Rough Groove

Belgian Film Week at the SM Megamall

The advance screenings of Cinemanila continued with the Belgian Film Week at the SM Megamall Cinema 6. This time, I was able to watch three notable films last weekend:

La Promesse (The Promise) - Luc & Jean-Pierre Dardenne

The Dardenne brothers have a great story and film in their hands, a veritable gem that will surely be appreciated. It is somewhat dark and devoid of usual Hollywood fare, a film that favors the cinema verite style. Its about struggling for one’s principles and conscience, rising above blood relations and doing what is good.

La Femme de Gilles (Gille’s Wife) - Frédéric Fonteyne

Visuals are excellent and as for the story, it will definitely have the feminists react. But then, it is the conservative 1930s and here, Elisa, Gille’s wife, is loyal to a fault even if her husband is madly infatuated with her sister. Words are sparse but the actions rich like the photography. A film that will have you second guessing.

Ma Vie En Rose (My life in Pink) - Alain Berliner

A girl trapped in a boy’s body, and so Ludovic, the 7 year old thinks of himself. It is this basic premise that the drives the film. The norms that society imposes on itself on what is proper and normal that often, when there is one who does not follow is often ostracized or relegated to the fringes. But then, there are communities that are narrowminded and there are others that are more tolerant and accepting. It is the latter that Ludovic’s family, though not ideal and has a more middle class ring to it than their previous community, found acceptance.

Dekalog 5 & 6 - Krzysztof Kieslowski

It was fortunate that I read a newspaper the other day and found that Cinemanila had an advance screening of the famed Polish director, Krzysztof Kieslowski’s notable work, Dekalog at SM Manila and SM Centerpoint until tomorrow, 10 August 05. Originally filmed for Polish television, it is his take on the Ten Commandments with each part taking a full hour. Due to my availability, I was only able to watch yesterday evening Part5 “Thou shalt not kill” and Part 6 “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” These two episodes were later expanded to a full length film entitled A Short Film About Killing and A Short Film About Love, respectively.

I was not really hoping that this is something of a movie, what with the film looking dated (released in 1988), subtitles are sometimes not clear, there were only less than 10 people watching and at first, it just looked boring but as the film unfolds, one becomes engrossed by the depth of the story, the fate and goings on of the characters’ life and how they interact with the different turn of events.

Part 5 is about murder and capital punishment. The vignetting style applied to the scenes heighten the tension and focus. While at first, I tend to somewhat look down on the protagonist, Jacek, whose a bit brash, harsh and uncouth but it is his youthful arrogance and his realization, in the end, as his life is getting short that there are still many things that he wanted to do, life’s still worth living and enjoying that I gave my sympathies.

Part 6 is about lust and discovering oneself’s capacity to express love. While at first Magda (Maria Magdalena) and Tomek, the 19 year old neighbor who’s been spying on her every night, have different views on love, lust and sex, with the former viewing it as just fleeting while the latter sees it as something that is idealistic (as far as love is concerned), the sudden turn of events that made Tomek commit suicide (but unsuccessfully) sort of turned the tables.

This definitely is one of the must sees and I do hope that when Cinemanila opens this October, be able to watch the rest of the episodes.

Cinema One Originals - the Digital Film Festival 2005

With my friend, Ryan, we went to SM Megamall last weekend to watch the country’s premier movie cable channel, Cinema One’s project, 4 of 6 original digital full length films done by independent film makers:

30 July (1830H - 0130H)
Sandalang Bahay – Mark Gary & Denisa Reyes
Sa North Diversion Road - Dennis Marasigan
Ang Anak ni Brocka – Sigried Barros-Sanchez

31 July
Sitak – Liza Corneja (Ma’am C)

However, due to the R-18 rating and restrictions by SM management, the two films

Dilim - Topel Lee, and
Anak ng Tinapa - Jon Red

will be screened at the UP Film Institute, 2 August (an unfortunate development as I won’t be able to watch these two :-()

Its refreshing to watch these films, a break from the usual movies output by the local film industry (except of course those from Unitel). At P50.00 per ticket, it was also welcome considering that movie ticket prices of late range from P76 - P150! But do independent digital films always suffer from bad lighting (either its underexposed or overexposed); equipment limitations causing purple fringing where there are glaring contrasts of overly bright and dark scenes (think of bright sky as background) - a problem that is mostly experienced in low priced digicams; or the cinematographer not using a polarizing filter to eliminate or lessen glass reflections (some scenes in “Sa North Diversion Road”). But, well, armed with a good story and able direction, these films shine.

Ang Anak ni Brocka – Sigfried Barros-Sanchez

Part fiction part documentary that finds a group of TV channel journalists in the trail of a man in his 20s who’s claiming to be the son of the noted and premier Filipino director, the late Lino Brocka. There are appearances by talented Filipino actors and actresses (Bembol Roco, Noni Buencamino, Ronnie Lazaro, Joel Torre, Gina Alajar, Jaclyn Jose), directors (Mel Chionglo, Peque Gallaga, Behn Cervantes) and others that describe the director in how he is seen and know by the people he is close and has worked with.

I find this film interesting in the way it is presenting the life of Brocka in a storyline that is fascinating. It also touches on the ugly rivalry of big TV networks in the ratings game. Sounds familiar ?

Sandalang Bahay – Mark Gary & Denisa Reyes

At times funny and at times melodramatic, this film revolves around the lives of three Sandalang sisters (named after the scientific names of a firefly, dragonfly and a ladybug by their father who collects insects – reminds me of the late Julian Jumalon and his children) with disparate lives but are very much intertwined with each other. Their mother, who’s suffering a terminal illness, decides to gather her three children for a trip to the provincial home that they have long abandoned due to an incident done by their father as her way of coming terms with a sordid past. In the end, its facing and owning up to a dirty secret that have affected their lives.

Like Marasigan’s film, this earned a B rating from the Cinema Evaluation Board (CEB – and thus a certain tax break is given).

Sa North Diversion Road – Dennis Marasigan

What a gem! This is a story of a husband and wife driving in the North Diversion Road grappling with the former’s infidelity told in 10 digestible scenes with each scene being the same: the man and the woman, driving a red car heading north but at different exits and in different situations. Each scene also has some kind of a key identifier or situation: hitting a bridge, an orange, butong pakwan (dried melon seeds), air freshener, pink car/driving, radio, red car that just comes together near the end. However, the finale was somewhat melodramatic but on the whole, its one of the best films in the festival that earned it a B rating from the CEB. Starting with a good material, Dennis Marasigan did a good job here and I think he’s a budding director to watch out for. When the first segment rolled, the scenes just reminded me of Wong Kar Wai!

Sitak – Liza Corneja (Ma’am C)

A corporate man, after 20 years, was fired, became a taxi driver and discovered that the great change, after leaving his family and starting on his own, there’s a fulfilling life ahead. His encounters with his different passengers takes the viewer through emotional and enlightening journeys and also made him realize that their experiences have parallels in his life.

THe story was good but the film’s use of music, progression of scenes, and the main character’s constant flashbacks distracted me. However, the unexpected twist at the end seemed to have tempere the flaws cited.