Innocence in the Midst of Military Aggression

By JENNIFER CHAN
Bulatlat.com

Among the films presented at the 2nd Pandayang Lino Brocka Political Film and New Media Festival last August 12, 2010, two films on military aggression stood out. Both have taken the theme into directions intriguing and unexpected. Instead of focusing on adults, both films have chosen to anchor their stories on children.

‘Ang Sandaling Sadya Nina Lire at Isa’ (Francis Losario) and ‘Wag Kang Titingin’ (Pam Miras) provide audiences with another perspective on military aggression as well as on life itself.

‘Ang Sandaling Sadya Nina Lire at Isa’

Francis Losaria’s ‘Ang Sandaling Sadya Nina Lire at Isa’ is not what one would expect from a typical socio-political film. Unlike most productions of its genre, the film is bright and colorful; every scene peppered with pinks and blues. It feels like a segment on a children’s program wherein audiences are taught a new song and a new game. The musical scoring conjures up thoughts of ice cream and idle days. At the same time, however, there is an odd feeling about the whole thing that almost calls to mind the strangeness of Hayao Miyazaki’s and Studio Ghibli’s productions.

The film is far from innocent though.

The story begins with a couple of children singing a song. At first, it sounds like any normal song children make up to sate their boredom. A more detailed analysis of the lyrics, however, reveals it to be a hymn of rebellion. Isa, a young girl who lives with her grandmother and little brother, knows the song by heart. On an errand to the next town, she meets a boy—Lire. As it happens, Lire also has an errand to run in the next town and the two decide to take the trip together. In the short trek down the hill, Isa and Lire form an easy yet strong camaraderie. Isa teaches Lire the song she has been humming all day as well as how to make a small ball from plant leaves. Lire teaches his new friend how to use plants to heal small cuts.

At the sari-sari store, the two go their separate ways. Isa leaves a message for Lire at the store, saying that she can’t wait for him any longer. Inconspicuously, she also leaves a secret note on the table from her grandmother. By the time Lire returns to the sari-sari store, Isa is gone. Two military officers soon appear and the young man in charge of the store deftly hides the note under the table mat. The note is obviously of an incendiary sort. Perhaps an informant tip or secret coordinates of a rebel group. Losaria does not elaborate. Lire soon returns home and shares the day’s events with his father. Isa, on the other hand, does not find anyone to return to.

‘Ang Sandaling Sadya Nina Lire at Isa’ is definitely one of the more memorable short films. The almost child-like wonder and approach to military aggression in the provinces gives the film that much more depth and significance.

‘Wag Kang Titingin’

Another film that startles the unsuspecting audience is Pam Miras’ ‘Wag Kang Titingin’. It is brief yet no less impressive than its contemporaries. The story follows a father together with his two daughters on the run from the military. In the middle of their journey, the youngest daughter, barely able to fend for herself, begs for a potty break. The eldest daughter who could be no older than thirteen refuses to accompany her sister at first, finding the kid quite bothersome. Her father, obviously a patient man, imparts a few words of wisdom to his eldest. Before she could seek her little sister out, however, a couple of soldiers surround them. The father is instantly killed. True to her father’s words, the eldest does her best to protect and care for her little sister even if there is no hope for herself at all.

As short and simple as ‘Wag Kang Titingin’ is, it strikes a chilling effect on its audience in more ways than one. (Bulatlat.com)