Critic of the month Eulalio R. Guieb III on Filipino independent cinema

From Indio to Indie: A Redreamt Indiehood and Indiegeneity

Many are of the opinion that independent cinema will save the current state of the Filipino film industry.  However, I often lose hope as an academe-based critic in the promise offered by films that we label indie or underground or alternative cinema, or whatever category that fits into our notion of this type of films.

Independent films have undoubtedly contributed in transforming film production in the country, but this practice is only one aspect of filmmaking.  I do not discount the substantial contributions of new festivals that focus on independent films, the generous financial support by various groups for films that they want us to believe are indie films, the current rate of film output coming from individuals and groups that call themselves indies, and the recognition that indie films get from various international festivals.  Indeed, this phenomenon has paved the way for the production of new cinematic forms and aesthetics.  In my view, however, many so-called alternative filmmakers have yet to produce social discourses that confront the discourses of the unjust holders of our society’s economic and political power.

I contend that there is no significant difference in terms of offering a plurality of visions and options for just and humane social relations from the current output of either alternative or commercial cinema.  Except perhaps for the counter-discourses of the films of Kidlat Tahimik and committed filmmakers, particularly those who fought against the dictator – like Joey Clemente and Lito Tiongson – and the promise coming from a few filmmakers of the current generation, specifically Pepe Diokno, seldom do I see in the films of the present breed of independent filmmakers a clearly articulated and politically grounded social consciousness.  In other words, there is no alternative social discourse coming from so-called alternative filmmakers.  I argue that the struggle within the commercial film industry by Lino Brocka, Ishmael Bernal, Mike de Leon and Mario O’Hara made more sense – politically – to construct a ‘just alternative’ vision of social relations in Philippine society.

In recasting the experiences of the Filipino people in indie films, we – filmmakers and audiences alike – need to interrogate our place in the country’s current political and cultural struggle – and for whom, and why, we need to articulate and pursue this position.  If these films – and the framework that guides our reading of these films – if all these do not fit into the alliance of communities of knowledge and interests based on social justice, our indiehood, our indiegeneity is a misnomer.  In my view, we do not deserve our indiehood or our indiegeneity as filmmakers or film critics if our positions are no different from the discourse of the current holders of political power whose development agenda disregard social justice for the marginalized.  In this sense, our indiehood, our  indiegeneity is a negation of the nationhood of the powerless.

The power to create a just and humane world lies at the center of humanity itself – a collective of human beings that knows how to nourish life back to life.  How to get there depends on how we ground ourselves in our contemporary social life.  The possibilities of the future lie in neither a fossilized past nor in an aestheticized utopia.  The possibilities of the future are always present in the present.  How to translate this vision into economic, political and cultural terms is another struggle altogether.  Part of that struggle is to rewrite and refilm the world, to reworld the world; not to redeem the world, but perhaps – to use the phrase by Ben Okri in his novel The Famished Road – to redream the world.  In my view, that is what life and committed independent filmmaking, in general terms, are all about.

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Mula Indio Hanggang Indie: Kakaibang Kaindiehan

Marami ang nagsasabing ang independent cinema ang magsasalba sa kasalukuyang industriya ng pelikulang Filipino.  Subalit bilang isang kritikong nagmumula sa loob ng akademya ay madalas akong mawalan ng pag-asa sa pangako ng tinatawag nating indie films o underground o alternative cinema, o ano pa mang kategorya natin sa mga ganitong uri ng pelikula.

Totoong nagpamalas ang mga sineng indie ng kapangahasan sa transformasyon ng produksiyong pampelikula, subalit ang ganitong gawain ay isang aspekto lamang ng sine.  Hindi ko rin matatawaran ang mahalagang ambag ng pagsulpot ng mga bagong festival na nakafokus sa mga indie films, ang mahalagang suportang pinansyal para sa mga pelikulang nagpapakilala bilang indie, ang pagsulpot ng maraming pelikula buhat sa mga indibidwal at grupong nagsasabing sila ay indie, at ang pagwawagi ng maraming indie films sa iba’t ibang international film festivals.  Totoong maraming pamamaraan at estetikang hinahawan ang mga penomenong ito.  Subalit sa aking pananaw, maituturing na nasa iisang hulma pa rin ang kalakhan ng mga inaakalang alternatibong kamalayang binubuo ng sineng ito – na kadalasan ay siya ring diskurso ng mga kasalukuyang may hawak ng di-makatao at di-makatarungang kapangyarihan.

Maaari kong sabihin na hindi sapat ang nagaganap na produksiyon ng pluralidad ng mga pananaw at opsyon para sa isang makatarungan at makataong ugnayang panlipunan buhat sa mga pelikulang komersyal at indie.  Liban marahil sa counter-discourse ng mga sine nina Kidlat Tahimik at ng mga committed filmmakers lalo na noong panahon ng batas militar sa bansa – tulad nina Joey Clemente at Lito Tiongson – at sa bagong pangako ng mangilan-ngilang filmmakers sa kasalukuyan, tulad ni Pepe Diokno – bihira akong makapanood ng mga indie films na may malinaw, lapat-sa-lupa at alternatibong kamalayang politikal.  Sa madaling salita, pangangahasan kong sabihing hindi alternatibo ang diskurso ng kalakhan ng mga binabansagang sineng indie.  Kung tutuusin ay tila mas makabuluhan pa ang ginawang pakikisangkot mula sa loob nina Lino Brocka, Ishmael Bernal, Mike de Leon at Mario O’Hara sa paglikha ng mga ‘makatarungang alternatibong’ pananaw sa buhay at lipunang Filipino.

Sa paglikha ng mga karanasan ng mamamayang Filipino na isinasapakete sa pelikulang indie, mahalagang tanungin ng mga manlilikha at tanungin nating mga manonood ng sine kung saang panig tayo kasangkot sa kasalukuyang pakikibakang politikal at kultural ng bansa – at para kanino, at bakit, isinusulong ang panig na ito.  Kung ang mga pelikula – maging ang ating mga pamantayan sa panunuri ng pelikula – kung hindi sumasabay at nakalapat ang mga ito sa alyansa ng mga komunidad ng kaalaman at interes na nakabatay sa katarungan, walang kabuluhan ang ating pagka-indie o ang tinatawag kong kaindiehan, ang ating indiegeneity.  Sa aking pananaw, hinding-hinding indie ang pelikulang indie, ang filmmaker na nagmamalaking siya ay indie at ang kritikong tulad ko na nagpapakaindie kung hindi lihis ang ating posisyon sa diskurso ng mga kasalukuyang nasa kapangyarihang politikal na ang agendang pangkaunlaran para sa bansa ay hindi nagtataguyod ng katarungang panlipunan para sa mga nasa laylayan ng kapangyarihan.  Kung ganito ang kalakaran, ang kaindiehan, ang ating indiegeneity ay hindi pagkabansa ng mga walang kapangyarihan.

Ang kapangyarihang lumikha ng isang makatarungan at makataong mundo ay sentral sa ating hangad na maging ganap na tao – na isang kolektibo ng mga indibidwal na gustong muling ibalik ang buhay sa buhay.  Kung paano ito magaganap ay nakasalalay sa kung paano tayo nakikisangkot sa ating mga kontemporaneong buhay.  Ang mga posibilidad ng bukas ay wala sa isang fossilized na nakaraan o sa isang romantikong kinabukasan.  Ang mga posibilidad ng kinabukasan ay lagi’t laging nasa sa kasalukuyan.  Kung paanong isasapraktika ang pananaw na ito sa mga usapin ng ekonomiya, politika at kultura ay isang panibagong pakikibaka.  Bahagi ng pakikibakang ito ay ang muling sulatin o isapelikula ang mundo, muling gawing mundo ang mundo; hindi kailangang iligtas ang mundo, ang kailangan marahil – ayon sa tinuran ni Ben Okri sa kanyang nobelang The Famished Road – ay muling mangarap ng makatuturang mundo.  Iyon, para sa akin, ang ibig sabihin ng buhay at committed independent filmmaking.

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Eulalio R. Guieb III obtained in 2009 his Ph.D. in Anthropology from McGill University (Montreal, Quebec, Canada).  He completed his M.A. in Philippine Literature and B.A. in Broadcast Communication at the University of the Philippines-Diliman.  He has published two short story anthologies: Pamilya® (U.P. Press, 2003) and Pitada (Anvil, 1994).  His artistic works have received recognition from the Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature, Cultural Center of the Philippines, New York Festivals, Sony Video Competition in Japan, the Catholic Mass Media Awards, and Gantimpalang Ani.  His experimental films and video documentaries have been exhibited in Uppsala, Mannheim, Oberhausen, Torino, Osnabruck, New York, London, Montreal, Toronto, Tokyo, Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur, among others.  He teaches ethnography, development, criticism, teleplay and qualitative research at the U.P. Department of Broadcast Communication.  His research interests include political ecology; ecological, development and legal anthropology; the history of the drama in Philippine television; and the politics of representation. 

YCC Film Desk holds Annual Circle Citations in December

The Film Desk of the Young Critics’ Circle will hold the 21st Annual Circle Citations for distinguished achievements in film on December 6, 2011 at the University of the Philippines Jorge B. Vargas Museum in Diliman, Quezon City.

Leading the list of winners for film year 2010 is Raymond Red’s Himpapawid, which YCC cites for best film, best screenplay, best cinematography and visual design, and best editing. Best achievement in sound and aural orchestration will be awarded to Jerrold Tarog’s Punerarya. Best performance honors will be conferred on Raul Arellano for Himpapawid and Carla Abellana for Punerarya.

Only Himpapawid, Punerarya and Ang Damgo ni Eleuteria made it to YCC’s short list, which is composed of films that got the nod of majority of the members of the organization. Only short-listed films earn the privilege to be nominated for any of the six categories. YCC does not confer nominations on artistic or technical merit if the film does not qualify in the short list. This is one of the major departures of the YCC from all award-giving bodies in the country.

The organization departs from many conventions of other award-giving bodies both here and abroad in bestowing cinematic honors. For instance, the award for Best Film of the Year is reserved for the director such that no separate prize for direction is needed. The Best Performance award is most coveted as it is conferred on a screen performer whether male or female, adult or child, individual or as part of an ensemble, in leading or supporting role. To uphold a more dynamic and encompassing way of looking at films, technical honors refer to fusion of outstanding efforts in fields otherwise deemed apart. In this case, the Best Cinematography and Visual Design recognition covers both camerawork and art direction. Similarly, Best Sound and Aural Orchestration encompasses not sound engineering alone but musical score as well.
Established in 1990, YCC is composed of members of academe who, through the years, have become attentive observers of Philippine cinema. Coming from various disciplines, they bring an interdisciplinary approach to the analysis of film. Current members are from the University of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila University and De La Salle University.
Members of the Film Desk include Eulalio R. Guieb III (chair), Romulo P. Baquiran Jr., Flaudette May V. Datuin, Noel D. Ferrer, Patrick D. Flores, Tessa Maria T. Guazon, Eloisa May P. Hernandez, Jayson P. Jacobo, Nonoy L. Lauzon, Eileen C. Legaspi-Ramirez, Gerard R. A. Lico, Jema Pamintuan, Choy Pangilinan, Jerry C. Respeto, Jaime Oscar M. Salazar, Neil Martial R. Santillan, and Galileo S. Zafra. New members include JPaul Manzanilla and Skilty Labastilla.


Here is the complete list of winners and nominees for this year’s YCC Annual Circle Citations:
Best Film of the Year:

Winner: Himpapawid directed by Raymond Red (Pelikula Red, Pacific Film Partners, Ignite Media, Filmex Inc., and RSVideo Production; Raymond Red, David Hukom, Roger Garcia and Butch Jimenez, producers; Jimmy Duavit and Oli Laperal, associate producers)
Nominees:
Ang Damgo ni Eleuteria directed by Remton Siega Zuasola (Cinema One Originals and Panumduman Pictures; Jiji Borlasa and Beverly Tañedo, producers; Ronald Arguelles, executive producer; Sherad Anthony Sanchez, supervising producer)
Punerarya (episode of Shake, Rattle & Roll 12) directed by Jerrold Tarog (Regal Entertainment; Lily Monteverde, executive producer; Roselle Monteverde-Teo, producer; Sarah Pagcaliwagan, associate producer; Manny Valera, supervising producer)

Best Screenplay:

Winner: Himpapawid (Pelikula Red, Pacific Film Partners, Ignite Media, Filmex Inc., and RSVideo Production) – Raymond Red
Nominees:
Ang Damgo ni Eleuteria (Cinema One Originals and Panumduman Pictures) – Remton Siega Zuasola
Punerarya (Regal Entertainment) – Onay Sales and Aloy Adlawan
Best Performance by Male or Female, Adult or Child, Individual or Ensemble in Leading or Supporting Role

Winners:
Carla Abellana in Punerarya (Regal Entertainment); and
Raul Arellano in Himpapawid (Pelikula Red, Pacific Film Partners, Ignite Media, Filmex Inc., and RSVideo Production)
No other nominees in Best Performance

Best Achievement in Cinematography and Visual Design
Winner: Himpapawid (Pelikula Red, Pacific Film Partners, Ignite Media, Filmex Inc., and RSVideo Production) – Raymond Red, cinematographer; Danny Red, production designer; Cesar Hernando and Ronald Red, design consultants
Nominees:
Ang Damgo ni Eleuteria (Cinema One Originals and Panumduman Pictures) – Christian Linaban, cinematographer; Kaloy Uypuanco, production designer; Victor Villanueva, art director; Syrel Lopez, costume
Punerarya (Regal Entertainment) – Mackie Galvez, director of photography; Benjamin Padero, production designer

Best Achievement in Sound and Aural Orchestration
Winner: Punerarya (Regal Entertainment) – Lamberto Casas Jr., sound designer and engineer; Jerrold Tarog, musical scorer)
Nominees:
Himpapawid (Pelikula Red, Pacific Film Partners, Ignite Media, Filmex Inc., and RSVideo Production) – Diwa de Leon, musical scorer
Ang Damgo ni Eleuteria (Cinema One Originals and Panumduman Pictures) – Vanya Fantonial, sound designer; Jerrold Tarog, musical scorer

Best Achievement in Editing
Winner: Himpapawid (Pelikula Red, Pacific Film Partners, Ignite Media, Filmex Inc., and RSVideo Production) – David Hukom, Jay Halili and Raymond Red
Nominees:
Ang Damgo ni Eleuteria (Cinema One Originals and Panumduman Pictures)
Punerarya (Regal Entertainment) – Renewin Alano

