Deconstructing a hero in Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral
Three years after "Heneral Luna", Jerrold Tarog follows up with "Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral" (2018), a film about the life and death of another prominent historical figure during the Philippine-American War in the late 19th century, Gregorio del Pilar. This is the second film in an intended trilogy about Filipino heroes who are seldom, if not at all, portrayed in cinema (the third one being about Manuel Quezon, which is already hinted at in "Goyo"). As with "Heneral Luna", "Goyo" takes the liberty, as stated in the opening text, of combining fact and fiction in the presentation of historical events. It's like the fictional elements serve to enhance the facts, in as much as the latter intends to ground the former in reality. The result is yet another boldly entertaining and imaginatively directed historical drama, coming from one of the country's consistently good directors.
But whereas Jerrold portrayed Antonio Luna as a larger-than-life character in the first film, whose mere appearance in a scene threatens to outshine anyone because of his volatility, brashness, hardheadedness and ferocity, like a ravaging flame engulfing anyone in its path, his portrayal of Del Pilar in the second film intends to "unseat" him from his heroic pedestal, to make him down-to-earth so to speak. Working from a screenplay co-written with Rody Vera (who also wrote the recent "Signal Rock"), the Del Pilar that we see in the film, young as he is, is one who is beset with self-doubt, apprehension and fear. Being just in his early 20s when he starts to lead a troop and becomes Pres. Emilio Aguinaldo's most-trusted aide, the dreamy-eyed and love-swayed youth is still very much alive in him, to the point that it distracts him from the things that could've mattered most in his duties and responsibilities as a general. An example of this is in a scene where he dismisses the gunshots from an approaching enemy as mere "snake sounds" as he's more engaged in discussing "things" with an ex-lover (but of course, this might just be one of the film's attempts at fact-and-fiction combination). Altogether, Goyo (Del Pilar's moniker) is seen as basking in the "peace and quiet" being experienced by the country in the period after Gen. Luna's death.
But is the complacency really justified? Apolinario Mabini, who no longer holds any position in the government (but is later on offered a seat in the Supreme Court by Aguinaldo) refuses to accept this apparent peacefulness on its face value. A fictional character in the film named Joven (who's also in "Heneral Luna"), acting as an observer thrown in the middle of things by force of circumstances, begins to worry about the growing placidness and indifference of everyone around, as if the smoke has become already fully cleared. Why do these so-called heroes appear to have resigned in their ivory towers, as if there's nothing to fight for anymore? Does this indicate that the previous declarations of nationalism and calls for independence and freedom were nothing but empty posturings? What should've been a dialectical revolutionary process has become stagnant and sterile.
During the course of the film, we see Goyo undergoing some crises of conscience in which it gradually dawns upon him whether his being laid-back and acquiescent in such still-turbulent times is really well-earned. That he's compared to a submissive dog by one prisoner-of-war isn't a mere jest - it's a frank assessment of his character. In fact, for most of the time, Goyo is no more than a passive character in such a way that even during times of battle (specifically that part in Tirad Pass), we really don't see him much in "action" (though of course we know that he's the brains behind his troop's strategy). This may be the reason why his death scene (abruptly presented as it is) has an anti-climactic feel to it, like the young general really had it coming. Whereas Luna's death in the first film was as operatic as it can be, Goyo's kind of serves as an afterthought.
In his portrayal of the title character, Paulo Avelino, as he was likely to do in his previous films ("Sana Dati", "Debosyon", "I'm Drunk, I Love You"), underplays his part. There's actually that worry that he's not providing enough grit to his character, as what John Arcilla did to his Gen. Luna character. Is the actor rather "quiet" in portraying the young general? Well, I think such an acting method serves the part just fine. If the character is not making enough "noise" and "spark", it follows from his generally complacent and easy-going attitude during that time. One can't help but think that Goyo is still a youth after all.
It's really a bold move on the part of Jerrold Tarog and Rody Vera to turn Goyo into a rather "inactive" participant in history. In so doing, the question of nationalism is put in a different light, a way that's different from how it was put forth in "Heneral Luna". Does nationalism lose its fervor once it has already achieved what it was aiming for, or so it seems? Does heroism take a back seat at a time of relative peace? Does it make a hero less of a noble and great person if he just chooses this time to enjoy the fruits of his labor? Are freedom and independence ends in themselves or works in progress? Rather than a film that boasts of a hero's achievements, "Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral" provides an unromantic view of heroism. Ironic, given that the film doesn't fail to take into account Del Pilar's romantic flings.
