sympathy. She's more dignified - and possibly, even more defiant - than ever, as evinced by the memorable final frame that strongly recalls that in Francois Truffaut's ''The 400 Blows'', only on the other side of the life spectrum, with possibly no more future to look forward to. This film is my second favorite at the fest.