Little surprises at 2011 Cinemalaya

Little surprises are bound to crop at the 7th Cinemalaya (Philippine Independent Film Festival) which opens today at the CCP. Some of the entries tackle serious topics such as Joel Lamangan’s Patikul which stars Allen Dizon as a leader of Muslim coffee farmer-parents who fight against all odds to keep their children, set in a small Sulu town. Some are “bold” such as Joseph Israel Laban’s Cuchera which marks the comeback of ‘80s sexy star Isadora (she belonged to the batch of boldies with no surname). Some are downright unbelievably funny such as Adolfo B. Alix Jr.’s Fishkill (starring Cherry Pie Picache, Bembol Roco, Rosanna Roces, Angel Aquino, Allan Paule, Evelyn Vargas and Arnold Reyes) which is about a woman who gives birth to a fish (no relation, I suppose, to the character in the 1988 Hollywood film called A Fish Called Wanda).

Generally considered a “mainstream” director, Joel has also been active in doing indies starting with Walang Kawala in 2008, produced by Manny Valera’s DMV Entertainment, which stars Polo Ravales and Joseph Bitangcol as gay lovers from the province who meet a tragic end in the big, cruel city (shades of Lino Brocka’s classic Maynila sa Mga Kuko ng Liwanag?).

In the indie genre (so much of it is being produced every year that indies are becoming “mainstream” and vice-versa because less and less mainstream movies are being made), Joel has become known as “the director with a cause” since his works revolve around “heavy” themes like Dukot (about extra-judicial killings), Sagrada Familia (about cases of incest among families left behind by OFWs), Sigwa (about the First Quarter Storm) and now, Patikul (about the problem of illiteracy in a small Sulu town).

Alessandra de Rossi in Busong, by Aureus Solito

What I’m happy about is the comeback of Isadora who reigned as one of the bold stars in the ‘80s and who quit in favor of being a plain housewife (“To a simple but loving man,” she said) in 1995 after doing Seiko Films’ Isang Linggong Pag-Ibig (topbilled by Gretchen Barretto), with more than 20 starrers to her credit.

She and her husband used to live near the house of the late movie writer Hermie Francisco in San Francisco del Monte, Quezon City, and every time I’d borrow DVDs of old movies from Hermie’s big collection, I would see Isadora washing clothes, not with a washing machine but with bare hands, still pretty even when covered with soap suds.

In Cuchera, Isadora plays Rosa, a former drug mule and close friend of the lead character Isabel.

“I auditioned for the role in January,” said Isadora. Actors who wanted to appear in Cinemalaya entries were required to audition, whether they are big, small, newcomer or, in the case of Isadora, “comebacking.”

Isadora in Cuchera, by Joseph Israel Laban

“Direk Joseph asked me to read from the script while videotaping me,” added Isadora who competed for the role with established and still-active actresses. “I was surprised and at the same time honored when I got the role.”

Among Isadora’s memorable films are Alapaap (1984, directed by the late Tata Esteban), Amanda (her launching vehicle) and Mga Lihim ng Kalapati (by Celso Ad. Castillo). She finished a three-year contract with Viva Films before she dropped out of showbiz.

“Sana naman may ibang director na makapansin sa akin at kunin ako,” said Isadora.

I’m glad that direk Adolf did Fishkill in a way that it leaves the audience to believe or not to believe that a human could give birth to a fish (dalag). It’s inspired by the 1986 headliner in Eye to Eye in which host Inday Badiday featured a woman who was said to have conceived and “mothered” (take note, in quotation marks) to a mudfish fingerling while a super-typhoon was raging. Inday stood as the dalag’s godmother. Writer Jerry Gracio retold the fable in a short story which won for him a second prize in the Palanca Awards for Literature.

Alfred Vargas in Teoriya, by Zurich Chan

Two other entries to watch at the Cinemalaya (although I’m encouraging every body to watch all the entries):

• Zurich Chan’s Teoriya which stars Quezon City Councilor Alfred Vargas as a man who returns from Manila to his hometown in Zamboanga City after a long time only to find out that his father is already dead, his old home abandoned and him not knowing where his father is buried. After a long journey of searching for truth and other things, the man ends up realizing that what matters in life is not “the coming of age” but “the coming to terms.”

• Aureaus Solito’s Busong, starring Alessandra de Rossi, which was shown at the Directors Fortnight at the recent Cannes Filmfest. Busong is the indigenous Palawan concept of fate or instant karma, as nature reacts instantly to man’s disrespect of nature and his fellowmen. Alessandra plays Punay, a girl born with wounds in her feet that prevent her from stepping on the earth, carried around by his brother along changing landscape hoping to find a healer. Different people help the brother carry Punay and all of them meet different fates.

Joel Lamangan directing Allen Dizon in Patikul, produced by Allen himself

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