Ang Dalumat ng Kakayahan sa Pelikulang “Himpapawid” ni Raymond Red

Pamilyar na sa mga manonood kung paano karaniwang tinatalakay ang isyu ng kahirapan sa mga pelikula. Sa pamamagitan ng mga imahen ng gutom, pagtaas ng populasyon, polusyon sa kapaligiran, sakit, kawalan ng hanapbuhay, at iba pang mga larawan ng lunggati, binigyang-katuturan ng ilang mga pelikula ang kahulugan ng dahop na pamumuhay. Ang mga imaheng ito rin naman ang madalas sambitin ng ilang mga klasikal na teorista hinggil sa usapin ng kahirapan at kaunlaran. Binigyang-puna ni Dr. Firoze Manji, isang aktibista mula sa Kenya at visiting fellow sa Oxford University, ang mga klasikal na ideya sa ekonomiks, tulad ng sumusunod: “Ang pinakamahalagang tungkulin ng mga polisiya sa ekonomiya ay protektahan ang karapatan ng minoridad na makapangalap ng pinakamataas na halaga ng kita, at sa pamamagitan nito ay may posibilidad para sa pag-unlad ng nasabing minoridad.” (akin ang salin, sinipi mula sa http://socialtheoryblog.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/developmentasfreedom-by-manji.pdf. Accessed on 1 October 2011.) Isa umano ang nabanggit na sipi sa mga nakagawiang kumbensyon na ginagamit na salalayan sa pag-unawa ng mga konsepto hinggil sa pag-unlad, partikular, ang hindi pagtaas ng kita, o kawalan ng kabuhayan, bilang sanhi ng kahirapan.

May tesis ang ekonomistang si Amartya Sen hinggil sa kahulugan at sanhi ng kahirapan gamit ang ilang kaso at karanasan ng mga bansang nasa Ikatlong Daigdig. Sa kaniyang aklat na Development as Freedom (Sen, 1999), nilinaw pa ni Sen ang kabuluhan ng kaunlaran, na iniankla niya sa teorya ng kakayahan (capability theory). Ang depinisyon ng kahirapan, para kay Sen, ay ang kawalan ng kalayaang isangkot ang sarili sa lipunan, at kawalan ng kakayahang matamasa ang mga sumusunod: politikal na kalayaan, akses sa mga ekonomikong pasilidad, panlipunang oportunidad, protektibong seguridad.

Sa tesis na ito, palagay ko, uminog ang diskurso ng pelikulang “Himpapawid” ni Raymond Red hinggil sa pigil na partisipasyon at pagkatiwalag sa lipunan ng mga tauhan, bilang mga salik na tagapagpaandar ng kahirapan. Sa pelikula, lumampas pa sa mga nakasanayang imahen ng paghihikahos ang ginawa ng direktor upang makapaghulma at maitanghal ang kaibuturan ng isyu. Ang kahirapan, sang-ayon sa mga pinagdaanan ng pangunahing karakter na si Raul (Raul Arellano), ay kasingkahulugan ng pagiging talunan, ng kawalan ng akses sa anumang oportunidad, at ng hungkag na pakikisangkot sa anumang larangan. At ang patuloy na pagkonsumo nito sa indibidwal ay humantong sa destruksyon ng katinuan ng sarili. Mahalaga ang pelikula dahil sa mabisa nitong artikulasyon hinggil sa kawalan ng makabuluhang ambag sa lipunan bilang isa sa mga pangunahing tagapagtakda ng karalitaan.

Ang kulminasyon ng pelikula ay isang eksena ng hijacking sa eroplano. Ito ang nagluklok sa karakter sa pisikal na tugatog na katumbas din ng pagkabuwal nito sa katapusan ng pelikula. Idinetalye sa eksena ang desperasyon ng hijacker na si Raul (Raul Arellano), ang terorismo, na tinugunan ng matinding takot ng mga pasaherong nasangkot sa kriminal na akto, hanggang sa engrandeng pamamaalam ng hijacker na nagtanghal ng kaniyang kasawian. Bagaman batbat ng rubdob at tensyon ang bahaging ito, ang kapangyarihan ng pelikula ay higit na makakapa sa mga naunang inilatag na pangyayari sa buhay ng hijacker.

Malinaw na sa unang bahagi pa lamang ng pelikula, hindi paghingi ng dagdag na suweldo, o promosyon sa trabaho, ang pakiusap ni Raul sa kaniyang superbisor. Gusto niyang makauwi sa probinsya upang bisitahin ang amang maysakit, kasama na rin ang intensyong magpasa ng aplikasyon para makapaghanapbuhay sa ibang bansa. Ani ng superbisor, hindi nila pinapayagan ang day-off, at wala nang daratnang trabaho si Raul pagbalik nito. Alinsunod sa paradigma ng teorya ng kakayahan, naghain ng kataliwas na pamantayan ang karanasan ng tauhang si Raul. Nilumpo siya ng sunud-sunod na mga limitado, o higit, kawalan ng opsiyon at kalayaang kumilos at mapakinggan—mula sa mga balikong karanasan sa pagpapakopya ng dokumento, pagkaunsyami ng pagsumite sa aplikasyon, kapalpakan bilang tagabantay dapat sa ilegal na operasyon kasama ang mga kaibigan, at sa kalahatan, pangingibabaw ng mga bigong taktika.

Ang linsad na kapalaran ni Raul ay pinatingkad pa ng indibidwal na naratibo ng mga kasamang tauhan sa pelikula. Mabisa ang pagkatugaygay sa karanasan ng mga karakter na may kani-kaniya ring kuwento ng nakalundong kalagayan. Itinawid ng mga tauhang ginampanan nina Soliman Cruz, John Arcilla, Raul Morit, at Karlo Altomonte ang pagiging biktima ng pekeng recruiter at pagkalubog sa utang, ang pagkakasya sa maliit na kita bilang taxi driver, at ang uri ng buhay na tanging sa inuman lamang maaaring makapagsiwalat ng mga tanong at himutok. Ang malinis na editing ang nagsilbing aparato para sa pagtalakay ng baliktanaw ng mga dehadong nagsasalaysay (Soliman Cruz at John Arcilla) habang kinukumbinsi nila na walang tatamasahing anumang pag-asa si Raul sa kaniyang mga tangkang pagsisikap. Sa mga tauhang ito rin umangkas ang pesimistikong panukalang nagdiin hinggil sa direksyong pupuntahan ng kuwento ni Raul, at ng kuwento nilang lahat.

Binalangkas din sa pelikula ang gradasyon ng mental at emosyonal na kalagayan ng pangunahing tauhan, na rurok ng karahasan at karalitaang nakalukob dito. Nagsimula ito sa pag-uulol ng pakiramdam (sa mga pabugso-bugso at taas-babang temperamento ni Raul), na humantong sa poot at desperasyon, gayundin, ginatungan at itinulak ng sinambit ng ilang tauhan: “Lahat ng tao dito sa Pilipinas ay nag-uunahan,”(mula sa tauhang ginampanan ni John Arcilla), “Tingnan niyo kung gaano kahirap makiusap?” (mula sa tauhang ginampanan ni Raul Arellano) at “Wasak!” (mula sa tauhang ginampanan ni Lav Diaz). Magtataka ba ang manonood kung bakit nag-amok si Raul, halimbawa, dahil lamang sa simpleng pagpapa-xerox ng mga dokumento? Sa mga tauhang sangkot sa eksena, oo, may sayad sa utak ang tingin nila kay Raul. Subalit sa mga manonood, ang resulta ng eleganteng paraan ng pagsasalaysay ay ang pag-unawa sa lohika ng unti-unting pagtakas ng bait ng tauhan. Nagsanib din sa paningin ni Raul ang tatlong tauhang babae, na may iisang anyo, senyal din ng demensiya ng karakter. Magkakaugnay, bagaman may malinaw na distinksyon, ang bukod-tanging pagtatanghal ni Marissa Sue Prado bilang prostitute, klerk, at flight attendant, at bilang obheto ng halu-halong pagnanasa, kahinaan, at kasawian ni Raul sa pelikula.

