Point to the Ass

Oh pleazzz, don't shoot me. Oh pleazzz.

Tutok is the worst film I have seen so far. Joven Tan tackles media exploitation and rebellion in general. However, his rendition is too frail to be convincing. The rebels have neither clear objectives nor demands. Tantrums could be more descriptive of their grisly behavior. We as an audience would like to know even a gist of what they are fighting for. Sentiments are not sufficient for us to understand their cause. Another truism the film tackles is media sensationalism. I am sure that Tutok is a waste of money. But if you have lots of money, then go waste it.

The story is very simple which I think was inspired by the abduction of Ces Drilon months ago by the Abu Sayyaf. Although the film has no intention of showing humanity as it lingers more on the dark aspect, it could be classified as a noir film since all the characters are pessimistic and the subject matter itself is obnoxious. Roman (Emilio Garcia) is a paranoid news reporter who believes that he is always bypassed by his colleagues. He gets to view a video tape from rebels asking to be noticed through the killing of an innocent man. Although his superior has no belief in the material, Roman still goes to the jungle together with his faithful friend and cameraman Zaldy (Allen Dizon). He believes it is his chance to become famous with this death-defying act.

I could not be deceived with the films encroachment with sensitive topics and proclaim its artistry and significance. Tutok has nothing to offer since it even stays behind on the core of their ideas. Even the rebels are just too few for us to believe the significance of their ideologies. Ten rebels are alarming to our national security? Even the fickle-minded Roman would not even dare touch the topic. This is a part wherein noir elements in films must still have proper logic for the story to be credible enough. (But Tutok just rides on the bandwagon of noir without actually achieving it. It’s more of a faux noir.) The characters do not simply want a dream to take place. They could have at least added more extras as rebels just for film integrity. Anyway, they still lack the necessary thought for the rebels as a whole, they should have conceived more about their aims, motivations, drives and visions. Humanity is shown in the film by showing a rebel having oral sex with a fellow rebel, which could arouse the curiosities of their sexual desire.

It’s disappointing to watch a film that has big aims in covering thought-provoking issues but does not incite any hint of interest to its entirety. Even the acting is not synthesized well because the characters have no souls. They appear as caricatures of intriguing personalities, forgetting that these people also have hearts. The film itself should be shut-off as they don’t offer any value that could be worthy for your time and more so your hard earned money.

Charlie Koon's Rating: