Today, we'll be talking about the remaining two films and most of the shorts. Because the schedule was incredibly tight, I only got to see six out of eight short films. Sometimes they would show the shorts well before the advertised screening time, so by the time we got to the cinema, they were done.
Kabisera refers to the seat at the head of the table, usually occupied by the head of the family. It tackles the issue of extrajudicial killings. When Mercy, (Nora Aunor), a loving housewife, sees her family fall victim to a rash of these killings, she begins the long road towards justice.
The film takes its time to get to this point. The first half of the movie establishes the family order, but it takes too long and it feels too staged at times. Nora Aunor is brilliant as always but the script doesn't take full advantage of her talents here.
Mercy's road towards justice is one that is difficult because she is fighting a system that is rigged against her. She is used by people from both sides, mostly for personal gain. Allies become opportunists, traitors become victims themselves.
There is also a sense of ambiguity with respect to the victims: we never really do learn if the allegations against them were true. The movie makes it a point to say that regardless of the eventual legal outcome, people have the right to due process. That's a lesson that is getting harder and harder to learn these days, with our propensity to dehumanize people we perceive as criminals.
I have a lot of problems with the way Kabisera was presented, but its themes are relevant today and probably in the years to come.
The first Ang Babae sa Septic Tank poked fun at independent cinema as a whole. While that film tended to generalize a bit (poverty films are not the entirety of independent cinema) it was fun in the way it played at different genres. Plus, it was really funny. This second installment purportedly tackles the rom-com genre. While I don't think it was as successful in that regard, Ang Babae Sa Septic Tank 2 does address something else comparatively well - preserving the integrity of an artist's vision. Overall I liked it, but with a few reservations.
It's been 4 years since the events of the first movie, and Rainier (Kean Cipriano) is in the process of making a new film, a melancholic romantic story. He meets with Eugene Domingo to discuss the possibility of starring in this film, and she begins to transform the movie into something more mainstream and formulaic.
There are some funny moments in this film, notably a small role by Joel Torre that almost steals the show and a hilarious final sequence. But it does take a really long while to get there. The first half of Septic Tank 2 is quite uneven. Unlike the first film that builds up its inevitable meeting with Eugene Domingo to something genuinely funny, this film really doesn't find its comedic touch until the second half. Much of the film up to that point consists of filler. There's a bit of meta that parallels Rainier's original script and his own troubled relationship with his wife, but it is superficial at best.
The film's parody of rom-com elements is just as superficial, though entertaining. But for me, the hidden point of Ang Babae sa Septic Tank 2 is the conversation it makes regarding how an artist is truly (not) independent given the state of the movie industry today. Yes, like the first film, Ang Babae Sa Septic Tank 2 is a stealth parody of independent filmmaking.
I remember a Q and A session during a screening of Jun Lana's Barber's Tales where Eugene Domingo told the audience that she was taking a break from doing independent films because she felt disappointed that people were not patronizing these quality films. It may have been partly in jest, but a similar conversation appears by the end of this movie. It's a conversation on the age-old argument between artistic freedom and commercial viability. This is a conversation with questions that do not have easy answers, because movies cost money and money has to come from somewhere.
In the context of the MMFF, the industry has decided to embark on a ballsy experiment to offer something new to audiences conditioned to consume the same old shit every year. In a way, it has worked. The MMFF has gone from being a joke, a 'safe' festival whose family friendly moniker is a farce to a genuinely good festival, probably the best in terms of quality this 2016. It is no small feat. It just takes time for people to warm up to change, but it will come as long as people persist towards achieving it.
We're on our way towards a cinematic culture that respects artistic freedom and originality, but this year's MMFF is but one small step. The road to this ideal is long and winding, and it isn't easy. But this year's festival is rebellion personified. It shows us hope for this ideal, and like Rogue One taught us, rebellions are built on hope.
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We Want Short Shorts Short Shorts Reviews MMFF 2016 edition
Each feature film is accompanied by a short film that is similar to it thematically or through some other fashion. Some are student films, while others are shorts directed by experienced filmmakers. I wasn't able to see the shorts before Oro and Seklusyon.
Sunday Beauty Queen is preceded by Birds, also a tale about Filipino workers in a foreign land. There's a bit of metaphor going on with birds living in a gilded cage. It's overall ok.
Animated film Passage of Life precedes Saving Sally. It's a concept that we've seen in many other student films and memes on, say, 9gag or Facebook, but it's no less touching.
Avid Liongoren's animated short Momo and Vince and Kath and James don't really have much in common except that they're both cute. Momo deals with a girl and her dog, and her search for said dog once the dog goes missing.
Animated short Mitatang precedes Die Beautiful. It's also nice, though a bit unremarkable compared to the other shorts.
Kabisera is preceded by (not surprisingly) EJK, directed by Bor Ocampo of Dayang Asu fame. It's darkly funny without being offensive or too insensitive towards its subject matter. It's my favorite out of all the short films.
And finally before Ang Babae Sa Septic Tank 2 is Manila Scream, based on Edvard Munch's painting of the same name. All I can say is 1) masakit yan sa panga dude and 2) AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH
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That's about it for MMFF 2016. All of the films have something in them worth watching, so take a look at all of them and watch what matches your tastes! See you guys at the end of the year.
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