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The Act of Killing (Documentary/History)

After watching the film it was kind of terrifying for me due to the fact that the filmmakers exposed globally the horrifying mass executions of accused communist in Indonesia in the year 1965 to 1966 and those who are celebrated in their country for perpetrating the crime that happened. It is chilling to see how the unrepentant former members of the Indonesian death squads re-enact some of their many murders in the style of the American movies they have seen. Almost 2.5 million Indonesians were massacred in a bloody anti-communist cull and many of the killings that took place were carried out by gangsters who got away with prosecution and ironically heralded as local heroes. The film primarily focuses on Anwar Congo, who is a former gangster that led the most powerful death squad in North Sumatra where he narrates their activities alongside his fellow gangster member, Herman Koto.  It is said that they have extorted money from ethic Chinese in exchange for sparing their lives and also Anwar is said to have personally killed almost a thousand people. As the film progresses it is hard to believe that such cruelty could happen and imagine the number of lives that have been taken and was not given justice. The film gave us a glimpse on how psychologically a mass murderer thinks and I think through this film it has given the availability to the audience to know some relevant information that is important. 

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Blog Entry [Week 1] - Six Degrees of Separation of Lilia Cuntapay

This mockumentary film is a finalist at the 2011 Cinema One Originals Digital Film Festival and Antoinette Jadaone’s first debut feature that has obtained several accolades including the ‘Best Actress Award’ for Lilia Cuntapay who was a professional extra and dubbed as the ‘Queen of Philippine Horror Movies’. Six Degrees of Separation From Lilia Cuntapay is about the life of the late actress herself where it is not just like any other cliche story but it showcases underneath all the cool pop culture references it also manages to dive deeper into the life of a very underrated actress in Philippine movie history.

In the process of the film, it was able to execute an honest and uproarious tribute story but with a different level of complexity. By this means, it was shown how amazing they achieved to create a stand on the line between fictional and the reality, film and documentary. It has produced a hybrid format that is very unique from the movies I have watched before. At first I did really think it was an actual documentary film but as I went along with it I figured that it is not what I perceived it would be. No surprise as the film uniquely opened my eyes to the harshness of life of being an ‘extra’ in the film industry and as well beyond the screen. As an audience I was able to get a glimpse at the film industry behind the glamour and it’s stars : the movie extras whose names we don’t know, their hand to mouth existence, the production assistants and crew who don’t get mentioned on awards night, the endless waiting, the people who live for the fleeting second when they appear on the screen and are crushed when they get edited out. Lilia Cuntapay has been in most every horror film that we can remember, as she has starred in international films shot in Manila.

 Because her body of work means she has engaged with as many celebrities and actors and actresses and directors. And yet we would in fact, not know her. That, in itself is the sad life of a movie and TV extra, especially in a country where the biggest of stars will fall from grace by virtue of age, rumors and scandals, truth and lies, and everything in between. Such are the struggles of a bit player like Lillia Cuntapay. In more than 30 years of her career in the industry that comprises small roles in films mostly as ghouls, witches, or aswangs. But the fact that she was not given the acknowledgement that she deserves all throughout the hard work and passion she has put into her craft. Cuntapay was an extraordinary actress who has persisted for so long and has left us an iconic stature that I think no one could ever replace or mimic. What endears Six Degrees to the viewers is its ability to approximate the Filipino dream into Lilia Cuntapay’s experience, that even the smidgen of a chance of accepting an award is enough of a cue to reassess our choices and relive the warm, happy memories while surrounding ourselves with the people we love. Director Antoinette Jadaone shows that there’s a Lilia in all of us: a mother wanting for affection, a hard worker striving for recognition or just someone waiting for their rocket to come. In the end, it’s just a matter of trusting your dreams and trusting your story, whether it’s horror or otherwise. Even though the recognition she received from this project was long overdue and for me she should have deserved better in her entire career. 

And as I also observed, there was symbolism that could be found in the film. What I find reflective and poignant is how it builds up the ending. The fact that she was on the side of the mic may symbolize that she was still not being heard or given appreciation she deserved. But despite of that Lilia Cuntapay has left a great legacy and she represented each and every ‘extra’ in the film industry that they also play an important role even though they are not the ones who get to be starred in a movies. But every background actors are literally just as important as every television show or movie. 

