12 for our 112th: Twelve Films for the long Independence Day Weekend

Until recently, RE de Leon was an Assistant Professor of Development Communication at the University of the Philippines Los Baños. He has since resigned to pursue new creative directions and is now a freelance writer based in Agoo, La Union. He can be reached via email at isangboses@gmail.com

With the long weekend coming up, I had a decision to make: what’s was the best way to celebrate the 112th Philippine independence day?

As I often tend to do, I followed up on a bad pun and decided I’d spend the day watching Filipino independent Films. Which led me to this idea for post on thelandofjuan.  Why not take 12 notable Filipino films and take advantage of the long weekend to promote Philippine filmmakers?

The author's pick of Twelve Filipino Films for the long 112th Philippine Independence Day Weekend:Mangatyanan, Bayaning 3rd World, Imelda, La Visa Loca, Gatas Sa DibDib ng Kaaway, Himala, 100, Namets, Endo, Mumbaki, Dekada 70, and Kubrador

I’ve only been a fan of Philippine cinema for a few years myself,  with Raymund Red’s Palm d’Or winning short film “Anino” opening my eyes to the incredible talent of our Filipino filmmakers.  So I’ve made this list for the Filipino film newbie – to those who have yet to discover or are only beginning to discover how good Filipino films can be, and I’ve tried to come up with a brief description of why I thought they were great.

These films – Mangatyanan, Bayaning 3rd World,  Imelda, La Visa Loca, Gatas Sa DibDib ng Kaaway, Himala, 100, Namets, Endo, Mumbaki, Dekada 70, and Kubrador range from comedy to  period drama to romantic comedy to documentary, so I hope there’s a little something there for everyone.  I’ve  tried to pick films that can be watched by barkadas together,  or, if the children are ready for somewhat mature fare in some of the films, by families.

So here they are.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

Jerrold Tarog's "Mangatyanan," starring Che Ramos

1) Mangatyanan

This article begins with Mangatyanan because Mangatyanan got this entire idea rolling. I caught a short film (less than 10 minutes long) on Facebook one day called “Faculty” which was directed by Jerrold Tarog and starred Che Ramos.  When a search of both names revealed that they had both worked on a film called Mangatyanan, I remembered that I had it on my “rainy day viewing” DVD collection. Long story short, I took it out, watched it, and was completely blown away. Before the end of that day, I had seen the movie thrice (there are two commentary tracks on the DVD),  gone through the behind the scenes documentary and the comedy reel (both on the DVD), and written the previously nonexistent Wikipedia page for the movie… and oh, I instantly turned into a huge fan of Che Ramos.

So what’s the movie about? The “Mangatyanan” is a [fictional] ritual performed by the [fictional] Labwanan tribe which writer-director-editor-composer Tarog came up with as an allegory for the Filipino journey. The story of film revolves about travel photographer Himalaya Marquez (Che Ramos) who has been assigned to document the ritual. Laya gets a first hand look at the contradictions and hypocrisies lived out the dying out Labwanan, and begins to see parallels in her own life. In the Labwanan language, the “Mangatyanan” literally means “the blood trail.” Will Labwanan survive their Mangatyanan? Will Laya?

If you get a chance to watch the film, I hope you see why Ramos and Tarog transformed me in the space of two hours from a so-so supporter of the Filipino Independent Film industry into a true “you-have-to-go-watch-this” fan.

2) Bayaning 3rd World

“Hindi pampelikula ang buhay ni Rizal,” argues one of the main characters in this 2000 film. And if the many films out there about Rizal are any indication, they’re probably right.

Mike de Leon's "Bayaning Third World"

A downside of the fact that Rizal wrote so much is that we know so much about him — too much, in fact, to digest properly into two or even three hours of film. Rizal the nationalist, the novelist, the doctor, the poet-orator, the womanizer, the good son, the champion fencer, even Rizal the lousy singer – all of them have to be crammed in there somewhere. While biopics by definition reduce their subjects to caricatures of themselves, the Filipino filmviewer knows Rizal too well to accept an oversimplification. And of course, since answers all too often lead only to more questions, our familiarity with Rizal results in controversy, posturing, and conspiracy theories. So the folks who made Bayaning third world came up with an obvious solution. They didn’t make a movie about Rizal. They made a movie about two filmmakers trying to make a movie about Rizal. The metanarrative structure allows them to explore Rizal with a depth no other Rizal film has achieved so far.

Bayaning 3rd World is humorously irreverent and yet respectful of the subject, skillful in its exploration both of the man and the legend.

In a way, it’s accurate to say the makers of Bayaning Third World cheated. They didn’t make a film about Jose Rizal. They made a film about us, living a hundred years later, trying to make sense of this Bayani, third world or not.

Ramona S. Diaz' "Imelda"

3) Imelda

Another documentary about another enigmatic figure in Philippine history – this time one still very much alive.

Filmmaker Ramona S. Diaz got permission to film former first lady Imelda Marcos up close for this film, but when it was finally released in 2003, she balked, saying that it made her appear like a “cheap flirt” and an “airhead, like a frivolous, wanton, extravagant woman at the expense of the poor”. Claiming that she gave permission for the film to be released only as an educational project, rather than a commercial release, she took Diaz and Co. all the way to the Makati Regional Trial court. Imeldific eventually allowed the film to be shown on the condition that it not be released with the word “documentary.”

Was Diaz’ film biased? Did it present an accurate picture of Imelda Romualdez Marcos? Grab a copy at your nearest DVD store or rental, and Decide for yourself. At the very least, you will have gained a closer look at Apo Macoy’s widow than most of us will ever have.