Movie No. 72 (2014): NORTE, HANGGANAN NG KASAYSAYAN

Norte, Hangganan Ng Kasaysayan (2013)
Director: Lav Diaz
Cast: Sid Lucero, Angeli Bayani, Archie Alemania, Hazel Orencio, Soliman Cruz
In Tagalog, with English subtitles

Thanks to suspension of classes and office work last Saturday, I finally saw the film at Glorietta 4. The film clocked 250 minutes, the longest movie I'd seen so far (that time). Gone With The Wind, which I saw on VHS almost two decades ago, clocked only 238 minutes. These movies, despite their discouraging running time, didn't disappoint. 

The movie's theme, being universal, is not original: A man commits a double murder. Another man gets the blame and is imprisoned for life. The prisoner's family suffer the ordeal. The real murderer feels guilty and pays for his crime in his own terms.But a lot of issues are discussed along the way, some subtly, some blatantly.

But, that's not a bad thing. I mean there are bunch of movies out there sharing the same theme. It's on how the story (behind that theme) is told that matters most. Lav Diaz' inventive method of story telling on screen is engaging. Every minute of the movie's long running time is integral to the movie's greatness. The long shots and long takes, the minimalist dialogues in most scenes, and the great performance of every single cast are simply stunning and breathtaking. I may be wrong, but I think the long takes are meant to acclimatize the audience to virtually place them right in the milieu. The script is written well so that it's easy to care about the characters.

Rating: 4.0/4.0

Date seen: September 20, 2014