Lola (2009)

I had watched my first Brillante Mendoza film entitled Lola. My teenage sister bought a cd of it for an assignment and we viewed it together in our living room. the moment it played on our tv screen, you would immediately conclude that this movie was the real definition of "indie".

Lola seemed to be captured on a shaky handy-cam or maybe, a cellphone with a trusted video. It didn't frequently cut from one angle to another since the camera just moved from the one person who was uttering some lines to another character who had the turn for his/her spiel. Nevertheless, the cinematographer incorporated wide angle views and far shots that were very adroitly taken.

photo credit: www.pep.ph

The heartwarming film is a story about a lola (grandmother) who intrepidly searched for justice for his grandson who was killed by an unknown guy. She was caught up amidst the difficult situation of forgiving the suspect behind his son's death since the former's main folk who was asking for dispense was also a grandmom like her. She could perceive how tough it was for this woman of same age and who was also living in poverty as her to be undergoing such wearisome and arduous process.

The two actresses who played the lolas naturally performed their roles, making scenes utterly sincere. They skillfully adapted to the slum environment that the characters lived in and to the absurd situations that accompanied it. Example was the drudgery of being able to process government forms just so court hearings  may push through.

Furthermore, forgiveness and understanding reigned at the end of the movie. The two determined lolas were hapless victims of unwanted circumstances which were out of their control. Since the suspect’s party made an effort to admit their mistakes and humbled themselves, the other party settled and made peace with them so that both could move on with their respective lives.

Indeed, the film spurred in me how love for family could conquer whatever trial that may come their way no matter what your status is in the society. Even the poor could find the most desperate option just to find solution to a family member’s problem even if this means spending a lot of money.

Poverty isn’t a pretext to finding justice and truth in this world where everything seems to revolve around money. Through love and hope, one can find equality in a community replete with corruption since there are many solutions as long as one bravely looks for it despite lack of bucks and education.

Ang Babae Sa Septic Tank: More than just the Plot

Everyone seems excited to watch Cinemalaya’s “Ang Babae sa Septic Tank” directed by Marlon N. Rivera and starring one of today’s generation hottest comediennes, Eugene Domingo, who won a best actress award for the said independent film. To catch on this frenzy, I headed at Robinson’s Mall, Iloilo with my chilly green tea and a pack of Mr. Chips. And what can I say? I really laughed my heart out with the film’s simple yet convincing humor and cried my heart out as well with the touching issue presented in the movie that tackled poverty and its consequences.

The plot followed the adventure of young filmmakers composed of director Ranier (Kian Cipriano), producer BingBong (JM de Guzman), and production assistant Jocelyn (Cai Cortez), as they searched for the actress who would suitably portray the role of Mila, a poor mother of seven who decides to sell her children to a paedophile, in their film entitled “Walang Wala”. After thinking of possible actresses to fit the character, they decided to assign Ms. Eugene the role. The popular comedienne begged the filmmakers that she’d do anything except for one sequence in the script where she would take a plunge into a septic tank. As the filmmakers reviewed their thought-to-be winning script and Oscar worthy film bit by bit and arranged the necessary preparations from setting to the budget, the screen coincidently flashed through Jocelyn’s imagination the actual scenario in their story which changed into various concepts these movie-makers could ever imagine.

Eugene Domingo was pretty well adept in her acting skills not just in pulling off hilarious punch lines but also made it good in tear jerking dramatic scenes. She was also a satisfactory singer, acting while belting out in the film’s musical parts. Kian Cipriano was fresh in the eyes, acting simply and not too pushy. JM de Guzman I guess was a really good actor because he felt every emotion he expressed.  Though Cai Cortez didn’t have much dialogue, her presence was comically felt anyway.

I commend the film’s script for its wittiness, with lines that were simple yet relatable and entertaining. The shots taken were stylishly varied depending on the treatment. One musical part was taken theatrically  so the scenes were captured as if you’re watching a stage play. Another part was treated as a documentary film so the video moved shakily for it to be more realistic.

Some movie-goers thought that the story left them hanging for it was “bitin” or concluded incompletely but I think , the film would like to leave to the viewers the real essence of the entire film. I personally think that the story’s focus wasn’t only about the filmmakers’ job in movie production but the very film vitally depicted the unending turmoil Filipino people are still obviously suffering from – poverty.

Many of our kababayans would risk even their worth, or their relatives’ worth, just to survive from their daily hand-to-mouth existence. And yes, if this problem would be remedied with a bad, immoral solution, the problem would just get nastier, more absurd, and more uncontrollable. This is certainly happening in the Philippines now. We make our predicaments even worse that it would require us a lot to escape from this seemingly dark trap that we ourselves created./This Bubbly Life