The independent film side section of the Metro Manila Film Fest is currently having its run in Glorietta and Megamall. Over the last few years of its existence, this side section has featured quite a few intriguing features that have largely flown under the radar. Here’s a look at what the section is giving us this year.
The director of Maratabat, Arlyn de la Cruz, is a journalist. Her trade is evident in her debut feature, which is a very thinly veiled retelling of the 2009 massacre in Maguindanao. This is both a strength and a weakness. The journalistic instincts give the film a rich attention to detail, and a sober, realist outlook that eschews unneeded exaggeration. But at times, that same sobriety keeps the film from really taking off. So much of the movie is made up of these scenes of people talking that only alternate between a flat master and unmotivated close ups. It often feels as if the movie isn't taking full advantage of the power of film language. There are shots, for example, of a radio announcer delivering news. A more seasoned filmmaker might have let that audio play over more compelling footage, getting the same information across while providing a stronger visual component. But overall, the film's commitment to this story is more than admirable, and the telling, though not always rising to the power of the material, is more than adequate.
There is an intriguing metaphysical dimension to Maria Diane Ventura's Mulat, but it takes a good long time to get there. The film relies on a twist structure, holding off on revealing the truth about the plight of its main character Sam (Loren Burgos), who for most of the movie just seems to be alternating between reliving memories of her toxic relationship with ex-fiancée Vincent (Ryan Eigenmann) and sorting out her feelings for her new paramour Jake (Jake Cuenca). The film feels a bit aimless as a result, the need to hide certain elements creating a real lack of plot. A more interesting version of this film might have embraced its elements of metaphysical romance right from the start, and created something weirder and more dreamlike in the process.
Ato Bautista’s Gemini begins with what appears a confession, with Julia (either Sheena or Brigitte McBride) telling a cop (Mon Confiado) that her twin sister Judith murdered a man. Over the course of the movie, the truth is put into flux. The details of Julia’s story change as the telling of it allows her access to long buried parts of her memory. It’s a kind of a cool concept, but it mostly ends up feeling like a collection of empty cinematic affectations. It all looks interesting, but there’s no heart beating underneath the stylish visuals.
Zig Dulay’s M (Mother’s Maiden Name) stars Zsa Zsa Padilla as a high-powered lawyer diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. What follows is a guided tour through healthcare in the country, the first half devoted to the kind of care that the rich and powerful have access to, and the second half dedicated to showing the plight of people with no money. The film could probably stand to be a little subtler, but its strengths are still pretty formidable. Padilla is great in the lead role, which calls for her to be caustic and terrible to the people around her. Padilla manages to keep it grounded, largely avoiding the temptation to overplay the awfulness. She makes it feel real, providing the film a dramatic anchor as it starts to let its points take center stage.
Jason Paul Laxamana’s Magkakabaung isn’t the most pleasant story. The story follows Randy (Allen Dizon), a coffin maker from Pampanga. A very terrible thing happens, and he spends the next couple of days trying desperately to do what he thinks is right, to salvage whatever is left of his dignity as a father and a man. It gets pretty rough, the film piling on the misery as it sketches out the sheer lack of options available to this poor man. The film ties up a little too neatly, providing a strange measure of justice in a world that up to that point didn’t seem to have any. But even so, the film finds real power in showing the level of desperation where a single bad decision can spiral out into all sorts of horrible consequences.
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Megamall Schedule (Click to enlarge)
Glorietta Schedule (Click to enlarge)
MMFF New Wave runs from December 17 to 24, 2014, at SM Megamall Cinema 12 and Glorietta 4 Cinema 1. For more information, visit their Facebook page (/mmff.newwave).
