Death is in our Midst

Real-time look

Pepe Diokno, the director of Engkwentro, has method in his madness. He definitely commits to a vision that most artist won’t even dare to touch. I admire the efforts that were put into this film not just for its bravery or its technical style (which I may say is not entirely original) but for the simple reason that the film has something to say. He is not just babbling a condition of a city that was ruled by Vanity. If I was not aware that I am in the studio theatre, I would think that I was deployed to hell. The guts and rawness of the film certainly worked for this one. Engkwentro might not be for all but its material is so interesting; the film could really pull a rabbit out of a hat.

Let’s be more scholastic this time and start with the technique they used in the film. The film has borrowed the theory of real time. In this film, it happens in a day with almost only four or even five super long takes. The technique is ideal due to the nature of the scenes. It involves a chase between the death squad and the protagonist of the film. The technique itself is not new to me but the usage is quite effective like Jeffrey Jeturian’s Kubrador and even Adolfo Alix’ Adela. In foreign filmmakers, Gus Van Sant’s Elephant also has the same approach of long takes. It also have the roughness and grittiness of Gaspar Noe’s Irreversible. It is pretty much a style trend nowadays and there are other films of the same ilk but do not take into consideration the logic of its usage.

The film is about two brothers who are stuck in a city where death happens everyday. Richard (Felix Roco) is being chased by the death squad. While Raymond,(Daniel Medrana) his younger brother, joins the Batang Dilim gang which is a rival gang of his elder brother. Richard decides to run away with his girlfriend Jenny Jane (Eda Nolan) but was thwarted by Tomas, (Zyrus Desamparado) the leader of Batang Dilim gang. After a while, it was revealed that Raymond’s final task is to kill Richard in order for him to be an official member of the gang.

Since the shots of the film mostly linger on the slums of Davao, the film has a radio voiceover of the city Mayor Danilo Suarez. He announces himself as the catalyst of change. He enunciates his great works with the cities cleanliness, peace and prosperity while we see the endless squalors right in front of our eyes. We follow the protagonist while hearing a simple voiceover.

Pride could be the best theme I could give for the film (I excuse myself from ‘politics’ ha-ha). This goes to all the characters. The gang members think highly of themselves and their strengths; think they could get away with anything. It is also the same with the death executioners. I wonder why the city Mayor defends himself from accusations he gets from the volunteers of Human Rights. Well, he promotes peace and prosperity; he could have stopped the killing spree of young juveniles, particularly street children and junkies. Not unless he could not control his own compulsions. Anyhow, the bravery towards ones principles could only be measured by the extremity of their acts. Cowardice is the effect of their vanity and their mouth-watering principles only delights their own bellies.

Engkwentro enlightens the ‘poor me’ ideology in my system. I know the atrocities we have in life but I never realized that there are people who could make Earth a living Hell. The fact that this was made into a film gives reason to its importance. Our life here on Earth could not be taken away by limp-minded people. Engkwentro is a film that most people should see - if they are daring enough to have a glimpse of Hell.

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Charlie Koon's Rating:

Buko Pie Catastrophe

Newspaper dance

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UPCAT is one of the films shown in last year’s Cinema One Originals which is directed by Roman Olivares. At first glance, it appears to be cool and convincing enough, the audience (mostly from UP) get a bit nostalgic with their UP experiences. Well, I am not from UP but a friend of mine (from UP) was with me during the screening. He terribly hated the film; a sharp contrast with the overwhelming response from the audience at that time. It’s not really a dreadful film. But with how the story evolved, they conveyed some unappealing qualities of Filipino melodrama.

Lucas (Felix Roco) hopes to make it through the UP entrance exam together with his friend Joaquin (Joseph Roble). They are helped by Michael, (Richard Quan) who teaches them techniques and topics that might help them pass the entrance exam. But his father (Bembol Roco) does not approve his liking to study in UP for some reason. To add more zest, his love interest with Jane (Yasmin Neri) is not approved by Jane’s father (Mark Gil). Lucas has to face these problems alongside his longing to fulfill his dream of becoming a writer.

Melodramas are not bad. There are just some elements which if it is incorporated clumsily, it could really look plain awful. It should be a light romantic comedy but they have this tendency to scatter trivial substance into the plot for unknown reason. Maybe they are not confident of the lightness of the story and the story will not in anyway develop. To make the story material a bit frothy, surely it’s good to give a little drama but it’s not the point. It just messed the coolness of what they have already established in the first place. Besides, the plot and twists are insubstantial on a writer’s perspective and even flimsy to make it climactic. It’s not all gross, but the balancing aspect of the lightness with the drama should be more polished.

The film’s appeal cannot be denied and the audience could relate and embrace the efforts put through this film that embodies the UP’s stride for being wise and idealistic. There are clichés represented within the film and through my friend’s perspective, the film UPCAT has shown a facet of the present generation inhabiting the UP campus. Well, at some point it would be a little exaggerated to make the film engaging.

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The interesting facet of the film is the love angle between Lucas and Jane. It’s undeniable that they have this film presence, the crest of love chemistry that is very important in films tackling a bit of romance. The not so interesting part is the acting of Roco (Lucas) in some areas where he gets to show his frightening behavior. The moment he shouts or tries to boast, his charm tends to skid instantly down the cliff of discredit. His best friend Joaquin that was played by Roble is the film’s comedic relief but the fruition of his character is likely nondescript.

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The summation of UPCAT is that the story (written by Alfred Geoffrey Reyes) has good elements at the start and goes downhill until the end. The story will always be at the top list of what might make the film of good value or even the lack of it. We as the audience will stick to our common sense in gauging what is admirable on a certain film. It does not matter if the film is catered to a nominal audience for it to be appreciated. They might be aware of the plot holes and truism within the story. UPCAT missed the mark to make it a passing film.

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Charlie Koon's Rating: