Cinemalaya 2014: Children's Show, Badil

Day five of Cinemalaya. This time, Fight Club for kids, and dirty politics.

New Breed

Children's Show

Violence in films are nothing new, but violence like what we see in Derick Cabrido's film, Children's Show, is a bit different.

Children's Show is about two brothers, Al (Miggs Cuaderno) and Jun (Buboy Villar) who earn a living by pedicab. They also take part in underground fighting matches, where kids both male and female beat the crap out of each other for cash.

The film takes us down into the seedy world of these matches, and it's clear that these kids are nothing but glorified fighting cocks for the adults to abuse. Once they start becoming a liability, these children are thrown away like broken toys.

The violence these kids experience are not only physical, but also emotional. It's clear that fighting constantly has taken its toll on both brothers. And visually the film hammers down the physical aspect of that violence into our eyes with gritty slow motion shots of kids getting the crap beat out of each other. It's normal for us to see this in your usual action movie, but seeing kids get the same treatment? It's a bit unsettling (and that was likely the point.)

The film just blows by at 90 minutes and it's all over before you catch your breath. There's a bit of emotional resolution between the two brothers, but the underground fights go on. That may be the most troubling fact about the film.

7.5 punches to the face/10.

ANI (FDCP Sineng Pambansa)

Badil

I voted in last year's senatorial elections, and I often wondered if our votes had any impact on the turnout. If we go by this film, the answer is: probably not that much.

"Badil" in the film's context refers to the practice of removing potential voters from the voting pool by giving them indelible ink before the election proper, rendering them unable to vote.

Nonoy (Jhong Hilario) is the son of a local Barangay Captain/party leader Ponso (Dick Israel) who supports the incumbent mayor. Unfortunately, Ponso has suffered a stroke and is unable to do his usual job: vote buying, coercion and other dirty tactics to ensure, in his territory at least, that the people will vote for his candidate. He hands the job to Nonoy, who sees the dirty world of Philippine politics firsthand.

In this world, money, and only money, makes the world go around. The votes are tallied and the result is known way before any ballot is dropped, enforced by hired guns and personal armies. Nonoy becomes our eyes into that world, and we share his disgust and apprehension at the things people do just to get elected.

Neither side is without fault, and the landscape is coated with shades of gray: when Nonoy catches wind of a plan to disenfranchise voters via Badil, he engages in a race against time to find the culprits and prove his loyalty to the mayor before more voters are caught in the "explosion."

Ponso is played with calm menace by Dick Israel. He's a man who has seen it all, and a man whom the townspeople, regardless of affiliation, give their respect. Jhong Hilario is excellent as Nonoy, wandering between both sides of the spectrum until the end.

While the pawns do their dirty work, the two candidates are seen and felt only in the ubiquitous posters lining the streets of the town. They are a godlike presence, controlling their pawns yet indifferent to their fate.

The pace and tension of the film is heightened by a fantastic pulse pounding soundtrack and clever editing choices. Neil Daza (who also worked on Norte) gives us a great view of the small island town where everything takes place.

Chito Rono has consistently produced quality films whether mainstream or not, and is one of the most exciting filmmakers in Philippine Cinema today. Badil with its relevant social message is truly a gem in the rough, and it is unfortunate that few people have seen the film even now.

8.5 dirty politicians/10