The initiation, part 1

The very first CineFilipino came at a time when all the other long-running Filipino film festivals here in our country have already established a niche in the industry and a strong and loyal following among film lovers. With the relatively higher grant that the festival's organizers gave to the participating films - and the number of postponement in the festival's launching - it was somewhat expected that the film entries would turn out to be of above standard and, who knows, would raise new levels of filmmaking. The day of reckoning - the initiation rites - finally came for this new-born festival. Did the films live up to "expectations"? 

Of the 8 participating films (both by first-time and established independent feature film directors), this film junkie was able to see 5 (together with 5 shorts). Let's take a look: 

"Mga Ala-Ala ng Tag-Ulan" by Ato Bautista 

The director does a Wong Kar Wai in this film about adolescent infatuation and yearning - lyrical and plaintive, in a romantic kind of way. Even with the visuals and camera movements - slow-moving, poetic, intimate - one can't help thinking of the cinematics of Asian Cinema's sad romanticist. The melancholy longing is all the more enhanced with the prevalent Beethoven piano piece throughout. The film's light and lyrical approach is in fact a change of pace for the director, who is known for his dark and offbeat themes ("Sa Aking Pagkakagising Mula sa Kamulatan", "Palitan"). This is a rare animal. It doesn't always happen that we see a romance being treated in a Filipino film this way - if at all. In the hands of a lesser director, this May-December affair could have turned into another sappy and formulaic story. But in Ato's hands, the not-so-uncommon scenario achieves some kind of elegance and grandness. The first film that this film junkie saw at the fest was a good start. 

"Ang Kwento ni Mabuti" by Mes de Guzman 

As the director is wont to do, the great Nora Aunor is only "one among the many" in this deceptively simple morality tale. Rarely do we see in this film all the acting mannerisms and methods that we have come to associate with Ate Guy through the years. She is just as ordinary and as down-to-earth as it can be. No "Himala" moments, so to speak. If this is another example of what you call "non-acting" in cinema, then we should be blessed. In place of Nora's "dramatic" moments (this is not to say though that she is not terrific in the film;on the contrary), what we have here is the film's moral dilemma, which makes up its core. And it is a real treat to the viewers to see how Nora's character ("Mabuti dela Cruz") confronts this dilemma with subtlety and grace, with all those conflicting emotions just being suggested through her eyes, with only the barest words possible. Perhaps, it's only a matter of one's taste as to how one will gauge Mes' manner of playing out the balancing act of "to be or not to be". I was thinking if it actually served the story well to have the moral question presented - and "resolved" - in such an ambiguous and, on one or two occasions, even in a surreal manner. The ethical dilemma was essayed in such a low-key manner that it might have been more fitting if the viewers were able to somehow have a clear grasp of what Mabuti "did" to the large amount of money suddenly "entrusted" to her. Sure, all the emotions that register through Mabuti's eyes and her oblique references subtly point to what may have transpired in the end. But giving a clear picture of the consequence of the "act" wouldn't be a bad artistic choice either. The final image in "Ang Mundo sa Panahon ng Bakal" is made more poignant and ambiguous by our clear awareness of the tragedy that happened beforehand. The one in "Ang Kwento ni Mabuti" achieves a lesser effect because we are somewhat  left out in the cold as to the penultimate act that really drove to that instance. Still, the film is worth-watching because of one great actress' immense ability to work out a moral conflict in an astonishingly low-key manner. 

"Puti" by Mike Alcazaren 

After seeing - and eventually, being underwhelmed by - the horror film entries shown in Cinemalaya ("The Diplomat Hotel") and in Sineng Pambansa ("Bahay ng Lagim"), I said to myself in regards "Puti":"Oh no, not another horror in a fest again!" We are already seeing too much of this genre in mainstream cinema, so can't we just be spared from this in an independent film festival - even if briefly? Turns out that, of all the films I saw at CineFilipino, "Puti" was the one that provided a pleasant surprise. Hinting at the strange cinema of Japanese horror auteur Kiyoshi Kurosawa, this is a slow-burn, moody and visually striking chiller, anchored by a riveting performance by Ian Veneracion as a forgery painter who starts seeing strange visions after an accident renders him color-blind (inventively rendered through a POV monochrome). With notable attention to details, the director succeeds in creating an eerie and morbid atmosphere through inventive framings, ambient score, telling production design and expressive photography. Also, while not entirely waxing metaphysical or philosophical ala-Kiyoshi Kurosawa, the film still somehow manages to pose some questions in regards the nature of art, dreams, perception and truth. As if the previous proceedings were not enough, the denouement still packs a visual whallop, like a painting becoming life-like and turning into a grotesque nightmare. If we were to gauge the festival through the "art-house" criteria, then, by way of "Puti", it would have gained some high points. Mike Alcazaren is surely a talent to watch - not sure though if he would stick to the horror genre, eventually becoming a master in it, just like Kurosawa. That won't be a bad choice. 

(Next:"The Guerrilla is a Poet" and "Ang Huling Cha-Cha ni Anita")