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| RAd with Mercedes Cabral and Edgar Allan Guzman |
Five days and ten screenings already meant that five more days to go and eight screenings left to watch at the Cinemalaya. My record for going to the Cultural Center of the Philippines was five consecutive days and I was poised to shatter this record. It had been so far, so good but I feared that this would take its toll on me once everything was over. But I had to shut thoughts like that and focus on completing the films and making the most out of my Cinemalaya experience.
Day 6
The two straight days when I viewed three screenings were actually in preparation for the nights when I had to leave and watch something else like Cory ng EDSA, a Filipino Musical. And during this evening, I was scheduled to watch the Aki & Kuniko Concert someplace else and I had to miss two night screenings once again. But watching the afternoon screenings of the films that I knew I'd miss meant that I'd soon be able to catch up and that I would still be on course to see all the main entries at the Cinemalaya.
Amok
I’ve heard lots of good things regarding this Lawrence Fajardo film even before I got the chance to see it. I was a bit skeptical at first since I’ve encountered some people who were very enthusiastic after watching a certain film and yet it didn’t make me feel as strong as the others had felt once I saw the said film. But this one truly deserved all the praise that I’ve heard throughout the festival. This film set in a busy intersection of Pasay Rotunda started with vignettes that ranged from uninteresting to scandalous. At first, I didn’t know how the film was going to unfold but a bad temper and wounded pride over a simple game finally set things in motion. The vignettes showcasing very brief glances on the characters lives were enough for me to care and be affected when the bullets started to find their victims. What I really liked the part where the haggling for a pair of counterfeit jeans somehow foreshadowed some of the characters’ fate. I just couldn’t imagine how they were able to manage to shoot this film at this location and wondered how they were able to control the crowd there. This film, along with Niño became my favorites in this festival from all the films that I've seen so far.
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| Lowell Conales, Suzette Ranillo, Dido dela Paz and RAd after the Gala Screening |
Day 7
On this day, I was finally back to my original schedule of watching two night performances at the Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main Theater). I could feel the fatigue setting in but with only two screenings per day for the next couple of days, I knew that I’d be able to pace myself to last until the end of the festival. I just hoped that there wouldn't be any major setbacks like a storm coming in or me getting sick.
Shorts B
Hanapbuhay, Oliver’s Apartment, Immanuel, Debut and Hazard
Shorts B, the second set of short films is made up of Hanapbuhay by Henry Frejas, Oliver’s Apartment by Misha Balangue, Immanuel by Gio Puyat, Debut by Pamela Llanes Reyes and Hazard by Mikhail Red. This set had stronger films compared to the other one and my favorite in here was Hanapbuhay. The film, a charming tale about a father trying to make ends meet via an unusual job which requires people to die first, was nicely shot and it made me think as to the motivation of the lead character in some of the scenes until all was revealed. Oliver’s Apartment bothered me since the print that was used was not suitable for a large screen and it really affected my viewing experience. Immanuel and Hazard had a good premise but I think that the stupid decisions of the characters in the film actually made me pleased when they met their fates. I guess I was cynical at the time but people losing their common sense and making stupid choices find it hard to get sympathy from me. Debut felt like a scene from Ang Babae sa Septic Tank so I somehow saw the ending coming even from a mile away. I did expect more from the shorts but had to remind myself that some of the films were college projects so I shouldn’t expect too much from them. I can only imagine that having their works screened at the Cinemalaya must be thrilling for them already so I don’t want to spoil their moment.
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| Raymond Red with son Mikhail Red from Hazard |
Ligo na U, Lapit na Me
This film directed by Erick Salud was adapted from the novel of the same name by Eros Atalia. And that by in itself is remarkable since I can’t remember local film in recent years that was adapted from a novel by a local author which isn't Lualhati Bautista. This movie was truly a vehicle for Edgar Allan Guzman who gave a breakthrough performance playing the lead character Intoy. His character falls in love with Jenny (Mercedes Cabral) despite agreeing that they would only remain friends with benefits. The movie fell flat for me when Jenny disappeared and it felt for me that it signified that Intoy’s life also fell flat when Jenny walked out of his life. The ending was a bit ambiguous letting the audience wonder if it was indeed Jenny whom Intoy saw. This film wasn’t the usual romantic comedy that mainstream studios regularly put out and that may either make the audience like the film or not. Also some elements like the love scenes may turn off the conservatives but for me, the witty dialogue especially the contrast in between the internal monologue of Edgar Allan to what he showed externally towards Jenny was the plus point of the movie for me.
