Movie No. 29 (2018): 1898, LOS ULTIMOS DE FILIPINAS
1898, Los Ultimos De Filipinas (1898, Our Last Men In The Philippines)
Director: Salvador Calvo
Cast: Luis Tosar, Eduard Fernandez, Javier Gutierrez, Karra Elejalde
In Spanish, with English subtitles
The title appears like the movie is a documentary. It's not. But, the events depicted are based on history. The year, as the title suggests, is 1898. Spain ends its four centuries of occupation of the Philippines. A group of Spanish soldiers, however, appear clueless about Spain's surrender. They refuse to accept the news about the surrender and Spain's recall of its troops. They continue to fight the Tagalogs in a remote jungle village called Baler. They get themselves hostaged in a church building, following a massacre of the Spanish soldiers by the Tagalogs. What transpires next are the claustrophobic drama about survival - fighting hunger, sexual deprivation, mental torture, tuberculosis, and betrayals.
Director: Salvador Calvo
Cast: Luis Tosar, Eduard Fernandez, Javier Gutierrez, Karra Elejalde
In Spanish, with English subtitles
The title appears like the movie is a documentary. It's not. But, the events depicted are based on history. The year, as the title suggests, is 1898. Spain ends its four centuries of occupation of the Philippines. A group of Spanish soldiers, however, appear clueless about Spain's surrender. They refuse to accept the news about the surrender and Spain's recall of its troops. They continue to fight the Tagalogs in a remote jungle village called Baler. They get themselves hostaged in a church building, following a massacre of the Spanish soldiers by the Tagalogs. What transpires next are the claustrophobic drama about survival - fighting hunger, sexual deprivation, mental torture, tuberculosis, and betrayals.
The movie is beautifully shot. The scale is near epic. Performances are splendid. Some details that may not be faithful to historical facts may be deemed necessary for cinematic purpose.
Rating: 3.5/4.0
Date seen: June 12, 2018
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