August 5, 2024
Mrs. Emilia Buhisan (Sue Prado) was a disgraced ex-teacher who now led the poor seaside community of Trabungko. The residents were facing relocation because their land was being repossessed by the powerful Del Castro family, led by current councilor Saturnino "Kabayan" de Castro (Raul Arellano) and his brother Jeremy (Tads Obach). Kabayan's son Eliong (Andre Miguel) was now being groomed to follow his father's political footsteps.
One day while out at sea, fisherman Cai (Perry Dizon) found a strange big black rock-like shell caught in his net. When he brought it back to his wife Marietta (Fe Gingging Hyde), they consulted Mrs. Buhisan about it. She sent her trusted aide Inday Sisi (Ram Botero) and local beauty Vicenta (Alyssa Saliling) to investigate. Was this strange item actually the legendary stone of the mythic serpent Trabungko, from which their village got its name?
This film written and directed by Joshua Caesar Medroso tackled many themes at the same time. Aside from political corruption, power tripping and social injustice in rural communities, there was also a doomed LGBT romance in there, two familiar themes for Cinemalaya films. The film pushed the limits of the PG rating by opening with scene of a sexual nature between two men, and then showed several scenes of brutal murders to boot.
Medroso then brought in a supernatural angle into the story with the Trabungko stone, which he supplied with a history, while still keeping its nature and power a mystery. The title was the Bisaya word for "trench," referring to the location where this curious item was found. It would have been good if they showed how the shell worked its magic, but alas, I guess there wasn't enough time nor budget for special effects to bring this phenomenon on the big screen.
In one key scene in the beginning of the film, a character was murdered one night and his dead body was thrown in the sea. The next morning when the body was found, the usual changes noted for a corpse soaked overnight were not noted. There would at least have been visible effects of prolonged soaking in water on his skin. This detail was a major plot hole for me because of all the things that happened next to this dead man.
Leading this ensemble cast was Sue Prado, who was consistent in her realistic portrayals of flawed protagonists. Her Ms. Buhisan could actually be a reformed version of her predatory character in "Your Mother's Son" (2023). Raul Arellano and Tads Obach were chilling as corrupt politicians. Andre Miguel's Eliong seethed with the angst of a conflicted teenager. Edmund Telmo stoically played Eliong's lover Paleng who underwent a mysterious upheaval in his existence which he never asked for. 6/10.
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