Sa unang pagkakataon sa pelikula, saka lamang tila naisangkot si Raul sa iba pang indibidwal bukod sa mga kainuman, at saka lamang siya “pinakinggan,” nang hawak na niya ang atensyon ng mga pasahero sa eroplano dahil sa kaniyang pagbabantang pasabugin ito. Tila nangangako ang eksena, at ang posisyong kaniyang kinalagyan, na sa unang pagkakataon ay mukhang naglarawan ng pag-iral ng kaniyang kontrol at kakayahan—posibleng makakolekta ng pera si Raul at mailapag nga siya ng eroplano sa hiningi niyang destinasyon, at sa wakas, mabisita na ang amang maysakit. Katulad ng mga kuwento sa mga balita tungkol sa pag-akyat at pahiwatig ng pagtalon mula sa matataas na gusali at billboard ng Maynila, sa mga pagbabanta na lamang nakakukuha ng lunan para makapagsalita at bakasakaling mapakinggan ang mga tulad ni Raul, na dahil sa pagkakalugmok ay, ayon nga kay Sen, “can make a person a helpless prey in the violations of other kinds of freedoms.” (Sen, 1999, 8)

Ang punto ng teorya ng kakayahan ay paglaan ng mga pangako at posibilidad, ng pagtalunton sa potensyal ng tao sa pag-unlad ng sarili at pagbahagi nito sa lipunan, at pagpapalawak ng kaniyang mga opsiyon upang maiangat, sa isang multi-dimensyonal na antas, ang kaniyang kalidad ng buhay. Sa pelikula, madalas ianggulo ang kamera at perspektiba (maaaring ng tauhan o manonood) sa himpapawid, at naroon ang ilusyon ng tangkang pagsibad na paitaas ang direksyon. Subalit ang katotohanang taglay na kasalukuyan ding nakabalabal sa lipunan, at matagumpay na ipinabatid batay sa konteksto at kalagayan ng iba’t ibang tauhan, institusyon, at sosyo-kultural na praktis sa pelikula, ay lihis sa anumang akto ng pagpailanlang. Hindi aliwalas, hindi rin luwang, ang sinasambit ng mga imahen ng kalangitan, bagkus, restriksyon at walang humpay na pagtatakda ng mga hangganan.

Jema M. Pamintuan obtained her Ph.D. in Philippine Studies from the University of the Philippines, Diliman. She is currently teaching at the School of Humanities, Ateneo de Manila University. Her essay, “Risk Management, Probability, and the Theory of Games in Segurista (Dead Sure) and Kubrador (The Bet Collector)” appeared in the Fall 2011 issue of Positions East Asia Critique, published by Duke University Press.

Raymond Red’s Himpapawid tops YCC honors for distinguished achievement in film in 2010

Raymond Red’s Himpapawid swept five of six categories of the annual awards of the Film Desk of the Young Critics’ Circle for film year 2010. The tragic drama of a deranged hijacker pushed to his limits by modernity’s dehumanizing and oppressive social relations was voted Best Film of the Year and conferred recognition for Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography and Visual Design, Best Film Editing and Best Performance for Raul Arellano. It won over two other nominees for the best film category: Remton Siega Zuasola’s Ang Damgo ni Eleuteria and Jerrold Tarog’s Punerarya (an episode of Shake, Rattle & Roll 12).

Tarog’s Punerarya, which garnered nominations in all categories, scored in Best Sound and Aural Orchestration, and the film’s lead performer Carla Abellana tied with Arellano for Best Performance. Zuasola’s Ang Damgo ni Eleuteria got nominations in all categories, except in performance.

YCC cites Himpapawid for intelligently plunging into the ironies and complexities of interstitial spaces left open by the tensive relations between social injustice and individual redemption. The film’s trope of escape, flying, fleeing and migration frames the desperation and angst of characters negotiating the countryside’s abjection, the city’s inhumanity, and society’s decaying institutions. While all characters are eventually trapped in several labyrinths of debilitating alienation, the film succeeds in investigating the poignant circularity of humanity’s convoluted fall – which draws us into reframing the materiality of the human condition, in general, and the impoverishment of Filipinos, in particular, all in terms simultaneously dialectic, cyclical and spiral.

Only Himpapawid, Punerarya and Ang Damgo ni Eleuteria made it to YCC’s short list, which is composed of films that got the nod of majority of the members of the organization. Only short-listed films earn the privilege to be nominated for any of the six categories. YCC does not confer nominations on artistic or technical merit if the film does not qualify in the short list. This is one of the major departures of the YCC from all award-giving bodies in the country.

Established in 1990, YCC is composed of members of academe who, through the years, have become attentive observers of Philippine cinema. Coming from various disciplines, they bring an interdisciplinary approach to the analysis of film. Current members of the organization are from the University of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila University and De La Salle University.
The organization departs from many conventions of other award-giving bodies both here and abroad in bestowing cinematic honors. For instance, the award for Best Film of the Year is reserved for the director such that no separate prize for direction is needed. The Best Performance award is most coveted as it is conferred on a screen performer whether male or female, adult or child, individual or as part of an ensemble, in leading or supporting role. To uphold a more dynamic and encompassing way of looking at films, technical honors refer to fusion of outstanding efforts in fields otherwise deemed apart. In this case, the Best Cinematography and Visual Design recognition covers both camerawork and art direction. Similarly, Best Sound and Aural Orchestration encompasses not sound engineering alone but musical score as well.
Schedule for the awards presentations has yet to be arranged.
Here is the complete list of winners and nominees for this year’s YCC film awards:
The Film Desk of the Young Critics’ Circle
21st Annual Circle Citations for Distinguished Achievement in Film for 2010

Best Film of the Year:

Winner: Himpapawid directed by Raymond Red (Pelikula Red, Pacific Film Partners, Ignite Media, Filmex Inc., and RSVideo Production; Raymond Red, David Hukom, Roger Garcia and Butch Jimenez, producers; Jimmy Duavit and Oli Laperal, associate producers)
Nominees:
Ang Damgo ni Eleuteria directed by Remton Siega Zuasola (Cinema One Originals and Panumduman Pictures; Jiji Borlasa and Beverly Tañedo, producers; Ronald Arguelles, executive producer; Sherad Anthony Sanchez, supervising producer)
Punerarya (episode of Shake, Rattle & Roll 12) directed by Jerrold Tarog (Regal Entertainment; Lily Monteverde, executive producer; Roselle Monteverde-Teo, producer; Sarah Pagcaliwagan, associate producer; Manny Valera, supervising producer)

Best Screenplay:

Winner: Himpapawid (Pelikula Red, Pacific Film Partners, Ignite Media, Filmex Inc., and RSVideo Production) – Raymond Red
Nominees:
Ang Damgo ni Eleuteria (Cinema One Originals and Panumduman Pictures) – Remton Siega Zuasola
Punerarya (Regal Entertainment) – Onay Sales and Aloy Adlawan
Best Performance by Male or Female, Adult or Child, Individual or Ensemble in Leading or Supporting Role