(General Gregorio del Pilar undergoes a crisis of conscience in Jerrold Tarog's "Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral")
But whereas Jerrold portrayed Antonio Luna as a larger-than-life character in the first film, whose mere appearance in a scene threatens to outshine anyone because of his volatility, brashness, hardheadedness and ferocity, like a ravaging flame engulfing anyone in its path, his portrayal of Del Pilar in the second film intends to "unseat" him from his heroic pedestal, to make him down-to-earth so to speak. Working from a screenplay co-written with Rody Vera (who also wrote the recent "Signal Rock"), the Del Pilar that we see in the film, young as he is, is one who is beset with self-doubt, apprehension and fear. Being just in his early 20s when he starts to lead a troop and becomes Pres. Emilio Aguinaldo's most-trusted aide, the dreamy-eyed and love-swayed youth is still very much alive in him, to the point that it distracts him from the things that could've mattered most in his duties and responsibilities as a general. An example of this is in a scene where he dismisses the gunshots from an approaching enemy as mere "snake sounds" as he's more engaged in discussing "things" with an ex-lover (but of course, this might just be one of the film's attempts at fact-and-fiction combination). Altogether, Goyo (Del Pilar's moniker) is seen as basking in the "peace and quiet" being experienced by the country in the period after Gen. Luna's death.
But is the complacency really justified? Apolinario Mabini, who no longer holds any position in the government (but is later on offered a seat in the Supreme Court by Aguinaldo) refuses to accept this apparent peacefulness on its face value. A fictional character in the film named Joven (who's also in "Heneral Luna"), acting as an observer thrown in the middle of things by force of circumstances, begins to worry about the growing placidness and indifference of everyone around, as if the smoke has become already fully cleared. Why do these so-called heroes appear to have resigned in their ivory towers, as if there's nothing to fight for anymore? Does this indicate that the previous declarations of nationalism and calls for independence and freedom were nothing but empty posturings? What should've been a dialectical revolutionary process has become stagnant and sterile.
During the course of the film, we see Goyo undergoing some crises of conscience in which it gradually dawns upon him whether his being laid-back and acquiescent in such still-turbulent times is really well-earned. That he's compared to a submissive dog by one prisoner-of-war isn't a mere jest - it's a frank assessment of his character. In fact, for most of the time, Goyo is no more than a passive character in such a way that even during times of battle (specifically that part in Tirad Pass), we really don't see him much in "action" (though of course we know that he's the brains behind his troop's strategy). This may be the reason why his death scene (abruptly presented as it is) has an anti-climactic feel to it, like the young general really had it coming. Whereas Luna's death in the first film was as operatic as it can be, Goyo's kind of serves as an afterthought.
In his portrayal of the title character, Paulo Avelino, as he was likely to do in his previous films ("Sana Dati", "Debosyon", "I'm Drunk, I Love You"), underplays his part. There's actually that worry that he's not providing enough grit to his character, as what John Arcilla did to his Gen. Luna character. Is the actor rather "quiet" in portraying the young general? Well, I think such an acting method serves the part just fine. If the character is not making enough "noise" and "spark", it follows from his generally complacent and easy-going attitude during that time. One can't help but think that Goyo is still a youth after all.
It's really a bold move on the part of Jerrold Tarog and Rody Vera to turn Goyo into a rather "inactive" participant in history. In so doing, the question of nationalism is put in a different light, a way that's different from how it was put forth in "Heneral Luna". Does nationalism lose its fervor once it has already achieved what it was aiming for, or so it seems? Does heroism take a back seat at a time of relative peace? Does it make a hero less of a noble and great person if he just chooses this time to enjoy the fruits of his labor? Are freedom and independence ends in themselves or works in progress? Rather than a film that boasts of a hero's achievements, "Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral" provides an unromantic view of heroism. Ironic, given that the film doesn't fail to take into account Del Pilar's romantic flings.
(General Gregorio del Pilar undergoes a crisis of conscience in Jerrold Tarog's "Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral")
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