Cinema One Originals: Bitukang Manok

Bitukang Manok takes its name from the tortuous roads to Bicol, reminiscent of a chicken's intestines. And quite like the titular road, Bitukang Manok takes us round and round and down through a rabbit hole through the blackest of human emotions.

The film follows three groups of people: a pair of truck drivers, a group of young adults, and a family of three. They find themselves going around in circles. As the hours turn to days, the experience begins to take its psychological toll on everyone involved.

It's to be expected that with this many characters, a number of people are going to be underdeveloped. We never really get to know some of these people. Some make decisions over the course of the film that seem rash or out of the blue, thanks to the lack of character development.

There's also something about the atmosphere of the whole place; there is something sinister in the air during the night and in places unseen. The forest and these roads seem almost like an additional character, keeping its eyes on our hapless characters like a predator. The director does a good job in creating this atmosphere, quite different from that of Violator. There is a sense of tension that is always present in the film as it draws towards the inevitable conclusion. Darkness and clever lighting helps obscure some elements of the scene - making the overall effect far more terrifying.

Bitukang Manok makes the case over the first two thirds of the film that despite the fear of the supernatural, the darkness of the human psyche is far more fearsome. And here's where my biggest problem with the film is: the last act of the film appears out of the blue, and undermines this thesis somewhat. It's full of hammy acting and the ultimate conclusion feels a bit incomplete, although I do concede that 1) the scene that facilitates this last act is masterfully shot and 2) the last few moments of the film tell us that nothing will ever be the same regardless.

It may build up an atmosphere of terror towards something underwhelming, but despite some flaws, Bitukang Manok is a worthy thriller/horror film at least worth the price of admission.