Winners:
Carla Abellana in Punerarya (Regal Entertainment); and
Raul Arellano in Himpapawid (Pelikula Red, Pacific Film Partners, Ignite Media, Filmex Inc., and RSVideo Production)
No other nominees in Best Performance

Best Achievement in Cinematography and Visual Design
Winner: Himpapawid (Pelikula Red, Pacific Film Partners, Ignite Media, Filmex Inc., and RSVideo Production) – Raymond Red, cinematographer; Danny Red, production designer; Cesar Hernando and Ronald Red, design consultants
Nominees:
Ang Damgo ni Eleuteria (Cinema One Originals and Panumduman Pictures) – Christian Linaban, cinematographer; Kaloy Uypuanco, production designer; Victor Villanueva, art director; Syrel Lopez, costume
Punerarya (Regal Entertainment) – Mackie Galvez, director of photography; Benjamin Padero, production designer

Best Achievement in Sound and Aural Orchestration
Winner: Punerarya (Regal Entertainment) – Lamberto Casas Jr., sound designer and engineer; Jerrold Tarog, musical scorer)
Nominees:
Himpapawid (Pelikula Red, Pacific Film Partners, Ignite Media, Filmex Inc., and RSVideo Production) – Diwa de Leon, musical scorer
Ang Damgo ni Eleuteria (Cinema One Originals and Panumduman Pictures) – Vanya Fantonial, sound designer; Jerrold Tarog, musical scorer

Best Achievement in Film Editing
Winner: Himpapawid (Pelikula Red, Pacific Film Partners, Ignite Media, Filmex Inc., and RSVideo Production) – David Hukom, Jay Halili and Raymond Red
Nominees:
Ang Damgo ni Eleuteria (Cinema One Originals and Panumduman Pictures)
Punerarya (Regal Entertainment) – Renewin Alano

Film Desk of the Young Critics Circle 2011: Eulalio R. Guieb III (chair), Flaudette May V. Datuin, Patrick D. Flores, Tessa Maria T. Guazon, Eloisa May P. Hernandez, Jayson Jacobo, Jema Pamintuan, Choy Pangilinan and Jaime Oscar Salazar; on leave: Noel D. Ferrer, Nonoy L. Lauzon, Eileen C. Legaspi-Ramirez, Gerard R. A. Lico, Jerry C. Respeto, Neil Martial R. Santillan and Galileo S. Zafra.
YCC drew its selection from both regular and non-regular releases comprising the entirety of Philippine cinema output in 2010. Films considered for discussion were those that had three or more screenings before a paying or non-paying audience in any public venue. ###

Review sa pelikulang “Senior Year” ni Jema Pamintuan

Review sa pelikulang “Senior Year” (Jerrold Tarog, 2010)

Buong ingat na hinalungkat at itinanghal ng direktor na si Jerrold Tarog ang mga alaala ng kolektibong karanasan ng mga estudyante ng ikaapat na taon sa high school, sa kaniyang pelikulang “Senior Year” (2010). Ang mga huntahan sa mga pasilyo, kuwentuhan tungkol sa buhay pag-ibig ng kanilang guro, panloloko ng kapwa kamag-aral sa comfort rooms, mga eksena ng biruan at tsismisan sa cafeteria, pag-eensayo para sa sayaw, obsesyon sa pagkapanalo sa intrams, antisipasyon sa resulta ng college entrance exams, at sa pangkalahatan, ang mga agam-agam ng yugtong ito ng kabataan, ay mahusay na hinabi ng maingat na direksyon ni Tarog.

Tinahi ng akto ng pagbabaliktanaw ni Henry Dalmacio (RJ Ledesma) ang kuwento ng kaniyang batch (senior batch 2010) sa high school. Naghahanap siya ng dahilan upang tumayo at lumabas na mula sa kaniyang sasakyan, at makisalamuha sa mga dating kamag-aral, para sa kanilang high school reunion. Sapagkat ilang taon makalipas ang kanilang high school graduation, hindi na nakiugnay pa si Henry sa mga kamag-aral. Aminado siyang hindi na niya lubusan pang nakikilala ang mga ito, o may mga sama ng loob at lamat sa mga ugnayan, na hindi na nakuhang bigyan pa ng artikulasyon, at resolusyon, hanggang pagkatapos ng kanilang graduation. Sa mga gunitang ito nakipagbunuan ang karakter ni Henry, na nagtawid sa mga pangyayari at magkakalingkis na buhay ng mga mag-aaral sa pelikula.

Kahanga-hanga kung paano ginawan ng pagbubukod-tangi ang bawat tauhan sa pelikula, nang hindi ito lubusang nauwi lamang sa mga istiryotipo, o representasyon ng mga istiryotipo. Higit pa sa nakakahong imahen ng popular na campus heartthrob ang tulad ng mga tauhan nina Bridget, Solenn, at Briggs, o komikerong bading tulad ni Carlo, o “ugly duckling turned beautiful swan” tulad ni Sofia, “batch bully” tulad ni Ian, at iba pang pamilyar na mga karakter ng high school. Masinsin ang ginawang pag-usisa sa mga tauhan, at pagsiwalat sa lahat ng detalye ng kaselanan ng mga ito. Maselan, pagkat nakapanlulupaypay naman talagang harapin at aminin ang mga palpak na diskarte at mga inakalang grandiosong plano (para sa sarili man, kapwa mag-aaral, o buong batch) pero hindi naman pala mapaninindigan. Ang mga inisip, ginawa, at inisip nating gawin noong high school, yaong mga gusto na lamang nating ilihim, pagkat kahiya-hiya, yaong mga ipinapalagay na nakatago na lamang dapat sa ating gunita at mga personal na journal, ay sensitibo ang pagkakabitbit at pagkakalatag sa mga manonood, na parang mga bagay na babasagin.

Nakatas din mula sa pelikula ang pamamangka sa pagitan ng mabibilis at maiikling eksena at masigla at orihinal na soundtrack, at tunay na masasapantaha ang high school bilang, ayon nga sa isang pahayag ng kritikong si Rabelais, “a maniacal scrapbook filled with colorful entries.” Mabisa ang paraan ng pagkakaedit sa mga eksena para umangkop sa kaligiran at temperamento ng high school---na pabugso-bugso, minsan pa-ekis, maraming kurba at paliko-liko at taas-baba—samantalang hindi nasakripisyo ang laman at linaw ng naratibo. Mainam na pinalaya ng pelikula ang sarili sa tradisyon ng mga palabas na halaw sa kulturang “teeny bopper” ng Hollywood, at nalampasan ang kombensiyonal na paglalahad sa mga karanasan ng mga bata sa paaralan. Sariwa at kaaya-aya ang pagiging natural ng pelikula, mula sa pagtatanghal ng mga artista, pagsambit sa mga diyalogo at gamit ng wika, at palitan ng kuro-kuro sa klase. Ibang-iba sa mga nakapapagod nang palabas sa telebisyon at ilang pelikula na batbat ng artipisyalidad, na ang layunin ay itanghal lamang ang pisikal na anyo ng mga artista nito.

Dumistansya ang pelikula sa tonong nangangaral, lalo na sa pagtalakay ng mga isyu hinggil sa uri at sexualidad, mga domestikong suliranin, at pagharap sa mga dilema ng realidad ng pagtanda. At ang birtud ng pelikula ay naging lunsaran ang magaan na teknik ng pagsasalaysay nito para sa mga nabanggit na paksa. Hindi lamang mga tagiyawat at maling postura ang simbolo ng mga angst ng teenager; sa mga tiim-bagang at buntong-hininga ng kabiguan ng mga kabataang karakter nagtunggali at nagsanib ang kani-kanilang kubling kamalayan.

Sa paggawa ni Henry ng valedictory speech noong high school ay naitanong niya sa sarili kung may kakayahan ba silang punan ang mga pagkukulang ng nakaraang henerasyon, sa pamamagitan ng pagsisikap ng kaniyang henerasyon. Lumulukob pa rin sa kaniya, kahit paano, ang bilin ng dating guro, na minsang naghimaton sa klase nito hinggil sa pangangailangan ng mga mag-aaral na isangkot ang sarili para sa pagbabago ng lipunan. Sa paglabas niya mula sa kaniyang sasakyan, at sa pagharap sa dating kamag-aral, naipamalas sa eksena ang kabatirang kayhirap pa ring makapa ng indibidwalidad, na alam nating labag sa ating loob ang magpanggap, ngunit laging may pangangailangan para rito. Ikinukubli ang sariling hindi naman pala malaki ang ipinagbago, nakatali pa rin sa mga nakamihasnang salimuot ng pandama, at nangangambang sa kabila ng lahat ng pagdanas, kimkim pa rin ang mga alinlangan ng hindi mabitiw-bitiwang kamusmusan.

CRITIC OF THE MONTH: In the Name of Love

In the Name of Love: Mga Komplikasyon sa Pelikulang Kilig ng Star Cinema

YCC Critic of the Month (JULY) JOEY BAQUIRAN reviews three films from Star Cinema


Forever and a Day

Starring: KC Concepcion and Sam Milby

Writers: Art Marcum, Matt Holloway, Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby

Director: Cathy Garcia-Molina



Babe, I Love You

Starring: Anne Curtis and Sam Milby

Writers: Margarette Labrador, King Palisoc

Director: Mae Zcarina Cruz



In The Name of Love

Starring: Aga Muhlach, Angel Locsin and Jake Cuenca

Writer: Enrico Santos

Director: Olivia Lamasan


Malakas na puwersa naman talaga ang pag-ibig. Nailalagay ang mangingibig sa nakakakilig at kung minsan komplikadong sitwasyon na malamang na hindi magagawa ng taong hindi umiibig. Sa romance mode ng mga kuwento sa Filipinas, walang kamatayang puhunan ang temang ito. Sabi nga, hahamakin ang lahat masunod ka lamang. Kumita na ito sa totoo lang pero patuloy pa ring pinagkakakitaan.

Sa mga kapapalabas lamang na mga pelikula ng ng ABS-CBN and Star Cinema Entertainmnent Pictures tulad ng “Forever and a Day,” “Babe, I Love You,” at “In The Name of Love” patuloy ang tradisyong ito ng pag-ibig na kilig at pag-ibig na komplikado. Kung maglalatag ng ispektrum ng tatlong ito: puro kilig ang una, may halong kilig at komplikasyon ang ikalawa, at may kaunting kilig habang maraming komplikasyon ang ikatlo.

Sa “Forever and a Day,” parehong may tinatakasan sina Miko (Sam Milby) at Raffy (KC Concepcion) sa Maynila. Nagkataon na sabay silang biglang nagbakasyon grande sa Cagayan de Oro at doon nagkainteres sa isa’t isa habang nag -eenjoy ng zipline, white river boating, at buggy racing. Nagmukha tuloy travel and living channel ang unang hati ng pelikula. May kasamang mga supporting friends na walang papel kundi tuksuhin at itulak sa ligawan ang dalawa. Sa dulo, mawawala ang pagiging matatakutin ni Raffy at magiging mas mabait naman si Miko sa kaniyang running shoes staff. Pero heto ang peak ng formula: may kanser pala si Raffy at naghihintay na lang ng kamatayan. Lalo lamang maiinlove si Miko dahil nadiskubre niya ang sobrang kabaitan at pagiging mapagmahal ni Raffy sa kapuwa cancer patient. Kung kilig ang pag-uusapan, umani ng sandamakmak nito mula sa mga fan ng mga bidang Sam Milby at KC Concepcion. End of story.

Mas komplikado ang plot ng “Babe, I Love You.” Mas nakakaaliw ang pangungulit ni Sasa Sanchez (Anne Curtis) kay Prop. Nico Borromeo (Sam Milby). May gaspang ang mga detalye na mas nakakaakit panoorin. Pati ang mga tagasuporta ay may mga makatotohanang eksenang napakakaswal, tulad ng mga harutan, pero nagpapakita ng mga relasyong malalim ang pinaghuhugutan. Sa yugtong hinog na hinog na ang anggulo ng pagmamahalan nina Nico at Sasa saka papasok ang mapait na bahagi ng kaniyang pagiging promo girl. Hindi siya inosente tulad ng superpisyal na naitanghal sa maraming eksena kundi pumapatol din sa kliyente. Sa madaling sabi, pumayag na maging kerida kundi man bayarang babae. Ito na ang peak ng pagiging pormula ng istorya pero dahil sa performans ng mga artistang parte ng pagiging glossy ng produksiyon, tumatakbo ang plot. Siyempre magugulat sa umpisa ang nobyo pero sa bandang huli, matatapos na happy ang pelikula. Peace time pa kumita ang ganitong istorya pero malakas ang tradisyon at kahit bagong milenyum na, patuloy ang kilig at pagsindi ng kleig sa ganitong mga eksena.

Pinakamalapot sa maraming aspekto ang “In The Name of Love.” Habang tila iniiwasan ng naunang dalawang pelikula ang kontemporanyong global at politikal na konteksto at gusto lamang manatili sa bakuran ng romance, ang kuwento nina Emman Toledo/Garry Fernandez (Aga Muhlach) at Mercedes Fernandez (Angel Locsin) bilang mga japayuki ang mismong humatak sa kanila patungo sa kapahamakan. Nanghihiram ng inspirasyon mula sa mga diyaryo, sa madaling sabi, mula sa realidad ang kanilang buhay bilang mga protagonista. Susuungin ni Emman ang money laundering dahil ayaw niyang mapahamak si Mercedes pero matitiklo sa airport at makukulong nang pitong taon. Nang makalaya, magbabagong buhay sana siya pero hindi inaasahang makakasalamuha muli si Mercedes na naging nobya ng isang anak ng maimpluwensiyang dinastiyang politikal sa isang probinsiya. May alusyon sa mga pelikulang politikal ng mga naunang dekada ang iskrinpley ni Enrico Santos, lalo na sa mga obra ni Brocka at Lamangan. Pinakakapal pa ito ng dagdag na alusyon sa level ng disenyong biswal at detalye ng karakterisasyon. Sa isang shot, makikitang may mga alagang eksotikong hayop ang gobernador, at hindi na kailangang banggitin na mayroong ganitong karakter sa lokal na politika. Ang asawa ng gobernador na si Chloe Evelino (Carmi Martin) ay imahen ng tila masaya pero nagtitiis na asawa ng patriyarko. Nang masaksihan ang away ng anak at ni Mercedes, nabuhay ang pait ng hindi nakamit na tunay na pag-ibig kaya nang magkaroon ng pagkakataon, pinayuhan ang babae na tumakas na bago matulad sa masaklap niyang sitwasyon. Bumubuo ng interesanteng triyanggulasyon sina Dylan Evelino (Jake Cuenca), Garry, at Mercedes sa maraming level: personal, sexual, sining, at politika. Ang gahum ng dinastiyang politikal ng pamilyang Evelino ay sumusuot kahit sa mismong kondisyon ng maagang paglaya ni Garry. Nabigyan siya ng parole dahil sa koneksiyon ng pamilya ng gobernador kapalit ng sexual na pabor ni Mercedes at pagiging fiancee nito kay Dylan.

Hindi makawala sa trawma ng nakaraan ang dalawang ex-japayuki lalo na sa kanilang muling pagkikita. Tagabuhat na ng isda sa palengke si Garry pero nang mangailangan ng mga dance instructor ang opisina ng gobernador, nag-audition at nagperform siya sa harap ni Mercedes at mga amiga. Ito ang umpisa ng muling pagkakalapit ng dalawa at pagtatanggal sa buhol ng nakaraan. Lilitaw na patuloy na nagmahal at hindi lumimot si Mercedes. Pero hindi na siya malaya. Kailangan nilang muling sumayaw sa panganib. At siyempre nga dahil nakumpirma ang kanilang pagmamahalan, gagawin ang lahat para muling magsama.

Sa kalahatan, dramatikong naitatanghal ang mga posibilidad ng sitwasyongng inilatag. Hindi linear ang estilo ng produksiyon at epektibong nagagamit ang mga flashback at iba pang pamamaraang sinematiko. Halimbawa, sa eksena ng sayaw ng triyanggulo, naipahayag sa lengguwaheng biswal ang mga taktikal na kutsabahan, hidwaan, at pigil na sagupaan ng mga tauhan. Ang pagtuturo ng mga muwestra ng pagsasayaw ay pagkakataon din para palakasin ang koneksiyon ng pag-ibig at pagkamuhi tungo sa resolusyon.

Ang kalakasan ng produksiyong ito ay ang pagbibigay ng matamang atensiyon hindi lamang sa kilig factor kundi maging sa komplikadong makinarya ng lokal na politika at kung paano ito gumagapang at bumabalot sa pang-araw-araw na buhay ng mamamayan. Hindi palagiang teror ang ipinapakita at ginagawa ng mga gustong kumontrol ng poder kundi ang kabaitan at pagmamalasakit sa kapuwa. At kapag nalambat ka resiprokal na relasyong ito, mas malamang na sumayaw ka sa kapritso at poder ng nasa politikal na posisyon. Sa pelikula, ang pag-ibig ang pangunahing ahensiya para makahulagpos sa sapot ng korupsiyong ito. Sa daigdig ng romance, posible ang lahat. At karaniwan, hindi katulad ng tunay na buhay.

Nagtuturo ng malikhaing pagsulat at panitikan sa UP Kolehiyo ng Arte at Literatura si Joey Baquiran. Naglilingkod ding junior fellow sa UP Institute of Creative Writing at co-editor ng Daluyan, ang journal ng wikang Filipino ng UP Diliman.

Film Review: Pink Halo Halo

YCC is currently choosing the best films to cite for 2010. On the run-up to short listing, we are posting review by members. In this essay, Tessa Marie Guazon shows why she favors Pink Halo Halo.

Life’s vast skies and ports of call
Tessa Maria Guazon

Pink Halo-Halo
Joselito Altarejos
2010
Cinemalaya and Beyond the Box Inc., in cooperation with Voyage Studios

Grief is impending doom in Pink Halo-Halo, written and directed by Joselito Altarejos. Imminent loss is the quiet tension that binds the clear skies of the film’s locale and its mostly, austere central characters. At the heart of this moving narrative is a young boy at the cusp of life, a moment when its tempo is decided by events that fate brings. Nearing adolescence, we regretfully see him leave behind the joyful frolic of childhood to face life’s looming despair, the greatest burden would be the death of his father, Lino Bolante a corporal suddenly recalled to Basilan. Filmed in a Masbate town on a good harvest season Pink Halo-Halo embraces its locale fully, eloquently capturing on screen the rhythm of town life and its inhabitants. The film avoids the nostalgia and skewed romance of place that so entraps many local films, whether these places are impoverished towns or blighted cities. Humor and grief, polar opposites so difficult to bind are handled with quiet compassion. The sutbleties so despairingly missing in the postcard stills and stilted narratives of most other movies are refreshing finds in Pink Halo-Halo.
It opens to a game of pretend war among young boys brandishing their wooden toy guns. Their play is disrupted by the arrival of a dead soldier’s body from Mindanao. They walk home and lingered at the wake, seeing grief still unknowable to hearts unblemished by loss. Natoy and a friend stop to eat halo-halo at a local cafeteria. We see the refreshment served, and against the stark, summer sun its colors transform from enticing to ghastly. On shaved ice, the red syrup eerily looks like blood on snow while the yam’s violet black hue appears like the land for which blood is spilled. While the boys enjoy the refreshment, the cafeteria owner lovingly lingers on photos of a dead soldier in a coffin. We then surmise that army enlistment is both salvation and plague in this town, and in mute horror realize that perhaps these boys will also choose to risk their lives in far-off places of war when they become men.
The meager salary from the army helps build Natoy’s home and fence their lot, support aging grandparents and a younger brother studying to be a teacher but who looks forward to being an army colonel. The boy regards these with a mind unclouded by complexity. He does not dream to be a soldier, he is amused and even beguiled by the vanity of women and his mother’s pregnancy is a prospect both alien and inviting. He makes doll paper cut-outs while his parents debate over his father’s wanting to stay in the army far longer than planned.
Gloom creeps into the house’s dark and cool interiors on the day his father is to leave. The camera moves to the boy scanning his school books on the polished wooden floor while adult life hovers above him, his mother Sonia busily ironing shirts, his uncle polishing to gleam his father’s army boots.We overhear the parents planning for the coming of another child and settling payments to be made on the motorbike and the fence, matters far from the mind of a child now playing with his father’s army dogtags. They saw him off to sea and like most scenes of parting, the vast waters however blue and serene presage loss. It struck me how inured we have become to these many partings, often with little hope of reunion and return. Risk, it seems is the only constant in these leave-takings
Pink Halo-Halo evokes grief as it encroaches on the mundane, as inescapable as night turning into day. Over halo-halo, son and mother hears of an encounter in Basilan. A war so removed from their lives, news delivered through the grainy screen of a television set lending an unreal cast to mourning. Tragedy is often received with disbelief. The void between knowing and proof , between the image of a bloodied father and the arrival of his cold body is met with quiet, severe sorrow. This community knows bereavement and confronts its onslaught with courage. Prayers are said amidst the drone of the evening news, tears are silently shed and they face the inevitable arrival of the box from Basilan draped with the national flag. Their loss is ours as well. Yet the film avoids the histrionics that beset the depiction of grief and despair, reminding us that like heat and rain, misery and joy make life in equal measure. This fact is presented beyond artifice, and a contained, measured tranquility prevails throughout the film. No doubt, the film owes this to its eloquent handling of time and its thorough knowledge of place. Little is forced and when we witness these (such as the news of impending death and the image of the wounded father/soldier calling out to son across television), we know these constructions are deliberately chosen metaphors.
Indeed, the dead do not wholly depart and the living exists with them. Berger writes that the dead surrounds those who live. The living he says “are the core of the dead” and that only “timelessness surrounds this core”. We endure not merely sorrow, we live with reminders that death brings- the fragility of life and the tenacity of the human heart, of the choices we can make and the battles we opt to win. Pink Halo-Halo ends with the family tensely awaiting the boat that brings to shore a loved one’s corpse. We share their silence as the camera pans to the skies and clouds gather to cast shadows on an ordinarily bright summer day.
Cited work
Berger, John. 2007. Hold everything dear: Dispatches on survival and resistance. New York: Vintage, 3.