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| Mercedes Cabral and Edgar Allan Guzman from Ligo na U, Lapit na Me |
This evening was when the stars came out to watch. In Gala Screenings of some films, it was usually the just the cast and a few celebrity friends who came out to watch and support the film. But for Ligo na U, Lapit na Me, a lot of celebrities who weren’t even part of the film were there to watch and support their friends who were part of it. This truly delighted the crowd since it was the perfect opportunity for celebrity sightings and photo opportunities. And I was very much relieved because things weren’t as chaotic as I feared they might be since they crowd behaved rather well.
Day 8
Ang Sayaw ng Dalawang Kaliwang Paa
Alvin Yapan directed this film about Karen (Jean Garcia) a poetry teacher by day and a dance instructor by night who becomes the object of affection of one of her literature students Marlon (Paulo Avelino). I initially thought that the dancing would be the main draw of the film for me but I was mistaken. I wasn’t truly impressed with the dancing since I think that they could've been more technical but the poetry that was used in the movie totally blew me away. The first part which introduced the characters with the poetry and the dancing intertwined was genius. I truly understand why some people sought out and inquired about the works right after the film. Most people would find poetry such a bore but the film was successful in making people appreciate it and that again is extremely rare in local cinema. The film had homosexual undertones with the unrequited love of Dennis (Rocco Nacino) for Marlon but it was handled elegantly. Simple touches like Dennis glancing over at Marlon who remained oblivious to his friend's longing for him were done with such restraint that it further proved that less is more. One regret that I've had about this film was that missed an opportunity to have a small part in it. I stumbled upon a call for people to be in a couple of scenes over at the Far Eastern University and I didn't respond to it. And upon watching it and the scenes wherein they needed people, I was reminded of what could've been. So I learned yet another lesson about grabbing opportunities when I watched this film.
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| Jean Garcia from Ang Sayaw ng Dalawang Kaliwang Paa |
Bisperas
The meat of the film by Jeffery Jeturian is truly engaging. It told the tale of a family’s misfortune of having their house burglarized on Christmas Eve and how it threatened to shatter the already delicate relationships between its members. But what I didn’t understand was the bunch of characters who appeared at the beginning and at the end of the film who had no part whatsoever to the actual plot. One of them (Art Acuña) even had a scar and I am still at a loss as to why he had to be scarred or why he even had to be in the movie in the first place. Aside from this, the middle portion of the film where the plot unfolded was indeed very strong. There was excellent character portrayal by the cast and the pacing throughout the film (excluding the beginning and the end) kept my eyes glued to the screen even though the plot was fairly simple. While I liked the middle of the film, the end left me scratching my head especially when they finally showed the burglar. I wonder what led this burglar to wear the jacket he just stole just the night before inside the Church the day after. He should’ve noticed all the statues when he burglarized the house and realized that the church in his area should be the last place he should've been. It made me wonder if he was even aware to whom the house belonged to when he entered it. These questions that lingered in my head after I left the theater somehow lessened the impact of an otherwise okay movie for me.
Literature was a surprise star of the Cinemalaya. Ligo na U, Lapit na Me did a wonderful job in promoting the book whenever there’s a screening and it did translate to instant sales and more exposure to the novel. The poets of Ang Sayaw ng Dalawang Kaliwang Paa, while acknowledged before the screening of the film, weren’t able to capitalize on the sudden surge of interest in their works. I think that it would’ve been a wonderful opportunity for them had they anticipated this demand beforehand. And while Ligo na U, Lapit na Me novel sold like pancakes whenever they had a screening at the CCP Main Theater, Edgar Allan Guzman’s CD with tracks the were included in the movie was largely ignored at the gift shop. They should’ve promoted it like the book and they could’ve easily moved some units since Edgar Allan was there a few times. There were opportunities made and opportunities that were lost. But I hope that they’d learn from this and do a better job next year in selling related merchandise.
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| Paulo Avelino from Ang Sayaw ng Dalawang Kaliwang Paa |
I've mentioned in a previous entry that Bisperas had its Gala Screening during a Sunday afternoon screening at the CCP Main Theater earlier in the festival. And because of this, its night screening was just a regular showing of the film devoid of any added excitement that usually accompanied a Gala Screening. It didn't help that the energy from the previous Gala Screening quickly dissipated since the cast left in a hurry. So after this evening, I felt really tired and I remember that I immediately fell asleep once I got home. And I hoped that I would've had the energy to make it since the festival was already down to its last couple of days.
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| Rocco Nacino from Ang Sayaw ng Dalawang Kaliwang Paa |
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