Cinema
Movie Review
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Vol. XXI, No. 21
Friday-Saturday, August 24-25, 2007 | MANILA, PHILIPPINES
Cinema
BY JEFFREY O. VALISNO, Senior Reporter
Silent and in black and white
Movie Review
Maicling Pelicula Nañg
Ysañg Indio Nacional
(O Ang Mahabang
Kalungkutan ng
Katagalugan)
(A Short Film About
the Indio Nacional)
Directed by Raya Martin
The ticket lady was just doing
her job when she reminded
me that what was showing in Robinsons Galleria Cinema 8
last Wednesday did not have any dialogue. Since I was very
curious about the movie Maicling Pelicula Nañg Ysañg Indio
Nacional (O Ang Mahabang Kalungkutan ng Katagalugan) (A
Short Film About the Indio Nacional), I still bought my
ticket.
Once I got in the theather, I realized that those who probably heard the
ticket lady’s warning might have decided not to watch anymore. Cinema 8 was
practically deserted, with only four of us there inside who ignored her advice.
It is sure easy to give up watching Indio Nacional when you know it does
not have the Hollywood powerhouse cast like that of the musical Hairspray, which
is showing in the next cinema.
Indio Nacional does not even have the melodramatic dialogues of
contemporary local tearjerkers like that of Star Cinema’s "A Love Story," which
is still showing at Robinsons Galleria.
But these are precisely the reasons why moviegoers should overcome their
biases to watch Indio Nacional. For its noble intentions to depict 19th century
life in the Philippines, its ostensibly historical perspective on the Philippine
Revolution, and its ambitious goal to provide a totally different sensory
experience that goes against the norm, Indio Nacional deserves a chance to prove
its merits to Filipino audiences.
It could be said that watching Indio National is like appreciating an
abstract painting. The artwork might not be lucid for some, but it evokes a
palpable, and poetic beauty that is undeniably known to everyone.
The movie narrates a simple tale devoid of lengthy dialogues, and bereft
of color (the movie is in black and white for most of its 96-minute running
time). But it is exactly this purity of images that sets Indio Nacional apart.
The movie begins in color, with a woman struggling to fall asleep. The
sequence seems to take forever, with only ambient noise from the barking dogs at
the background cutting the silence.
While the audience watches as the woman tries to sleep, those used to
being flooded with various stimuli in their cinematic experience will have to
try hard NOT to fall asleep within the next five minutes into watching something
so mundane.
It seems that the first sequence was some sort of a test of patience for
audiences: if you can survive watching the first few minutes of the movie
without any dialogue, then you can survive the rest of the film awake.
What follows that first sequence is a series of silent, black and white
vignettes that depict 19th century Philippines through the eyes of the Indios,
the common Filipinos during the colonial times.
There is a story of a young church bell ringer, and how a Spanish priest
scolded him for causing the burning of one of the religious statues. Then we see
a teenager who signs up to become a member of the Katipunan to fight for freedom
only to become disappointed when the planned attack of the Katipuneros against
the colonizers was postponed. Finally, there is the vignette about a young
barrio actor rehearsing for a Spanish play, while the barrio is the midst of
war.
Director Raya Martin wove the seemingly mismatched plotlines with short
sequences about the everyday rural life during those times. What seem to be
common in these everyday actualities are the themes of religion, and revolution.
In some vignettes, we see how the movie depicts religion as a way of
submission, and how Filipinos left their fate to their faith. As destiny remains
unfavorable, we see Filipinos seeing no other recourse but to stage a
revolution.
For the twenty-something Mr. Martin to come up with Indio Nacional as his
debut film is indeed remarkable.
It seems ironic that someone so young has taken it upon himself to
spotlight Philippine history through his work, but Indio Nacional has just
proven that Mr. Martin’s talent is far beyond his age.
In one scene, after the bell ringer slowly opens the church doors, the
director shows the bright light gradually peeking through the gap, until the
morning sun brightly illuminates the entire screen. Then there is a slight
silhouette of the boy, until the entire shot fades to white.
With the colors limited to black and white, the director successfully made
full use of what he had to create such a beautiful shot.
However, Indio Nacional is by no means perfect. The movie’s greatest
misgiving is its musical score.
The music often failed to synchronize with the beginning and ending of
each vignette. It evoked indigenous appeal suited for the movie.
However, the music seemed to have been just randomly played one after the
other while the vignettes were being shown.
The music ended when it wanted to, without taking into consideration what
was happening on screen. As such it failed to complement, much more amplify, the
beautiful images shown in the film.
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