Azon is a newly minted retiree. The sudden shift is a shock to her, even though she doesn't show it to her husband and daughter. A friend introduces her to bingo and she soon falls into a destructive spiral that threatens to destroy her and her family.
Films about senior citizen concerns are not unknown to Cinemalaya. Films like Bwakaw (2012), Kung Paano Hinihintay and Dapithapon (2018) and 1st Ko si 3rd (2014) masterfully articulate the loneliness and anxiety these people face during the twilight of their lives. Retirada is an imperfect, simple, human tale about how retirees are displaced from a life they've likely known all their lives.
While I appreciate its intentions, Retirada as a story is far too simple for its own good, perhaps better suited to the shorts format. It concerns itself with addiction, though it only lets its characters express the reasons for that addiction in a final act that seems rushed, and even then it doesn't feel as fleshed out as it should. And while bingo addiction definitely does exist, its perception as a relatively harmless parlor game (regardless of its true harm) affects the viewing experience, like Ellen Burstyn's segment from Requiem for a Dream but with M&Ms instead of Opiates.
The material ultimately feels insufficient, despite committed performances from Peewee and Jerry O'Hara. Inadvertently the film ends up being a cautionary tale about the dangers of bingo, and if that idea sounds weird or silly to you, me too.
Blue Room begins with an impressive sequence that introduces four of its five protagonists: the members of a band named Rebel Rebel (the pronunciation matters) on their way to making a new album. However, various complications and a run-in with the law make this a night to remember in all the wrong ways.
Blue Room is a thrilling, absorbing film, yet it is also the kind of film that will either win you over or not. I overall enjoyed and liked the experience - it is perhaps one of the best films in this batch of Cinemalaya - but I do recognize some problems in the way it is constructed.
Its middle class perspective feels reminiscent of films such as Ang Nawawala (2012) and The Animals (2012), though in this case this film's point is to point out how dysfunctional, lopsided and privilege-driven our justice system really is, even roping in real life events into the story (the film claims to be inspired by several true events.) The police are not depicted as a system with only a few bad apples - it is clearly evident that the fortuitous events of the film's climax happen only because of police acting for their own interests.
My main issue lies with the film's ending, and although I wish to believe in the film's sincerity, the montage of clips at the end can be read as an affirmation of the status quo and a performative and ultimately useless display of activism. One could argue that there's only so much our protagonists can do (they're not lawyers nor politicians), and that activism and social awareness take all manner of forms. I just wish it didn't have to happen at the expense of those without the privilege that our protagonists definitely have - in fact, we never see any of the people in some of those jail cells again, with only an arbitrary "they'll be taken care of" statement as to their fate. It also merits attention that at least one of the five protagonists were technically punishable for a crime, but ultimately gets off scot free. In addition, I felt especially uncomfortable when a Chinese man was portrayed as a stand in (and ultimately a scapegoat for anger) over his country's crimes, followed by the audience's seemingly positive response to this racist behavior. There's a botched attempt at portraying the privilege that foreign nationals have over normal citizens as well, though it ends up as an afterthought.
I totally understand why people would love or hate Blue Room. At the very least I hope it starts some conversations about how unfair our society can be to its most underserved citizens.
In his filmography Carlo Obispo seems to be occupied with young people living through historical events or socioeconomic milieus that are out of their own control: in Purok 7 (2013), the protagonists obliviously live their lives not knowing the tragedy that befell their loved ones; in Gasping for Air (a.k.a. 1-2-3, 2016) young girls get into sex work in order to survive. The Baseball Player, his latest film, is a simple yet tragic tale about a boy with dreams of playing in a professional baseball team, as conflict threaten to kill those dreams and harm everyone he loves.
The film recognizes the many nuances of the conflict in Mindanao, and how people are driven to protect their families and lands from increasing militarization and oppression. I heard that the filmmakers consulted with various people to make it work, and for at least that part, it shows.
What bothers me about this film, however, because of its choice to have its characters speak Tagalog and because of its casting, is that it feels slightly off. In the larger scheme of things this is a minor thing and excusable, given that the filmmakers did their research in all other aspects of the film, but it did impact my viewing experience a little bit. I'm curious if any fellow Muslim or Mindanawon audience members noticed, or if it was just me.
That said, Obispo finds emotional heft in various moments though the stirring music in some of those moments is often not necessary, as the characters speak for themselves. The Baseball Player ends in an anxious, uncertain place - one that might lead some to consider the material incomplete - but upon giving thought to it, it's correctly reflects the continuing anxieties of the peoples of Mindanao. There is no closure in this film because it doesn't exist in real life, and if the film chooses to end on that somber thought, I think it's a good choice.
No comments:
Post a Comment