I consider myself very fortunate to have been acquainted
with different kinds of people in my jack-of-all-trades career. People from
high and low… and from just about any industry. But what I consider the most
rewarding (emotionally, psychologically
and spiritually) is knowing people from the world of arts. And last night was a testament to this luck. Last night, I was given the opportunity to
watch a really great movie - Bwakaw -
on its Gala Premiere at the CCP Main Theater.
It is an independent film and an official entry at the Cinemalaya 2012 Film Festival. I was
invited by my friend, Carlo Mendoza,
who was the cinematographer for this movie. Here are my tickets:
Walking up the stairs on the way to the main lobby and
seeing those movie posters neatly lined up with matching props below them was
like a déjà vu from college days, which was the last time I set foot in this great
old edifice of arts and culture. That was like eons ago. As my friend said, “It
felt good to be surrounded by fellow lovers of art after a very long time.”
Bwakaw embarks
upon the life’s journey of Mang Rene, a cranky old homosexual man. I’ve seen
other gay movies but this is so far the most natural, every-day-scene, or
could-be-my-neighbor kind of setting.
The dialogues and the delivery of lines are so natural that it didn’t
feel scripted at all. But of course!
This was a powerhouse cast! Led by none other than one of the greatest
actors that has ever graced the Philippine Cinema – Mr. Eddie Garcia
himself! Again, very lucky to get this
picture taken:
Add to that another classical icon in the industry –
Ms. Armida Siguion-Reyna. Who could top these two actors who are, to
quote a line from the movie, “mas matanda
pa sa Philippine Constitution” (older than the Philippine Constitution). And I mean that in the most positive way,
that their length and quality of service to the Philippine movie industry is already
immeasurable. Kaya marapat lang na tayo
ay magbigay-pugay (It is only right for us to give honor).
Other good actors who
graced this film are: Gardo Versoza,
Soxie Topacio, Alan Paule, Luz Valdez, Rez Cortez, Beverly Salviejo, Jonathan
Neri, May-I Fabros, Soliman Cruz, Roni Bertubin, and Joey Paras. I will not detail who played who, so as not
to pre-empt other would-be watchers of this movie. Go figure that out yourself! ;) Or just go to
their Facebook Fanpage. Actually, I’m just too lazy to write it down because it
would just be a waste of time and space when you can find it in their Fanpage
already. Am I right?
Now, moving on to what I liked about this movie…
Needless to say, I liked the great cast and rich script,
with its witty lines… By the way,
congratulations to its writer/director, Jun Robles Lana! I really, really loved the script and the
acting. He did a great job directing the
actors not to overdo their acting.
Although there were a few corny and predictable moments, I believe they
still served the comedic purpose very well. I’m sure you have experienced that
moment when you think the joke was corny but still you’re laughing your heart
out at it? The heart attack scene by one
of Mang Rene’s old friends was all too predictable and the acting reminded me
of classic Philippine comedy. You know
that clichéd comic facial expression when having a heart attack? It was old and
cliché but it was still funny. But most
of the comic scenes are fresh. Like the
scene when Mang Rene was discussing the matter about his coffin at the funeral
parlor. It was hilarious. Actually, there were a lot of scenes that I
was laughing so hard, together with the whole crowd with matching shouting,
that I couldn’t hear what was being said on the screen anymore. Thank goodness to the English subtitles! If
it weren’t for that, I would have missed out on other dialogues. There was
another laugh out loud moment when Mang Rene hit Tracy (the gay parlorista)
with a hair dryer on the nose. Man, that was so funny! It was kind of mean for
us audience to be laughing at something that hurt a person, with blood and all.
But the meanness of Mang Rene’s character is what’s so funny about it. In old slapstick comedy, the nose would be
hit but won’t be hurt so much and everyone on the screen would be
laughing. But here, it is real life. A
person got hit on the nose, bled and was really in pain but still manages to
deliver funny but seriously meant lines.
And the perpetrator walks away,
without an ounce of guilt or regret. Like it was really deserved and not about
something so trivial, which is what it was.
The characters were serious but the situation was so funny.
That’s another thing I liked about this movie – the
character build up. Not all films succeed in this area. Some movies fail to
create or show believable characters.
There are films wherein you don’t agree with the way the characters
behave. You get annoyed by their actions or reactions. This is because it was not properly
established why they are the way they are. You won’t feel that in Bwakaw. You’re in the ride from the very beginning
until the end. You’re in it. In this
movie, you won’t question why Mang Rene is the way he is. You see him, you feel him, you understand him.
And it’s not just because of the great script, but also because of the camera
shots and angles that speak the unspoken.
The storytelling done by the camera was superb. The viewers may not be aware of it but the
subtle insinuations done by the fluid camera movement builds their emotions. One example is the scene wherein Mang Rene
walks home without his beloved dog companion, which is by the way is Bwakaw. That’s the name of the dog, who
was also a great actor, in all fairness. She made the viewers fall in love with
this "useless", as what Mang Rene would sometimes call her, but
loving pet. Anyway, in this scene, the camera changed point of view. It was
positioned a little lower. It was as if we were seeing Mang Rene walking home
through the eyes of the dog that was left behind. You can feel the pain, the sadness and
loneliness both of the dog and its master.
And we have CarloMen to thank for that emotion build up
through his lens. Congrats, Carlo!
The ending scene, the slowly zooming out long shot of Mang
Rene walking down a long and winding road was perfect! While watching that meaningful shot, I
secretly wished that it would end in that scene and not be like other films
that make overly dramatic endings. And
boy, am I glad it did end at that!
Simply perfect!
Before I tire or bore readers to death with this lengthy
review, I would wrap this up now. Bwakaw
is not your ordinary type of drama, comedy or DraMedy formula. Yes, this is not
the first time that a movie made me laugh and cry at the same time. But
somehow, this is the closest to my heart.
I can’t explain exactly why, but let me try… I guess it’s because it is
about growing old and growing old alone. About finding real friends in people
who seemed to be our Archenemy at first. Experiencing love and compassion in
the most unexpected and impossibly comedic situations. And I must add…there are scenes “na hindi ko kinakaya talaga” (that I
couldn’t really bear). I had to say it
in Filipino, for effect ;) All those “attraction” scenes of Mang Rene towards
Sol. They were very subtle and not
overacting. Pero…aaaaayyyyy grabe!!!!! I found myself blushing, my cheeks
burning! I was hitting myself and covering my face…and my mouth to muffle my
screams. My friend beside me was frantically tapping my knee. The crowd was
always in uproar! Clapping, shouting, and laughing hysterically. Oohhh…you
really have to see this movie to see what I mean! And oh, did I mention Mang
Rene had a kissing scene? ;)
Anyway, here are some photos I was lucky to have taken at
the premiere.
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