August 13, 2023
I have seen 9 out of the 10 feature length films in competition for this year's Cinemalaya film festival. The 10th film was a documentary entitled "Maria" by Sheryl Rose Andes, the first documentary film to compete against narrative feature films in Cinemalaya history, which I was not able to see.
Here is how I ranked the 9 narrative feature-length films of Cinemalaya 2023 that I have seen:
The production values of the film were not so polished, with dull colors, erratic sound and awkward costumes, likely because of budget limitations. The original songs did well to liven up the drab atmosphere. Ultimately, it was all up to lead actors Jorybelle Agoto and especially Mikoy Morales, who gave performances so strong, they lifted the film up another level, not allowing the stiff acting of their amateur supporting actors to completely sink key scenes.
First-time feature film writer and director Ryan Machado told the story of a teenage boy who was discovering and processing his sexual identity in one summer. This was not exactly a new topic in local indie films. However, Machado's secret ingredients clearly reflected in this film were his sentimental affection for his hometown of Looc; its unique tongue, Onhan (a variation of the Western Bisayan language), and its folklore about cursed beasts and encantos.
Many movies about drug-induced trips are shallow, but this first feature by Kevin Mayuga was actually quite multilayered. It tackled the contrasting pandemic lifestyles and behaviors of the penthouse rich and basement poor, in some sort of a local iteration of "Downton Abbey" in a condo. The friendship of The Guy and Rosemarie was established, but was not pursued much further because of circumstances, leaving us curious to see where this would lead.
This charming, unassuming Ilonggo film by Kenneth de la Cruz was one of the rare films which bravely goes against the usual down, dark and depressing road commonly taken by various Cinemalaya movies. Even if there are some serious issues of child abandonment along the way, most of the film had a light, childlike air about it as it followed Makoy's quest for an elusive enchanted element from his childhood.
Of all the films that I had watched in this year's Cinemalaya festival, this was one with the most audience impact. This was so far the only one where the audience, particularly the Gen Z and Gen A girls, were actually shrieking with delight as romance developed between Ace and Jana This film also took time to mention problems experienced by female athletes, like playing during her period, shaving armpits, wearing short shorts and sexual harassment.
Of all the films I had seen in this year's Cinemalaya, this was the one that is the most "arthouse" in impact. The camera work and angles while following the two lead characters, the subtleties in lighting of the scenes, the dramatic sweep of the musical score. It felt as if celebrated Chinese director Wong Kar Wai may be one of the cinematic heroes of first-time feature film director Jopy Arnaldo in the way he executed his ambitious script.
Like several movies in the last decade, this film, written and directed by John Rogers, also dealt with a relationship where online social media played a very big part. This was a complicated affair with a very thin and tenuous line dividing their genuine emotions from things which they only manufactured for online content. We see one thing now, but later turned out to be something else. The audience is teased back and forth this way up to the end.
Writer-director Carl Joseph Papa astutely decided that this complex, multi-layered tale dealing with a triggering subject matter can best be told by way of an animated film. Despite being overlain by animated computer graphics, we still see and feel the acting prowess of tried-and-true actors Carlo Aquino (a truly internalized acting performance), Dolly de Leon (for sweet maternal interaction in Ilocano language) and Gio Gahol (for a supportive BL angle) shining through.
Two 17 year-old college students, Jose Santos (Miggy Jimenez) and Simon Manuel (Dylan Ray Taleon), had been picked up by policemen when they were found hanging around a church where a bomb just exploded. They were there because they wanted to immerse themselves with the plight of disenfranchised farmers. However, the policemen who arrested them were accusing them of being terrorists.
The quality of the writing was astoundingly astute and hard-hitting as writer-director Dustin Celestino presented both sides of the arguments in scathing and acerbic, yet eloquently- and elegantly-constructed, statements. Despite the seriousness of the topics, Celestino was still able to inject welcome elements of dark humor into each episode, all succeeding to elicit uncomfortable but welcome laughter from the audience to break the extreme tension.
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