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Blog Entry [Week 2] - Maynila sa Kuko ng Liwanag/ Manila: In the Claws of Light

Maynila sa kuko ng liwanag /Manila: In the Claws of Light was a Filipino Drama made in 1975 and directed by Lino Brocka based on the social-realist novel In the Claws of Brightness by Edgardo M. Reyes. It is considered not just by critics but also by many as one of the greatest films in Filipino cinema. Lino Brocka was well known for paving the way of creating  a universally-oriented cinema from the Philippines. This film is  one of his most representative forthright of social criticism and ruthless determinism among all of his films.

The exposition of the film showcases the shot on actual locations around the vicinity of Manila, to better capture the authenticity of the city in the year of 1970s. During the 1970s was also the time of discovering the film genre as a new medium of art. Scripts and characteristics in film came from popular theater and familiar local literature. Nationalistic films were also quite popular, although they were labeled as being too subversive. As the film progresses, I observed that the outline of the film has a simple story quite too simple, you might say; not much structure to it. But as I go along, it opens the mind of the viewers to a  much deeper issue that actually existed in the 70’s and is still happening in today's time. The story is a concrete depiction of the ills of city life particularly in the city of Manila. In Manila, there are blue-collar workers risking their lives everyday to earn a decent living, but are subjected to unfair labor practices and remain uncertain of their safety and their future. Human trafficking exists, and women leave their provinces believing that fleeing to the city is their one chance at a better life, only to be driven into prostitution. It is a city filled with poverty and social injustice, where predators subsist on the blood and sweat of unwilling victims. People die and nobody notices; or maybe, nobody cares.  I must say that to be able to adapt this on the movie screens and to reach it out to the Filipinos was such a breakthrough and also I’m amazed for the bravery of Director Lino Brocka who never hesitated to include his trademark homosexual theme in to the story. Because Brocka was also a homosexual himself. Despite that the film was released under the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos. And due to his declaration of Martial Law, films were used as propaganda vehicles. President Ferdinand Marcos and his technocrats sought to regulate film making through the creation of the Board of Censors for Motion Pictures (BCMP). Prior to the start of filming, a finished script was required to be submitted to the Board and incorporate the "ideology" of the New Society Movement such as, a new sense of discipline, uprightness and love of country. Annual festivals were revived, and the Bomba films as well as political movies critical of the Marcos administration were banned. And as some of us claim that  his era of reign was the ‘Golden Age’ of the Philippine economy. In other means, during his reign it was always perceived that Manila is a landmark political critique, pointed specifically towards the Marcos dictatorship and its so-called New Society, an enticing vision of a perfect Philippines. The project to construct this glittering utopia, whose default epicenter was decidedly Manila, found expression in the massive funds poured into crafting a facade of affluence. As the  social realities films rose during that phase it was depicted as having been wiped out with the establishment of the New Society. In spite of the presence of censorship, this period paved way to the ascendancy of a new breed of directors. 

All throughout the film I observed that symbolism was intentionally imposed and well  executed. And as a viewer I did speculate on the symbolism,  which is hinted at their names. Some comments from the viewer that Ligaya Paraiso represents Inang Bayan, the Filipino concept of the motherland. Her name, which literally reads "joyful paradise", is a reference to how Julio viewed his lover as an ideal paradise, and her given name is a nod to her newfound yet unwelcome occupation as a "lady of pleasure". Julio Madiaga himself is regarded as a symbol of the provincial Filipino every man, eking out a living in the hard conditions of the city. His surname is an archaic variant of matiyaga (patience), a trait obvious in his hope-filled and persistent search for Ligaya. Mrs. Cruz's surname simply means "cross", pointing to the heavy burden she places on the shoulders of the young girls she lures into prostitution. Since the character's name is later revealed to be an alias, it could also mean that the name was chosen, as Cruz is a common surname in the Philippines, representing how easily she could walk around the streets of Manila without detection. The name of the antagonist Ah Tek, meanwhile, is a play on the colloquial term atík, (cash or income) representing the greed and selfishness of the character. The city (Manila) itself is sometimes considered to be the main character instead of Julio and the others, while the film is also construed as a portrait of one man's corruption and eventual downfall.

Overall, even though it has been over 40 years since the film was released I think it would still remain as one of the greatest films ever produced in the Philippines. The film showed the underlying reality of Manila and it’s invisible citizens that were striving their ass off and most of them resorting to dangerous liaisons and means just to be able to keep their mouths fed.  It was a painful reality that had really happened before. It opened my eyes to the harsh reality that the citizens could not be taken care of clearly by the said reigning administration that time. It was shown that those people who went through that phase took desperate measures to survive in a system that didn’t favor them. And I hope that every viewer that is able to see the film may take a two or a thing from the film.