Review of ORAS DE PELIGRO: Crucial Crisis

 February 23, 2023

It was February 22, 1986, Dario Marianas (Allen Dizon) was a jeepney driver. When his wife Beatriz (Cherry Pie Picache) learned that he was joining a transport strike to support Cory Aquino's call for civil disobedience, she advised her husband against being too involved in these political things. They have two children, Jimmy (Dave Bornea), who was looking for a job, and Nerissa (Therese Malvar) who was a student. 

An unforeseen horrific incident befell the Marianas' family that day no thanks to two crooked policemen Sgt. Gallido (Apollo Abraham) and Cpl. Cardema (Jim Pebanco). As the family were at their wits end about how to go about things, Dario's father Ka Elyong (Nanding Josef), found a way to go to Manila to lend his support. Meanwhile, Enrile and Ramos declared their coup against Malacanang, and Cardinal Sin issued a call for his flock to defend EDSA. 

This new film directed by Joel Lamangan, written by Bonifacio Ilagan ("Flor Contemplacion Story") and Eric Ramos "Rainbow's Sunset"), told the story of the Marianas family as they go through a very dark time of oppression by powerful enemies in authority, while also telling about the days building up to the EDSA Revolution in February 1986.  The EDSA scenes were all from vintage video clips we have seen on the TV news back then, grounding the film in events that actually happened, words which were actually said, not hearsay. 

Since Lamangan's latest output in the past two years were sleazy Vivamax duds, there was apprehension that this new film may just be another one of his campy quickies, a hasty retaliation to another film supported by the opposite side of the political fence. Thankfully, it is not. "Oras" was well-made, serious and sober, a return to form for Lamangan as a director, missed since he won the Urian for directing "The Flor Contemplacion Story" way back 1995.

That said, there were still some curious story and directorial decisions. Why Dario was plying his usual jeepney route right after meeting with his operator Ka Lito (Edru Abraham) agreeing to join the strike? Why did they have to mention looking for human rights lawyer Atty. Capistrano (Topper Fabregas) on EDSA but never showing him again?  Why were the benevolent Doña Jessa (Mae Paner) and her yellow JAJA posse made to act so over-the-top, especially in that "Mambo Magsaysay" scene? Can a Metrocom policeman really sport a beard, like Sgt. Bernabe (Rico Barrera)? 

Picache, Malvar, Bornea and Josef were natural and on point, hitting a peak of melodramatic excellence in that climactic confrontation scene with the crooked cops. Timothy Castillo (as Jimmy's friend Yix), Kiti Lopez (as Beatriz's BFF Toyang) and Elora Espano (as the witness Rita) give notable supporting turns. Abraham and Pebanco will make your blood boil as the corrupt cops, but Alvi Siongco (as Lt. Ruiz) and Dorothy Gilmore (as Dr. Yumul) provided a good counterpoint.

The retro-filtered cinematography by TM Malones looked very clean and crisp. It generally had careful period details, with box-type Mitsubishi Lancers, rotary dial telephones. The editing transitions by Gilbert Obispo between the grainy historical news reel videos and the scenes with the Marianas family were smooth and logical.  While watching this film, the tension and confusion of those days will come back for those who lived through that time in history. This should remind Filipinos, especially the younger generation, why February 25 is a holiday.