Director's Showcase: Kamera Obscura
Director: Raymond Red
Starring: Pen Medina, Joel Torre, Nanding Josef, Abe Pagtama, Irene Gabriel, Ping Medina, Suzette Ranillo, Lou Veloso, Archie Adamos, Mads Nicolas, Sue Prado.
Setting: The Philippines during the early 1900's
Genre: Politics
Awards: Cinemalaya 2012 awards for Best Music Score and Special Jury Prize
Summary: The story revolves around Juan, a man who managed to endure 20 years of darkness in a small cell on the outskirts of the city with only a pinpoint of light on his wall to give him a glimpse of the life beyond the walls that imprison him. Motivated with the appearance of the phenomenon of "camera obscura", Juan tears away the bricks surrounding the hole and manages to free himself from the cell in which he resided for two decades. Wandering the streets of the city, he encounters a camera store aptly named Kamera Obskura and enters its premises, examining the cameras with curiosity and unconsciously choosing a small inconspicuous camera. With the aid of the mysterious store owner of the camera store, he discovers the camera's power of consuming people with ill intentions. The store owner brings Juan to a structure known only as "The Building" amid flying bicycles circling the city and urges him to "fulfill his destiny". After causing the disappearance of two people accused of extortion, he is surprised to find that the camera has replaced his right hand indefinitely and that he is considered a hero for his extraordinary power. Juan is then taken advantage of by the politicians that reside in The Building, coerced and fooled into believing they are after the greater good when in fact they after the complete opposite. Bearing witness to the corruption of the various politicians, Juan runs from the chaos that proceeds his surprise election as President.
My thoughts:
To be frank, this film was not at all what I expected and in the end I had no idea what the hell it was about. I was under the impression that the film was all about the camera obscura that developed in Juan's cell and the portrayal of the outside world and his reactions to the changes that developed during his absence from society. How wrong was I? The last possible theme I anticipated from this film was politics and confusion, yet in the end it forced me to think, and it is my opinion that the best films are the ones that are open to debate and differing interpretations. I thought the opening scene was ingenious wherein Juan was crawling around his cell in pitch-blackness, it disoriented viewers and was one of the first signs that showed the eccentricity of the film. The startlingly eerie background music gave the film an almost forbidding air, some classmates of mine admitting they were at first under the impression that it was a horror movie. I love the inclusion of the airborne bicycles that flew over the city, it was an unexpected deviation from the otherwise traditional progression of the movie and it was also disorienting and made the audience ponder the reality (or depending on your perspective, the alternate reality) in which the storyline takes place, perhaps challenging the audience to consider the possibility that Juan is merely dreaming and is actually still stuck in his cell.
Once the film ended, I have to admit I was at a loss for words and explanations. I usually throw around ideas as to the symbolism present in the movies I watch with friends, but I soon realized that my friends were stumped at the film as well and we just sat there with our mouths hanging out asking each other "what the hell did we just watch?" In my frustration to understand the underlying themes of the movie that eluded me until the last possible minute (which is why I am finishing this review just a few hours before the deadline, note the time and date of the post because it took me so darn long to figure it out) I decided it was best to pick the movie apart and examine the symbolism I might have overlooked. It crossed my mind that there are some aspects of the film that seem like subtle echos and manifestations of the Seven Deadly Sins (lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, and pride). Sloth, because the thieves in the camera store must be so unambitious that they resort to robbery instead of holding an actual job; Greed because the two accused extortionists and most other politicians in The Building are so hungry for power they are willing to go to great lengths to attain it; Gluttony because those said politicians are never satisfied with the power they already have in posession and always want more, more, more; Lust, manifested by the lovely lady who apparently forgot to put some clothes on before she visited Juan; Wrath, expressed by pretty much everyone in The Building except for Juan because he's just chill like that; Envy, because the rival politicians are envious of the power of Juan and desire his use for themselves; Pride, because the "dear wife" of the smartly dressed politician (who he's probably cheating on with that fresh little assistant of his) struts around The Building fanning herself incessantly like she freakin' owns the place.
I might have completely missed the mark, but what the hell, everyone has a different perspective of things. Overall I enjoyed popping my silent film cherry, although I thought the dialogue was a bit redundant but it might have just been the english translation of the filipino dialogue that wasn't able to translate thoroughly enough. I loved how the film involved both humor and seriousness, highlighting the love affair that politicians in The Philippines seem to have with corruption. I understand that the actors must almost exaggerate their performances to exhibit their emotions to come across the screen so that the audience could understand what they were trying to convey without the aid of hearing their voices, but it almost felt like they didn't rehearse well enough because of their facial expressions that seemed like they were over acting a bit. The confusing merger between the silent film and the present day discussion of the film itself did not help the already confusing storyline, and whatever message the film maker tried to convey got lost in translation, begging the question, what is the point of trying to convey a message when its too complicated to be understood?
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New Breed: The Animals
Director: Gino M. Santos
Starring: Albie Casino, Dawn Balagot and Patrick Sugui.
Setting: Present day- upple middle class neighborhood in The Philippines
Genre: Young Adult
Awards: Cinemalaya 2012 award for Best Editing
Summary: The film takes place in present day Philippines, surrounding the lives of upper middle class high school students Jake, Trina, Alex and their peers. This film indulges on the darker aspects of the typical adolescent existence, the one involving drugs, lies, alcohol, partying, and the woes of everyday life- and the possible repercussions of teenage recklessness.
Chelsea's thoughts:
I was reluctant at first to choose this film among the other choices in the New Breed category, mainly because of the contemporary subject matter and the inclusion of well-known actors which kind of defeated the purpose of an indie film for me. However, following the rave reviews of my friends and the tight schedule I was stuck in, I decided to watch the film on its Gala night. What first impressed me about this film is the editing, the bright colors and lively music during its opening really set the mood of the movie, and the aerial view of the neighborhood in which the characters live distinguished itself from the shots of poverty found in most other indie films in Cinemalaya 2012. What really surprised me was the superb acting by the well-chosen cast, I was expecting something more amateurish and was instead pleasantly surprised with how natural everyone acted and how the dialogue flowed seamlessly as actual conversations do, and how the script writers (Jeff Stelton for the win!) incorporated the fickle yet very real problems of teenagers into the dialogue without it sounding too forced. I also liked that the main characters were given unique characteristics that made them memorable, such as the tendencies of Trina to take things which are not hers and Alex's use of illicit drugs to aid his studying. The party itself was as wild as parties get, especially considering that the crowd consisted of high school students, which the director Gino M. Santos said was derived from his own personal experiences and the experiences of his friends, as well as stories from other schools that circulated by word of mouth. The constant appearance of that girl who keeps complaining and pointing out the contradictions of the party details was one of the most hilarious scenes of the entire movie and was a hit with the audience. I detest all things dull and I easily get bored of uninteresting storylines, but this film was one of the first films that kept me on the edge of my seat without falling under the thriller genre. I see this film as sort of an urban legend, a parable almost, to show adolescents of our generation that all our actions sends ripples through the fabric of our lives and can impact ourselves and others without us meaning to. Consuming copious amounts of alcohol will end with you vomiting out your guts, joining a fraternity can result in carrying out orders you will live to regret, and probably the most unexpected consequence of the movie, dancing with a girl who is not your girlfriend may end up getting your girlfriend raped once she storms away from you in the middle of the night and hails a taxi with a violently perverted driver. Dawn Balagot, who plays Trina in the movie, described the rape scene as extremely traumatic, she couldn't stop her hysterical tears even once the director yelled "cut!". She also assured me when I asked her if her crying was genuine, replying "yes it was, the tears were very real."
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