By: Iris P. Concepcion
The Cultural Center of the Philippines is currently showing the present works of a new breed of Filipino film makers. Whereas before, the tone of the festival is to allow the best of world cinema to be shown in our shores, this time around, everything is Filipino-made.
The program synopses were given to me rather late but a kindly security guard provided me one while I was lining up for my tickets. I saw mute people handing out signals in pure animation and perhaps usurping some foreign artist's cameo, I felt zoned in. I was not paying attention for the true creative riot is in the lights outside. A mini kid of mine told me "that's Vegas, where some dots spend their service". I saw the intended people almost shut down---their red faces caught totally off guard. I have seen this in Boracay before: their faces never seem to change.
The slightest parodies of the now, silent majority are doing what they do best: human grotesque transgressions in hypocritical walks. I have seen this done over and over again and it never fails to amuse my tickled-happy self whenever I see these executions of trippy parades in full-blown ramp.
I haven't decided on which film to watch but I decided that the best course will be to relish on some shorts, capsulized film-minis if you may. Too bad, the seller said, the ticket is sold out for that day.
I purchased the ticket for Raymond Red's "Himpapawid" instead which proved to be an intelligent choice. This movie essays an in-your-face anger not so much against an institution but against a system that promotes crabby treatment of workers. The flying curses got thrown around easily on the faces of people who seem to preserve this kind of sordid, turf-y clique at the expense of progress and novelty in doing things. These are the types who breed uniform thoughts and attitude who might have lost their nerves to question, scrutinize and uniquely create (sans bitterness, mind you). My premise is, you see one and you have seen them all. You do not notice them but they shall insist by being gruff. That is plain desperation; a false sense of greatness that I find having much difficulty in processing.
"Himpapawid" is eerie in that it squirms with truths so difficult to grasp unless you had been in a peripheral situation. You may want to throw imaginary grenades at these stunters (they shall derail everything that you are already clueless what it is they are fighting for). It is mind-provoking in that that those who are tasked to protect dismiss it as incorrigibly flat: "nothing personal, this is just work" when they could have changed that whole flow of thinking right on the ground where their feet are implanted.
I had fun watching the short films though. I especially like the "May Pinhod,Oh Yah Scooter" episode. The lead kid there is super natural. In so short a span of viewing, the essential elements of puppy love (I immediately recall Nabokov's own admiration for Colette), fatherhood, owning a bike, even hemp planting in Ifugao was touched funnily. The visuals were exceptional. It was brilliant of the director to carry the caveat that it was megged using a simple Canon equipment (less budget) and I almost hurrah-ed to my heart's content for the bold declaration. Also, it did not cringe over the fact that it copied some methods of a previously shown Filipino film. I laughed and glossed voraciously over this tongue-in-cheek admission. The whack is in the simple budget that produced the best grain of film. You need to superimpose these with the grants given to other talented individuals who may require stupendous amounts of money but are delivering not so enriching nor thought-provoking reels and you exactly get my drift.
The nearest shorts that could come at par with this film is "P". It could have been very functional as a sartorial comedy until you feel that the maker seems to be mad at something. It lacked an expansive societal critique unlike the bicycle story. This is a vengeance film of the hurt, exposed and the relevantly caught. Even from a kid's perspective where depth may be lacking, I was expecting a deeper rancor but found it somewhat nil.
Somehow, it loses its focus on the much more important film treatises and functional meanings of symbols. It does borrow the Tarantino-type of vusial tricks but the comparison ends there. It does not transcend into a communal visual essay, i.e: Why were the bullies acting that way? Why was the aunt obssessive-compulsive? Why was the child still living with the aunt? In "May Pinhod...." a couple of nicely filmed shots established these, pronto. I felt like I was actually watching a French film, or a Norwegian opus. And from a kid's point of view, this film was more precise with its thread purpose.
"P" is plainly a film meant to exploit Pinoy lingos. I believe this was the labor of love of some musicians as I had seen in the closing credits. It lacked the substance of "May Pinhod..." in that, while the former knows exactly why the kid is acting, even "erecting" funnily that way, you know it is for puppy love. Even his questioning manners come from a sense of abject loss. "P" is simply a visual defense in this manner: the child seems to have a hidden irk at this aunt who is taking care of him (an orphan? a scavenger? the film missed on this clue bigtime).
Both films dealt with the irrelevancy and stupidity of adult actions and logic sometimes but the first one delved it in a more probing manner that is truer to the heart and gut.
Over all, these made me laugh out loud and made me prouder to be at the helm of ingenius megmen, we need visual kicks like these to jumpstart the culural side of our country into one romp of visual passions.
I also liked the animated "Lola". Very Hollywoodish and Burton-like in content and texture. This is about a woman-director who wears this obscurely tagged shirt "Inutel". She was directing a witch how to be gross and bloody. The audience hooped up to the remarks she had uttered in directorial advice: "we need gore in biblical proportions" or something to that effect. The animation is remarkably exceptional; even better than Pixar. Of course, we are a country that is heavily pirated offshore by the comic-drawing community. This is the best exhibit why we are number one in this craft.
Watch these films if you can and be proud you are living in these islands.
While you are there, check out the outlet of books : pages are on the middle shelf, lower side: look for boys with angels there, stunning. Someone got a Manila map that is somewhat overpriced. I said to this guy next to me: that is not quite a buy. This could be improved on to make it real groovy. They likewise did something to indigenous materials and they are perked up. They are arranged under the "Brave New Works" signage.