I knew that sooner or later, a Filipino indie film would win awards in international film festivals. As I kept on telling friends, it is very easy to satisfy European festival judges. Just give them a good dose of poverty, a dash of culture and some nudity. And if you really want to win, add some scenes denigrating Filipino customs, politics, bureaucracy or society.
As usual with Mendoza's films, the setting is the slum area. This, of course, can only score big points from European viewers. Then comes the long scenes with characters walking along the slum neighborhood and the streets of Manila. The Western viewers are suckers for these scenes. It makes them feel vicariously how it is to live in such squalid places. For some academics or critics, this is their "research" into the social practice in these foreign parts.
The main couple (Peping and Cecille) act as the tourist guides for the foreign viewers. They walk along the alleys of their slum neighborhood and drops off their child with a neighbor. With more walking, the viewers-cum-tourists-cum-researchers get to take a glimpse at everyday life in a Manila ghetto. The couple then take a tricycle ride before taking a Philippine jitney ride to go to the municipal hall. Wow, the foreign viewers just had a triple whammy — walking along the alleys of the ghetto, then taking a tricycle ride and then a jitney ride. Most of these foreigners probably have not even seen a tricycle or a Philippine jitney in their lives. The viewers-cum-tourists get to see more of Manila from the vantage point of someone in a tricycle and a jitney. It must be exciting for them just as I am excited seeing people ride elephants or camels or land speeder (like Luke Skywalker) for everyday purpose.
In order to have more scenes for the "tourist" foreign viewers, the relatives of the couple went the city hall separately, even though they most probably live in the same house or are neighbors. And so the relatives (an old lady and two kids) take the viewers on a tour of the city hall and its vicinity — passing by a flag ceremony and a mass wedding, among others.
Maybe in Mendoza's social circle, people go to their own weddings as if they are just going to see a movie. The couple wore everyday clothes. In fact, the groom was just wearing his college uniform. The couple take jitney or tricycle rides instead of a taxi cab or a friend's car. (Oh, they did ride aboard a friend's van after the wedding). The parents of both sides appear to be absent but there is a grandmother around. After the wedding, they go eat at a restaurant. After lunch, they go their separate ways. The groom proceeds to his school and attends classes -- on his wedding day! After school, the groom goes to his job collecting money from bookies who are also ambulant vendors in the street by the bay.
The film then takes the viewers on a night tour of Manila, this time along the main highway, EDSA. Peping rides in the van with his boss, a police captain, and colleagues. Along the way, the boss picks up a prostitute named Madonna from a strip joint. In the strip joint, Mendoza titillated his tourist-viewers by showing a couple of ugly topless dancers. Inside the van, without giving any reason, the boss's right hand man, another police officer, starts punching the hooker and duck tapes her mouth. He continues hitting her until she is unconscious. But Mendoza did not show the actress being hit. It was all sound effects with the camera focusing mainly on Peping. It's cheaper for the producers and easier for the actors that way.
To tell the audience that something really bad is going to happen, a horror-movie musical score accompanies Peping and the road trip. The musical score is supposed to scare the viewers. To cap the film, there was the "rape" scenes juxtaposed with other scenes. There was no struggle in the rape scenes. The woman was not even tied up. She was sitting with her back against the head board, baring her full body except the face with a fully naked man, with his back on the camera, forcing himself on her mouth. This is not supposed to arouse prurient interests.
The climax of the movie is what the title is all about. Kinatay means butchered. But with all the butchering going on, there wasn't much blood shown. There was no blood on the walls nor even on the head board. There wasn't much blood on the men either. The twist in the end reminded me of the short stories I used to write in high school. I was imitating Hitchcock. I wanted endings that would surprise, even shock, the readers. Kinatay is such a film – very sophomoric, nay, juvenile.
Mendoza won the Best Direction Award. It is the 3rd most prestigious award of the festival. I don't know what were in the minds of Isabelle Huppert and company. I've seen Antichrist, Inglorious Basterds, A Prophet, and Taking Woodstock. They were all immensely better than Kinatay. "A Prophet" won the Grand Prix. I haven't seen the Palm D'or winner "The White Ribbon" by Michael Haneke. Even the film Dogtooth, which was in the Un Certain Regard section, is a much better film than Kinatay.
As a Filipino, I am very glad that Mendoza won the Best Director Award. But as a film buff, a Film Studies scholar and a film critic, I am very sad that his film is so mediocre. Cannes 2009′s Jury President Isabelle Huppert and Brillante Mendoza are planning to make a film together in the Philippines next year. Mendoza would be the perfect tourist guide for her. I suppose she was intrigued by the Manila slums and the EDSA roadside.
