It is almost in the home stretch stage but the 14th season of Cinemalaya is making more people fall in love with world-class Filipino films. And with so many people lining up in the venues, hope springs eternal indeed for Pinoy movies.
When you are in the Cultural Center of the Philippines to have your fill of the finest sampling of independently produced motion pictures, one immediately experiences the prevailing communal spirit, familiar vibe and contagious energy. At times, it becomes a reunion of sorts as you get to see old friends with ties rekindled and exchange pleasantries with new acquaintances forging fresh friendships and possibilities.
As each film rolls inside the CCP Main Theater, everyone turns silent, enjoying the unraveling of twist and turns. Sometimes, bouts of laughter are elicited. When a scene gets heart-tugging, your soft sniffs and sighs are often heard. When the concluding scene happens and the audiences love what they watch, the best reward, of course, is the instantaneous and thunderous applause from the appreciative crowd. If they don’t like what transpires, still, a polite clapping is bestowed upon the film.
For this year’s harvest of cinematic goodies, from the films that I have watched, I love the emotionally committed and truthful performance of Celeste Legaspi in Mamang.
Legaspi, as the grand lady who encounters moments of forgetfulness and mood swings, made me realize why mothers are God’s best gift to their children. Hers is a performance that made you feel that she never faked it.
A movie with lesbian lovers that did not make me squeamish is Distance. Here, Iza Calzado was divine, a mother who defied the society script because she left her family to be with her lover and share a different kind of love. She found the perfect acting collaborator in the person of Nonie Buencamino, who loves her beyond measure.
Therese Malvar as their eldest daughter holds her own candle with the two leads. Her emotional outburst made everyone weep.
In School Service, Malvar again, together with her comrades Felixia Dizon, KenKen Nuyad and Celine Juan, are young tots being used by a syndicate led by the dynamic acting duo of Joel Lamangan and AiAi delas Alas.
The newbies did not disappoint and the seasoned ones showed why they deserve the admiration and respect. Kudos to AiAi and Joel for being fierce and frightening.
Bodjie Pascua, in the mystical Pan de Salawal, gives a career-defining performance as Sal and Miel Espinosa, as Aguy, the little angel who brings hope, magic, and healing in the film, was his exemplary match.
In Kuya Wes, Ogie Alcasid plays his role with a lot of truthfulness, a man who does not receive love and acceptance from his immediate family gets his heart beating fast and furiously because of a comely mother of two, with Ina Raymundo giving life to part. Alcasid’s heartbreak scene, with him pounding his chest strongly while walking, wreaks a viewer’s belief in the saying that love begets love.
Musmos na Sumibol sa Gitna ng Digma is a heady cinematic trip that showcases how armed conflict some portions of Moslem Mindanao gravely affects the lives of children. No one is winning in this unwinnable war.
I have yet to see the martial law-themed movies ML and Liway, the gay erotic thriller The Look Out and Kung Paano Hininihintay Ang Dapit Hapon, the supposedly “best picture” in this year’s festival.
Yes, it is easy to fall in love and lose everything in the movies because of the films in Cinemalaya. See you next year!