Sinag Maynila 2017: Tu Pug Imatuy (The Right to Kill)
The region of Mindanao has a rich and relevant material for cinematic storytelling. And I'm speaking of films that were made by native Mindanaoans themselves, not by outsiders looking in. Films such as "Halaw", "Ang Paglalakbay ng mga Bituin sa Gabing Madilim", "Riddles of My Homecoming" and "Women of the Weeping River" are a testament to this. Now comes "Tu Pug Imatuy" (2017, Philippines), one of the five full-length films included in this year's edition of Sinag Maynila Independent Film Festival, a brainchild of acclaimed director Brillante Mendoza and Solar Entertainment head Wilson Tieng. Without a doubt, this is one of the best Filipino films that you will most likely see this year. And once again, from Mindanao.
A debut work of Arbi Barbarona, who served as a cinematographer in the films of Arnel Mardoquio, and written by the latter himself, it tells the story of a Manobo couple, Dawin and Obunay who, after coming from the burial of their youngest child, were chanced upon by a group of military men who eventually abducted them for the purpose of using them to pinpoint the hideout of insurgents (or in local parlance, "NPAs"). What follows then is a horror story as the husband and wife are subjected to verbal and physical abuse by the soldiers who drag the tied-up couple day-and-night through dense jungles and rocky and muddy terrains, all in the name of quelling the "rebellion". We do understand that these soldiers have a mission to accomplish, tasked upon them by the government;what's hard to comprehend is the unspeakable and unnecessary violence that they have to resort to, more often than not at the expense of ordinary citizens, in order to achieve their end.
The filmmakers are quite blunt in showing that the clear villains here are the military, whose manic predisposition towards cruelty and violence seems to have already overpowered any semblance of sensibility that may have still remained in their heads. The proceedings become all the more disturbing when these are contrasted with the calm and divine beauty of the hinterlands, as if to suggest that nature's subtleties are merely deceptive cover for some human acts of terror that are happening within. Even nature itself is not exempt from man-made destruction, as exemplified by those tractors sent in by the government that continue to ravage the Manobos' habitat, all in the name of "development". Essentially, such machines are likewise destroying the Manobos themselves, if we consider how these people regard themselves as "one" with Nature, a concept which is explicitly referred to in the film.
Yet, the atrocities must still come to an end. In conjunction with the divine laws of nature, karmic retribution is still laid upon the perpetrators of such inhumanities. This is illustrated in the film by way of a wince-inducing comeuppance that makes the soldiers no different from the trapped boar that the couple served as a meal for their family. The film's subtle shifts from darkness to light or from sunshine to rain indicate glimmers of hope amid the strokes of tragedy. Symbols abound in the film that highlight both the ominous and redemptive attributes of nature, from an ant crawling on a leaf to mongo seeds sprouting anew. It's a testament to these Mindanaoan filmmakers' (Barbarona, Mardoquio, Dayoc) gift as storytellers that they are able to situate the broad issues of war, insurgency and the clash of ideologies within the intimate confines of familial ties and interactions.
Considering the film's turn of events, the title thereby assumes an ambiguous meaning. Having their government-dictated mission to crush the so-called rebellion, does it fully justify the soldiers' "right to kill", as a way to put a halt to the insurgency? On the other hand, having suffered from the atrocities brought about by such a "war", does it give the indigenous people the "right to kill", as a way to bring to justice the aggressors? Does the title in some way reference the ongoing debate in the country regarding the re-imposition of the capital punishment? Such is the depth and power of "Tu Pug Imatuy" (which, as of this writing, was honored as best film of the festival). We need not look into the state of such countries as Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Israel to be aware of the destructiveness of war. It's because it's happening right in our own country as well, however different its scale might be.
As a debut film, "Tu Pug Imatuy" still has some rough edges which, fortunately enough, don't diminish its over-all polish. It's one of those films that possess a distinctive power to disturb and to enlighten, to break our hearts and to stir our souls. Likewise, it's one of those films from Mindanao that further solidify the region's reputation as a rich source of cinematic storytelling.
(The fate of a family lies in the hands of a soldier in Arbi Barbarona's "Tu Pug Imatuy")
A debut work of Arbi Barbarona, who served as a cinematographer in the films of Arnel Mardoquio, and written by the latter himself, it tells the story of a Manobo couple, Dawin and Obunay who, after coming from the burial of their youngest child, were chanced upon by a group of military men who eventually abducted them for the purpose of using them to pinpoint the hideout of insurgents (or in local parlance, "NPAs"). What follows then is a horror story as the husband and wife are subjected to verbal and physical abuse by the soldiers who drag the tied-up couple day-and-night through dense jungles and rocky and muddy terrains, all in the name of quelling the "rebellion". We do understand that these soldiers have a mission to accomplish, tasked upon them by the government;what's hard to comprehend is the unspeakable and unnecessary violence that they have to resort to, more often than not at the expense of ordinary citizens, in order to achieve their end.
The filmmakers are quite blunt in showing that the clear villains here are the military, whose manic predisposition towards cruelty and violence seems to have already overpowered any semblance of sensibility that may have still remained in their heads. The proceedings become all the more disturbing when these are contrasted with the calm and divine beauty of the hinterlands, as if to suggest that nature's subtleties are merely deceptive cover for some human acts of terror that are happening within. Even nature itself is not exempt from man-made destruction, as exemplified by those tractors sent in by the government that continue to ravage the Manobos' habitat, all in the name of "development". Essentially, such machines are likewise destroying the Manobos themselves, if we consider how these people regard themselves as "one" with Nature, a concept which is explicitly referred to in the film.
Yet, the atrocities must still come to an end. In conjunction with the divine laws of nature, karmic retribution is still laid upon the perpetrators of such inhumanities. This is illustrated in the film by way of a wince-inducing comeuppance that makes the soldiers no different from the trapped boar that the couple served as a meal for their family. The film's subtle shifts from darkness to light or from sunshine to rain indicate glimmers of hope amid the strokes of tragedy. Symbols abound in the film that highlight both the ominous and redemptive attributes of nature, from an ant crawling on a leaf to mongo seeds sprouting anew. It's a testament to these Mindanaoan filmmakers' (Barbarona, Mardoquio, Dayoc) gift as storytellers that they are able to situate the broad issues of war, insurgency and the clash of ideologies within the intimate confines of familial ties and interactions.
Considering the film's turn of events, the title thereby assumes an ambiguous meaning. Having their government-dictated mission to crush the so-called rebellion, does it fully justify the soldiers' "right to kill", as a way to put a halt to the insurgency? On the other hand, having suffered from the atrocities brought about by such a "war", does it give the indigenous people the "right to kill", as a way to bring to justice the aggressors? Does the title in some way reference the ongoing debate in the country regarding the re-imposition of the capital punishment? Such is the depth and power of "Tu Pug Imatuy" (which, as of this writing, was honored as best film of the festival). We need not look into the state of such countries as Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Israel to be aware of the destructiveness of war. It's because it's happening right in our own country as well, however different its scale might be.
As a debut film, "Tu Pug Imatuy" still has some rough edges which, fortunately enough, don't diminish its over-all polish. It's one of those films that possess a distinctive power to disturb and to enlighten, to break our hearts and to stir our souls. Likewise, it's one of those films from Mindanao that further solidify the region's reputation as a rich source of cinematic storytelling.
(The fate of a family lies in the hands of a soldier in Arbi Barbarona's "Tu Pug Imatuy")
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