CULTURE 

Filmfest Controversies Draw Public Interest

By Julie Po, secretary-general, Concerned Artists of the Philippines
Bulatlat.com

The responsibility regarding the mess in this year's Metro Manila Film Fest (MMFF) awarding ceremonies lies on the organizers.  It made a sloppy job by "forgetting" or "overlooking" to write the names of Dekada70 nominees twice.  There has also been a lot of noise in the Best Sound category award, and disrespect with the choice of Mano Po over Dekada70 for Best Picture.  The controversies should push the MMFFP do a lot of fixing.  It was given the P50M of public fund coveted by other film bodies.  It should prove that they deserve it by doing their job well.

Both Mano Po and Dekada70 have merits, as each is not free of criticisms. But they are both above regular Filipino movie fare and deserve the accolades they received, official or not.  The more-than-average reviews spawned by the controversy are healthy exercises in critiquing, and the public interest it drew is beyond the usual showbiz trivia. 

Mano Po is the story of three generations of a Chinese migrant patriarch, Mr. Go.  Mr. Go and his Filipina wife worked hard and persevered before they reached their economic success.  He played politics with powers-that-be to ensure his economic advantage.  (This is the power of cinema - it can make statements newspapers will be sued libel for.)

The faithful love he showed to his Filipina wife seemed to symbolize his acceptance of and love for the country.  But despite this, they are special targets of criminal syndicates.  The filmmaker wisely used the medium to confirm common acceptable knowledge which the government has otherwise failed to make judgments on (a military top brass' complicity in kidnapping and drug activities).  Several scenes of traditional Chinese rituals and ceremonies bring us closer to understanding Chinoys' culture of origin. 

However, the narrative was not smooth as it is a convolution of sub stories; perhaps to accommodate the long string of Chinoy sob stories.  The generation between the patriarch and the present day generation was almost obliterated.  It was not able to establish how the granddaughter came to be at the helm of their business empire. 

It is more the story of Taipans, of which only a handful of Chinoys belong.  This brings us to the very confusing ending of pictures of Filipino National Heroes (with Chinese blood?).  It would have been easier to connect if the images were those of Gocongwei, Tan, Sy, Yuchengco, Go. Deleting that finale would emphasize the general message of the movie that Chinoys, in all aspect and respect, are Pinoys.  They have rights and responsibilities to their family and society, just like all other Filipinos.

Dekada70 is a daring novel about the repressive Marcos martial law regime. Daring because it was written in 1982 when Marcos and his military hatchet men were riding high on power and not a few writers were licking their asses to make a good living.

Dekada70, the movie, is bold as it is profound.  Not a very common fare in Filipino movies.  It reminds us and brings images of this barbaric segment of our history when the boss was a greedy, bloodthirsty dictator and freedom fighters were outlaws and outcasts.  To be redeemed however in the end, as it suggests how the latter's perseverance nurtured the movement and set forth the momentum that closed the martial law chapter and opened the future to new hope.

The movie gave a positive personification of activists as one to uphold principles and convictions.  However, it did not give a glimpse what those principles and convictions are.  Leftist activists were fighting for national democratic causes that went beyond fighting a fascistic regime. They seek structural changes, including one that would free peasants from bondage with the landlords and the system.  That is why Jules, the activist son, went to the countryside to pursue his belief.

Dekada70's production design failed to come close to the "feel" of the 70s as the images were far from the actual.  Adding to this lost feeling of the 70s is the very inadequate if not erroneous use of the music of the progressive movement, perhaps the most popular nationalist cultural mark of the decade.

The movie tackled the gender issue, specifically between husband and wife but not between woman and society.  The struggle was more personal than social.  The women's liberation movement in the Philippines was boosted by the surge of the progressive movement in the late 60's.  It situated the women's struggle vis a vis the political and economic conditions, inspired women to organize and fight for their rightful place in society. This was a determining historical circumstance that directed the formation of a liberating consciousness in women.

Themes of both movies centered on the individual to pursue change.  This makes it similar to Agimat, Alamat ng Lawin or Lastikman, where heroes are individuals with superpowers who are banked on to do the job of demolishing demons to make life more comfortable for other people. The link between the individual and society is weak; and is weakest between society and the system. 

Generally, Filipino movie stories revolve on personalities rather than issues, inherent character rather than social influences, individual skills rather than collective efforts.  Workers in the film industry should dare to get out of this mould and discover that the world is bigger outside of the self. #

“The artist cannot afford to isolate himself in the theory of art for art’s sake... our inspiration must come from the struggles of the people around us. More, we must be part of those struggles.”   — Lino Brocka, CAP Founding Chairperson, National Artist (since 1997) Bulatlat.com 

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