MINDANAO
Produced and Directed by Brillante Mendoza
Starring Judy Ann Santos and Allen Dizon
Looking at the title itself suggests that this is a movie about the
region itself, but to be more precise, it’s about the story of
Saima (played by Judy Ann Santos), relentlessly coping up with the ordeal of taking care of her cancer stricken daughter while her husband
(played by Alen Dizon) is away, serving the country as combat medic deployed somewhere in Mindanao. Saima travelled to Davao to seek help from an institution called "The House of Hope," a charity foundation that helps and shelter children with cancer. On her way to Davao, Saima went through strict scrutiny at checkpoints by armed soldiers patrolling the area, indicative of Martial Law rule in the region.
Saima's family struggle is
juxtaposed through an animated Maguindanaon (or is it Maranao?) folklore about the two prince, Rajah Sulayman and Rajah
Indara Patra, sons of Sultan Nabi, who fights to stop a dragon devastating
Lanao. The animated sequences are continuously inserted throughout the
movie, leaving viewers startled whether it was related to the story
itself. The narrative form of story telling may not be appreciated by viewers but this is how Mendoza chose to convey
his message about Mindanao, indirectly as it is. Mindanao in
modern scenario, is a diverse and multi-racial region; home to about 40 different ethnic groups that includes indigenous tribes of
Maranao, Maguindanao, the Lumads, the Manobos
and the likes, each with distinct culture and language. To depict a region with a folklore from within a region does not necessarily represent the whole of Mindanao, perhaps a more aptly titled movie would leave no
questions asked instead of using Mindanao just to catch attention.
In
an effort to depict Mindanao's Muslim culture, some elements were inserted in the movie including cultural
dance competition, muslim burial and traditional way of praying. There are also some misconceptions e.g. Saima’s daughter
was buried, not in a cemetery, but in an open place which contradicts Muslim
culture. The colorful vintas is more akin to the badjaos of
Zamboanga and not the Maguindanoans (correct me if I wrong). Upon seeing his dead daughter, Alen Dizon recited “La Illaha Illallah” (There is no God but Allah) albeit incorrectly pronounced likewise the name Aisa should be pronounced "Aaisa" or "Ayesha," not a shortened Aisa as most Filipinos pronounce it. I should know because I a Muslim from Mindanao. The war scenes looks one sided without showing the
enemy and yet we can hear people saying “Allahu Akbar” (meaning God is
Great). In this war torn place, every Muslim is treated as a
suspect or a terrorist and sad to say, war atrocities continues.
Without
a doubt, Judy Ann Santos and Alen Dizon gave outstanding performances
however, I wished Brillantes find a more appropriate title
for his epic other than use Mindanao in an absurd way but nonetheless, the movie is worth watching after all, it merited the best picture award in the just concluded MMFF 2019.
WRITE ABOUT LOVE
Produced and Directed by TBA Studios
Directed by Crisanto Aquino
Starring Miles Ocampo, Rocco Nacino, Joem Bascon and Yeng Constantino
Another movie that attracted my attention is
“Write About Love. The film tells the story of Joyce, a budding
scriptwriter who tries to shift from selling her clothing designs online, to
another passion on the side. Her
script “Just Us” got the nod of a major film outfit, described as
“maintreamish” by one member of the screening committee, however, she was told
to re-write it as there is already a movie currently showing its trailer with
similar twists. A seasoned writer (Rocco Nacino) was
commissioned to work with her to re-write the script and they were given 30 days to submit the final script. There, the two writers discovered each other, working on a script with two main characters in mind (played by Joem Bascon and Yeng
Constantino) making it look like a movie within a movie. The two often argues but time was running out and Joyce has to submit the final script in less than a week. Sub-plots and endless revisions follows and they have yet to come up with the final ending.
The movie gives us insight about scriptwriting in a contemporary setting however the lack of onscreen chemistry of the four actors somehow gave a lesser impact as the audience seemed quite with very minimal reactions. I guess I was looking for that cinematic feel good movie and it's like..... it's almost there, but not quite. Popular singer Yeng Constantino debuts as a film actress and won the best supporting actress on her first try. Her performance wasn't bad but I feel there are other artists who deserves the recognition. The movie is still worth watching so let's give it a shot.
