Disclaimer: The following contains spoilers, subjective compliments, criticisms, and interpretations of the blogger about the message of the film. Any of the photos used in this blog were included for educational purposes only.
The movie “Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral” follows the life of the young general, Gregorio Del Pilar, during the emerging colonization of Americans in the Philippines during the late 1890s. It introduces Goyo as a famed general who enjoys a false sense of peace following the death of Luna, and then he eventually flees with Aguinaldo and his brigade, as they’re pursued by the Americans. The movie is the second installment of Jerrold Tarog’s war trilogy; the sequel to the movie “Heneral Luna” who also talks about the fate of the strict general of its title.
There are recurring characters in the movie such as:
Gen. Gregorio del Pilar, the young general
Joven Hernando, the young journalist turned into photographer of del Pilar’s troop.
Lieutenant Garcia, the patriotic sharp-shooter in Heneral Luna.
Maj. Manuel Bernal, the loyal comrade of Luna
President Emilio Aguinaldo, Apolinario Mabini, and Gen. Elwell Otis
There are also new and significant characters to look-out for in the movie. To name a few:
Gen. Alejandrino, Maj. Ortiz, Col. Vicente Enriquez, Col. Julian del Pilar, Remedios Nable Jose, Felicidad Aguinaldo and Lt. Manuel Quezon.
The producers gave justice to Gregorio del Pilar’s reputation as a hero. However, it was not emphasized to the point that I had to watch the film over and over again to notice the subtle heroic attribute of this general. Yanni Roxas’ movie review in Bulatlat.com states that this movie “killed whatever greatness there is in del Pilar by focusing on his foibles and flaws even before it could show him in some heroic exploits”. And at some point, I agree. To me, Goyo’s image became a dog of Emilio Aguinaldo, a leader whose youth seemed to go against him, a conflicted person fighting his inner demons. Good thing, he had his moment of introspection, a change of heart, the night before the devastating battle on Tirad Pass. I just find it sad and sorry for Goyo because he never had a chance to redeem his heroic reputation because he was shot dead right away.
“I know that the responsibility given to me is tremendous. But I feel that this is the greatest moment of my life. What I’m about to do is for my country whom I love. There is no greater sacrifice.” – Goyo
PORTRAYAL: I have no complaints about the acting. However, it would’ve been more accurate if the accents of the characters were emphasized.
CINEMATOGRAPHY: The color-grading in this film is dull compared to Heneral Luna. For me it signifies the frustrating plot of revolution.
Another thing to take note for improvement is the unstable camera work in the scene when General Goyo and Colonel Vicente were going to Don Mariano’s house to congratulate Colonel Julian on his promotion as the military governor of Bulacan.
Even if the upstairs scene was meant to be shot that way for artistic purposes, I think it is not suitable to use for such scene. That scene has a poor camera work that is distractive and unpleasant to look at. From what I usually observe in foreign movies, that “moving and shaking” style of camera work is meant to reveal the point of view or the eyesight of a character involve in the scene. If that’s the case, then the messenger boy should’ve been there walking behind Goyo and Vicente to justify the purpose of moving/shaky camera work. Other than that, the rest of the scenes that involves unstable and shaky camera work are understandable and tolerable.
POTENTIALLY OFFENSIVE CONTENT:
Note: This film contains offensive language and violence.
Language. There is frequent cussing in the dialogues, and 1 scene with a Filipino soldier mocking and insulting two indigenous people.
Violence. The movie includes 1 torture scene, series of gun fights, and exposure of blood and fatal injuries.
The title of the movie literally translates “Goyo: The Boy General”, and for me it is well-thought of to the point that it reveals everything significant in the movie. Cleverly, “goyo” is a Filipino term that means “to be played fool”. And later on, in the movie, we can see how this term doesn’t just applies on the ladies Goyo had duped, but also to the Filipinos whose negligence caused failure to the revolution.
The use of the word “boy” instead of “young” hinted the very essence of this movie. Boy, as opposed to man, is commonly described to be childish, playful, naïve and gullible. Throughout the movie, Apolinario Mabini convinces himself that maybe it is right to call the negligence of Filipinos as childishness.
There were several scenes in the movie that made me smile, laugh and even face-palmed because of the character’s stupidity, yet I won’t deny that this movie is low-key funny.
