Movie No. 11 (2013): THY WOMB
Thy Womb (2012)
Director: Brillante Mendoza
Cast. Nora Aunor, Bembol Roco, Lovi Poe
In Tagalog and Badjao dialect, with English subtitles
This film is the odd man out in the 2012 edition of Metro Manila Film Festival, which, in the recent years, had showcased blockbuster films that are trash (pardon my word). The tail-end finish of Thy Womb in the ranking (in terms of ticket sales) was expected because no ordinary MMFF patrons would want to be bothered with questions and realism that a film like Thy Womb would suggest. They just wanted to be entertained. That's fair enough. But, declaring Sisterakas to be better than Thy Womb is something only dumb-brains can make. Do they really believe that? I don't need to watch Sisterakas to say it's a worthless film.
Director: Brillante Mendoza
Cast. Nora Aunor, Bembol Roco, Lovi Poe
In Tagalog and Badjao dialect, with English subtitles
This film is the odd man out in the 2012 edition of Metro Manila Film Festival, which, in the recent years, had showcased blockbuster films that are trash (pardon my word). The tail-end finish of Thy Womb in the ranking (in terms of ticket sales) was expected because no ordinary MMFF patrons would want to be bothered with questions and realism that a film like Thy Womb would suggest. They just wanted to be entertained. That's fair enough. But, declaring Sisterakas to be better than Thy Womb is something only dumb-brains can make. Do they really believe that? I don't need to watch Sisterakas to say it's a worthless film.
Much has been said about Thy Womb. And this is my take: The film is brilliant despite some flaws, although I'm not sure if the flaws that I noticed are intentional. For example: the dizzying camera work in some scenes. I was actually convincing myself it was done on purpose to make the people watching the film as if they were in the scene, and that's how their eyes would move while observing things. It it's the case, bravo!
The best thing about the film (which others found off) is how the director takes time in telling the story. Some may find it too slow, but, for me, it's a technique to put the audience there. I think this is the so-called realism.. Nora Aunor and Bembol Roco have effortlessly blended themselves among the real Badjao people. I never saw Nora Aunor in the film (nor Bembol Roco). I only saw and felt Shaleha and Bangas-an. The use and non-use of lighting, I guess, would be to emphasize or hide emotions since in almost the entirety of the film, emotions are only depicted on the characters' face (particularly Shaleha's).
The story is very simple: a barren midwife in a Badjao village is in search of a young, fertile woman that her husband will marry because she couldn't bear a child. In the process, we see a glimpse of the lives of the Badjaos.
And what's that ending? Whatever it is, it's heartbreaking and sad!
Date seen: January 6, 2013
Rating: 3.5/4.0
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