As usual with Mendoza's films, the setting is the slum area. This, of course, can only score big points from European viewers. Then comes the long scenes with characters walking along the slum neighborhood and the streets of Manila. The Western viewers are suckers for these scenes. It makes them feel vicariously how it is to live in such squalid places. For some academics or critics, this is their "research" into the social practice in these foreign parts.
The main couple (Peping and Cecille) act as the tourist guides for the foreign viewers. They walk along the alleys of their slum neighborhood and drops off their child with a neighbor. With more walking, the viewers-cum-tourists-cum-researchers get to take a glimpse at everyday life in a Manila ghetto. The couple then take a tricycle ride before taking a Philippine jitney ride to go to the municipal hall. Wow, the foreign viewers just had a triple whammy — walking along the alleys of the ghetto, then taking a tricycle ride and then a jitney ride. Most of these foreigners probably have not even seen a tricycle or a Philippine jitney in their lives. The viewers-cum-tourists get to see more of Manila from the vantage point of someone in a tricycle and a jitney. It must be exciting for them just as I am excited seeing people ride elephants or camels or land speeder (like Luke Skywalker) for everyday purpose.
In order to have more scenes for the "tourist" foreign viewers, the relatives of the couple went the city hall separately, even though they most probably live in the same house or are neighbors. And so the relatives (an old lady and two kids) take the viewers on a tour of the city hall and its vicinity — passing by a flag ceremony and a mass wedding, among others.
Maybe in Mendoza's social circle, people go to their own weddings as if they are just going to see a movie. The couple wore everyday clothes. In fact, the groom was just wearing his college uniform. The couple take jitney or tricycle rides instead of a taxi cab or a friend's car. (Oh, they did ride aboard a friend's van after the wedding). The parents of both sides appear to be absent but there is a grandmother around. After the wedding, they go eat at a restaurant. After lunch, they go their separate ways. The groom proceeds to his school and attends classes -- on his wedding day! After school, the groom goes to his job collecting money from bookies who are also ambulant vendors in the street by the bay.
The film then takes the viewers on a night tour of Manila, this time along the main highway, EDSA. Peping rides in the van with his boss, a police captain, and colleagues. Along the way, the boss picks up a prostitute named Madonna from a strip joint. In the strip joint, Mendoza titillated his tourist-viewers by showing a couple of ugly topless dancers. Inside the van, without giving any reason, the boss's right hand man, another police officer, starts punching the hooker and duck tapes her mouth. He continues hitting her until she is unconscious. But Mendoza did not show the actress being hit. It was all sound effects with the camera focusing mainly on Peping. It's cheaper for the producers and easier for the actors that way.
To tell the audience that something really bad is going to happen, a horror-movie musical score accompanies Peping and the road trip. The musical score is supposed to scare the viewers. To cap the film, there was the "rape" scenes juxtaposed with other scenes. There was no struggle in the rape scenes. The woman was not even tied up. She was sitting with her back against the head board, baring her full body except the face with a fully naked man, with his back on the camera, forcing himself on her mouth. This is not supposed to arouse prurient interests.
The climax of the movie is what the title is all about. Kinatay means butchered. But with all the butchering going on, there wasn't much blood shown. There was no blood on the walls nor even on the head board. There wasn't much blood on the men either. The twist in the end reminded me of the short stories I used to write in high school. I was imitating Hitchcock. I wanted endings that would surprise, even shock, the readers. Kinatay is such a film – very sophomoric, nay, juvenile.
Mendoza won the Best Direction Award. It is the 3rd most prestigious award of the festival. I don't know what were in the minds of Isabelle Huppert and company. I've seen Antichrist, Inglorious Basterds, A Prophet, and Taking Woodstock. They were all immensely better than Kinatay. "A Prophet" won the Grand Prix. I haven't seen the Palm D'or winner "The White Ribbon" by Michael Haneke. Even the film Dogtooth, which was in the Un Certain Regard section, is a much better film than Kinatay.
As a Filipino, I am very glad that Mendoza won the Best Director Award. But as a film buff, a Film Studies scholar and a film critic, I am very sad that his film is so mediocre. Cannes 2009′s Jury President Isabelle Huppert and Brillante Mendoza are planning to make a film together in the Philippines next year. Mendoza would be the perfect tourist guide for her. I suppose she was intrigued by the Manila slums and the EDSA roadside.