Cinemalaya X:A post-script

For the past six days, this working-class film urchin has just spent a good portion of his earnings on a total of eleven Filipino full-length films at the still-ongoing Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival, now celebrating its tenth year. (As of this writing, the popular and well-received festival has until Sunday, Aug. 10, still before it finally wraps up.) Of the eleven films, seven of these were from the New Breed section (devoted to competing films by up-and-coming feature filmmakers or by those directors who have not made more than five films at the time of the fest) and four from the Director's Showcase section (devoted to films by directors who have done five or more films by the time of the fest). For one reason or another, the films that I wasn't able to see are:"1st Ko Si 3rd" by Real Florido, "Separados" by GB Sampedro, "K'na, the Dreamweaver" by Ida Anita del Mundo and "Asintado" by Luisito Ignacio (this last one being from the Director's Showcase). Hopefully, I will be able to catch them sometime soon, especially when Cinemalaya goes to UP (as has been done before). 

Now, as for the prized question:Is this year's edition of the festival worth it? Well, I can enthusiastically say:Yes. Last year's edition of Cinemalaya fielded a number of truly exceptional and memorable works:Alvin Yapan's majestic "Debosyon", Jason Paul Laxamana's gripping "Babagwa", Eduardo Roy Jr.'s provocative "Quick Change", Hannah Espia's touching "Transit", Jerrold Tarog's lovely "Sana Dati" and Jeffrey Jeturian's sharp "Ekstra". There was even a couple of works that crossed the threshold of being "guilty pleasures":Adolf Alix Jr.'s "Porno" and Ces Evangelista's "Amor y Muerte". For this year, of those that I have seen, there wasn't really one that I didn't altogether like or wherein I felt short-changed or made a fool of myself. All of the films were really good, some managed to be surprisingly good, while some were even excellent. This is proof once again that, if given the proper venue, funding and artistic license, Filipino filmmakers can indeed be masters in or at least equally adept at the art of cinema. 

The films that I found surprisingly good are:Carlos Siguion-Reyna's "Hari ng Tondo" and Joel Lamangan's "Hustisya" (both from the Director's Showcase). Both films I was really reluctant at seeing at first, something which had to do with each one's directorial skills:the former, because of a very long absence from filmmaking;the latter, because of having made much too many awful films in the recent years. But then, after watching their respective entries, I was pleasantly relieved to find out that some prejudices should just be confronted head-on. "Hari ng Tondo" is an immensely entertaining situational comedy, with a dash of vibrant acoustic music thrown in. It's something that you wouldn't expect the director would be able to pull off brilliantly, considering that majority of his past works were serious, even dark, dramas. One may find the director's treatment of the plot as gearing towards neat simplicity, but it can't be denied that the film has a charming and infectious energy, aided by a uniformly game ensemble of actors. On the other hand, "Hustisya" may just be the film that could redeem Lamangan's hit-and-miss filmography. Here, he is able to admirably tone down his "loud-and-proud" advocacy and garish theatrics in favor of a perceptive character study. What we find is an individual moving within the system, rather than the system being larger-than-life against the individual. Humanism just shines through. Of course, this wouldn't be possible without Ricky Lee's focused screenplay and Nora Aunor's yet another majestic performance. Her "last laugh" is probably the most enigmatic closing shot in the fest.

Meanwhile, Michael Tuviera's "The Janitor" (another Director's Showcase entry) is likewise good. Just like "OTJ" and "Bang Bang Alley" (and, in their own foolish ways, "Saka-Saka" and "Ang Bagong Dugo"), it invigorates the long-dormant action genre in Philippine cinema. While not exactly the kind of film that could've ended my festival experience with a long-lasting impact, it nevertheless has a very strong message and gives Dennis Trillo a difficult character to work on which, thankfully, the talented actor pulls off with a punch. 

On the other hand, the best films of the festival turn out to be the quiet ones (disclaimer:this is entirely a matter of my own personal tastes and preferences, and is not meant to influence other people's own aesthetic appreciation) - Francis Xavier Pasion's "Bwaya", Joselito Altarejos' "Kasal", Milo Sogueco's "Mariquina", Nick Olanka's "Ronda" and Giancarlo Abrahan's "Dagitab", with the last two being my personal favorites. "Bwaya" is as headscratching as it can be, with its eerie exploration of grief and exploitation, while at the same time crossing into the boundaries of meta-fiction. "Kasal" is emotionally-piercing, as it filters the gradually declining relationship of a gay couple through a day's celebration of a wedding, the irony of it all becoming more poignant. "Mariquina" is likewise emotionally rich, a work that could very well be the fraternal twin of Armando Lao's "Dukit", thematically and formally. Meanwhile, both "Ronda" and "Dagitab" are the kind of works that could have come straight out of the European cinematheques, unmistakably bearing the traits of some of the continent's film movements - the Romanian New Wave for the first and the French romantic oddities for the second. These films are constantly on-the-edge and intriguing, taking full advantage of mood and atmosphere, of the form and philosophy that inform their framework, rather than of any traditional narrative development geared towards some neatly-packaged conclusion, thus providing one with a truly different viewing experience. Who says that being out of the box is the exclusive domain of Cinema One Originals? 

Lastly, exceptional and memorable performances are once again in abundance in this year's edition of the fest. Be they portraying parents or couples:Angeli Bayani and Karl Medina in "Bwaya";Oliver Aquino and Arnold Reyes in "Kasal";Ricky Davao, Che Ramos and Bing Pimentel in "Mariquina";Eula Valdes and Nonie Buencamino in "Dagitab". Or lonesome characters:Mylene Dizon in "Mariquina";Ai-ai delas Alas in "Ronda";Dennis Trillo in "The Janitor;Nora Aunor in "Hustisya". Or youth in trouble:All the young adults in "#Y";all the kids in "Sundalong Kanin";Barbie Forteza in "Mariquina". Or just plain ensemble:The entire cast of "Hari ng Tondo". Our own actors' and actresses' filmic portrayals are constantly engaging, insightful, moving and surprising, could be as subtle as a morning breeze or as pronounced as the crashing waves. 

And that wraps up my nearly one-week Cinemalaya film-going experience. Even if by the festival's end, my pocket has been almost drained up to the last cent, the kind of enrichment and enjoyment that it has brought about is something that is truly priceless. 

(Cinemalaya:The rewards are priceless.)