Tessa Maria Guazon is assistant professor of Art Studies at the University of the Philippines-Diliman.
She writes about cities, film and contemporary public art practice.
Recent publications include reviews in Humanities Diliman and Asian Art News, essays in the Agham Tao Journal, the Suri-Sining anthology, and Pananaw 7. A forthcoming essay in the International Journal of Urban Research examines art's mediation of urban conditions.

Critic of the Month

The YCC critic of the month Jaime Oscar M. Salazar, comments on a timely topic, the question of where and how to bury the remains of a dictator.

Honor vacui
Jaime Oscar M. Salazar


That Vice President Jejomar Binay, who was tasked to confront the vexing question of where and how the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos should be laid to rest, has been quoted in Manila Bulletin as calling his recommendation to bury Marcos in Ilocos Norte with full military honors a “Solomonic solution” indicates, at the very least, that Binay’s understanding of the Bible is deficient in the extreme. Were he to review the relevant passages in the Old Testament, Binay would discover that the judgment of Solomon—who, by virtue of divine munificence, is supposed to be one of the wisest men in the world—did not result in a formulation that either satisfies or gave justice to no one.

According to the story, which is told in the first book of Kings, Solomon is asked to preside over a dispute between two women, each of whom claimed to be the mother of an infant. Both women lived in the same house, and each, within days of the other, had given birth to a boy. One of the babies, however, died in the night, prompting his mother to switch the corpse for the still-living son of the other woman, who was asleep. As there were no witnesses to the substitution, the women are reduced to trading accusations before the king.

After a moment, Solomon calls for a sword and orders that the remaining infant be cut in two, in order that each mother may receive half, thus settling the issue. It is when one of the women protests at the verdict that Solomon’s true intention is revealed: by threatening the destruction of the child, the king is able to determine which woman is the real mother—the one who would rather see her baby alive, if brought up in the care of another, than killed. “Give the living baby to the first woman. Do not kill him; she is his mother,” Solomon declares.

The outcome, it must be emphasized, is not a compromise at all: the Solomonic solution involves neither tortuous hair-splitting nor the invocation of a mythical “middle ground”. Instead, it is a bold move animated by the desire to do the right thing, no matter how apparently impolitic.

To be sure, few problems can be laid to rest quite as quickly or as neatly as that brought before Solomon, but Binay’s proposal for the Marcos burial, despite what he may believe (or professes to believe), merely partakes of the same dangerous, because morally vacuous, logic that led over 200 legislators to sign House Resolution No. 1135, which says that Marcos deserves to be interred at the Libingan ng mga Bayani, owing to his “invaluable service to his country as soldier, writer, statesman, President and Commander-in-Chief”.

Even if Marcos is buried in his native soil rather than in the heroes’ cemetery, he would, following Binay’s plan, still be buried with distinction unearned and undeserved—and, once bestowed, virtually indelible. More, it would propound notions of honor and heroism that are so thoroughly destitute as to become meaningless. What does it imply about ourselves when we seek to memorialize and glorify a man who was unapologetic to his very last breath for the massive graft and corruption, plunder, and human-rights abuses that he orchestrated over the course of two decades in power? Where now is the sword that will cleave political expediency and ineffectual posturing away from responsible, courageous partisanship?

Jaime Oscar M. Salazar teaches with the Literature Department at De La Salle University-Manila, where he teaches art appreciation and literature. He is working toward his master's degree in art studies at the University of the Philippines Diliman.

YCC Critic of the Month: Flaudette May Datuin’s Nowhere Near (On Ganap na Babae)

Nowhere Near

Flaudette May Datuin

Ganap na Babae (Garden of Eden)/Hubo Productions/Rica Arevalo, Ellen Ramos and Sarah Roxas, Directors







Before the film unreeled at the University of the Philippines Film Center on the night of March 8, International Women’s Day, we had to go through a parade of real-life “Ganap na Babae” – women achievers – the sponsoring sorority’s pride: these year’s Ten Outstanding Women of the Nation or TOWN. Images of these beautiful, multi-talented success stories were flashed again and again onscreen. Larger than life, in full color, pretty women in well appointed surroundings flashed alongside those of images of deprivation, the most offensive of which was of a skeletal, perhaps dying child the broadcaster Kara David – one of the awardees - was cradling in her arms. It was part of a series of pictures showing the awardee in her social work among poor communities. As the film finally unreeled after a tedious mini TOWNs awarding ceremony, more offensive images followed, but the one that made me squirm all the more was that of the “Cannes Most Beautiful Actress” being “gang raped” beautifully in all her voluptuous glory amidst and wrapped in linen of screaming red – the image that happens to be on the film’s publicity poster.

Rape aestheticized, violence made tender, women as a spectacular objects transforming themselves into sight, and in the case of the skeletal child, a success story fed by poverty. Private troubles transformed into a freak show. In other words, what reeled before me was yet another example of so-called indie film staple: the “obscenification of life,” a term I borrow from Martin Amis via the sociologist Les Back, who describes the condition as one that leads to a kind of “moral cannibalism” wherein the viewer is “invited to nourish their moral probity by consuming images of badness, crime, vulgarity and degeneracy” – in short, poverty porn.

Crackling with controversy and salacious details, the film abounds with fast food clichés rehashed through an intrusive empiricism framed by revelation (e.g. the whore’s confessional), and an excess of picture perfect moments. Texture is flattened and glossed with belabored and drawn out scenes of creaking pumps, and other forms of pumping implied and explicit, fodder for “kilig” moments such as Boots Anson-Roa’s much-touted bed scene. We knew the bottom line, the destination, but the directors took a long time telling the tired story, inflicting us with contrived shots better off as stills, bad transitions, sloppy sound and visual cues and overall bad editing. As a fellow viewer-YCC critic Tessa Guazon puts it after emerging from the experience with a migraine, the cinematic telling was “nowhere near ’ganap’ as we waited for things to happen…the film spelled everything out for the audience but there was nothing to expect, no sense of anticipation. “

The delectable whore is always abused and battered; the probinciana is always hungry and pining to be a mail order bride and coming home in a box; the fading middle class matrona is always lonely and sex-starved enough to be a “cougar” – a role that is hyped as an out of the box first for the goody two shoes “legendary” Boots Anson Roa – herself a TOWNS awardee of long ago, as she pointed out in her speech before the screening. These are the “ganap na babae” of Philippine cinema, reel and real. From the past century to the present, being a “ganap na babae” is synonymous with women’s preordained destinations as temptresses, sinners, pining virgins, abused mothers and saints in the Garden of Eden and where “ganap” is not a form of coming into being, a process of fulfilling a potential, but as “Pilipinas,” the whore, abandoned by her children, penniless, spent. At the end of the day, International Women’s Day: a parade of success stories, a film by women about women, women at a dead-end but nowhere near.

Flaudette May Datuin is Associate Professor, Department of Art Studies, University of the Philippines. Young Critics Circle Member, Founding editor of Ctrl+P, Digital Journal of Contemporary Art (www.ctrlp-artjournal.org). 2008 Visiting Fellow, the Australian National University; Visiting Research Fellow, 2010-2013, University of New South Wales (Sydney, Australia); Asian Public Intellectuals fellow (2005); Asian Scholarship Foundation Fellow (2004). Author: Home Body Memory: Filipina Artists in the Visual Arts (2002, UP Press) and Editor, Alter/(n)ations: The Art of Imelda Cajipe Endaya (2010), UP Press.