SUBSCRIBEManoro - Brillante Mendoza, 2006
The French Film Festival last Tuesday screened four films of Brillante Mendoza, a sort of retrospective of this highly talented director fresh from his success of being featured in the director’s fortnight in the prestigious Cannes Film Festival for his next work, Foster Child. Screened were Putot, Manoro, Kaleldo and Masahista. Except for the first (frankly, I haven’t read about this feature and can’t say much), the rest were highly acclaimed works that has reaped rave reviews as well as high awards in some major film festival abroad. I didn’t bother with watching Masahista as I’ve already seen it during its regular run last year but I missed Manoro when it was screened in Cinemanila while Kaleldo, after a bout of a bum stomach, missed the second part of the movie.
Manoro (The Teacher) is different. It’s unexpected. It’s beautiful. Shot in cinema verite style, it tells the story of an Aeta girl (one of the minorities in the country who are often marginalized) who made it her mission to help her people be able to vote for the impending national presidential elections the next day. I won’t dwell on the flow of the movie which is tackled in several other blogs, but I’m particularly struck by their simplicity and sense of community.
Other than the story, it is how their culture is portrayed that made me admire this movie. Even if most people consider this minority as backward and illiterate with the usual image of a tribesman clad in g-strings, with bow and arrows or as itinerant beggars across the metropolis, their culture and identity is rich! They have so much respect for their land. Humble, Apo Namalyari, their god, has much sway in their lives and day to day activities. The bayanihan spirit is very much alive and there is this sense of belongingness where sharing is a main element of the community. They have a deep respect for the environment and have considerable knowledge of their surroundings and what it can offer them. It is safe to say that this might be the first work that shows this proud and ever reliant people in a different but positive light.
Check out also Ogg’s Movie Thoughts for a good review of the movie.
