We end our Cinema One Originals competition film coverage with Richard Somes' Historiographika Errata. From the title itself it's evident that historical accuracy isn't one of the film's aims - instead, it shows absurdity, humor and irony through historical characters in four distinct parts.
The first and second parts deal with Jose Rizal and Andres Bonifacio, (Joem Bascon and Jett Pangan) respectively. The depictions of the two characters are far from the idealized image we see in other popular media and in recent films. Rizal is depressed and indecisive, a bit of a slacker, and prone to suicidal thought. Bonifacio and his gang of cross-dressing Katipunan members look like something out of the Three Stooges, or a Dolphy comedy. These two scenes are played out for laughs, attributing these venerated men's greatest achievements to quirks and chance. Overall the tone is silly and lighthearted using humor as a means of deconstruction.
The third part deals with a former compatriot of Macario Sakay who lets himself be used by American forces to root out and pacify remaining rebel forces. Though the first half of this segment has its share of darkly comic moments, the tone gets real serious quick. I felt that it was the weakest of all the segments. Thematically it shares some ideas with the last part in that Filipinos will do anything - even betray the one who saved their life - to survive.
The fourth and final part takes place during the Japanese occupation. Food shortages and famine are widespread. To survive, Librada (Nathalie Hart) has worked out a deal with two men: they can have sex with her in exchange for food. Hart is adroit in her role, and her performance is perhaps one of the meatiest and best performances in the entire film. The story is actually about the beginnings of the Makapili - hated Filipino collaborators during the occupation who were treated later as traitors. Again, this part communicates the notion of being able to do anything in desperate times - even betray one's own beliefs. This part draws its irony from the fact that we are rooting for characters that we should historically despise, providing us with a story told from their perspective.
The film's four parts struggle to gel together to form a thematic whole; the first and second parts seem to warn against lionizing heroes, the third and fourth parts reflect how damaged a people we have become because we have never known true freedom.
Ultimately I'm on the fence with Historiographika Errata. It feels a little disjointed, and the film's message gets a little muddled at times. Yet the film is decently acted, gorgeously lensed, the production design impeccable, the color vibrant and interesting. Judged separately, the fourth part stands out as the most robust and solid part of the film. But I think there's enough interesting stuff in the other parts to warrant a look.
***
That ends my coverage of this year's Cinema One Originals competition films. I sadly won't be able to watch this year's shorts due to time constraints. After a short break on Saturday, we'll take a small peek into some of the festival's international offerings.
No comments:
Post a Comment