CUTE SCENE. Julian and Vicente pushes Joven to mingle with some ladies in Dagupan.
In this scene, Joven proved me that he is an adorable dork. I find it funny how he can’t understand the impertinent replies of the lady (since it was spoken in the dialect on Dagupan) and yet he still politely conversed with them.
WITTY SCENE. General Alejandrino and his comrade attended a dinner with Otis and McArthur.
The part where General Alejandrino fakes his mention of an order stated in the Philippine Constitution. ”Nasa Constitution ba talaga yan?” “Huwag kang magulo. Hindi ko din alam”. This proved me how clever and to what extent the Pilipino would do just to escape the face of problems.
FACE-PALMED. [just see it for yourself] The price of arrogance.
FUNNY. Goyo, Julian, and Vicente went out for midnight swimming. featuring Joven the chaperone/look-out. This scene proves how naughty and reckless they are. Grown-ups acting like little boys.
Goyo:“Last one in has no balls”
Julian (referring to Goyo): “First one in’s an asshole”
ANOTHER FACE-PALMED MOMENT. “Kam Amerikans welkam!”—Lt. Garcia
It’s fun until karma strikes back. Arrogance won’t do good.
Unlike the former installment, the movie features the love life of Goyo as a significant part of his story arc. By just watching, we can say that the romantic element in this movie is dull and tragic. Some viewers commented that the romantic scenes were just fillers and weren’t really necessary in the progression of film. But I say, the romantic scenes in this movie weren’t really intended to give off kilig to its viewers— the scenes were intended to symbolize the dilemma of Goyo as a general of high position, and as a young man with any ordinary man’s interest.
In the film, there are two significant women in Goyo’s life: Remedios, his current love-interest, and Felicidad, the sister of President Aguinaldo, his former lover. Felicidad is a personification of Goyo’s past that is fueled by principles. She had seen him in his troubled times. She knew he is vulnerable. Remedios on the other hand, is a personification of Goyo’s future that is filled with ideals. The discourse these women had on the market while buying mangoes speaks of their characters—Felicidad values existence while Remedios likes to choose what’s best.
Dialogues:I kept on replaying the brief conversation between Gen. Alejandrino and Maj. Ortiz during the settlement of troops. Alejandrino said, “This isn’t about victory anymore, Ortiz. This is all about saving what dignity we have left”.
Also, there are noteworthy lessons in the conversations of Uncle Miguel and Joven like: “Men are moved by two levers only: fear and self-interest” and “Learn from their mistakes”
Voice-Overs: I was captivated by Joven’s messages to his father. It was used as a creative tool to narrate and impart lessons throughout the movie.
The most remarkable part in the movie is when Apolinario Mabini started reading his letter to Marcelo del Pilar, while flashes of significant events are shown. It is like drawing a conclusion to all the morals in the story. I love the part when he said: “But I’m beginning to believe that they are right to call us children.” along with the scene of Lt. Garcia’s young son helplessly running away from the Americans.
Script: I just love the choice of words. The conversations were not over-the-top. It felt satisfying to hear the character use pure Filipino language. It sounds poetic but at the same time it made me feel a sense of colloquiality because of the way the actors deliver their lines. The delivery of dialects was good. I noticed that from Clara of Dagupan, and the Ilocano dialect of Lt. Garcia.
Casting: For me, the production team did a great casting. Though there are people who detracts Paulo Avelino for the role of Goyo saying “he’s too mestizo, kayumanggi si Goyo” nonverbatim. I think he fits the role well because his charm comes out naturally, and he expresses the internal conflict of Goyo without looking so obvious and exaggerated. Further than that, I commend how they chose actors not by popularity but by the skills. It’s a good thing that the appearance was also considered because it adds up to the impact of the character. Mon Confiado, with his flat top hair, looks really similar to Emilio Aguinaldo.
Acting: The actors did great in portraying their characters. The film showed me no small roles. With their intense acting and on-point facial expressions, the slow-paced plot of the film is brought to life. I would commend Arthur Acuña’s portrayal of Manuel Bernal. Even if his role is not as big as the protagonists, he made it so intense that makes it remarkable. Also, I enjoyed Alvin Anson’s portrayal of Gen. Alejandrino. Quizon’s portrayal of the “brain of the revolution,”—easily one of the best parts of Heneral Luna—continues to be stellar and Mabini in fact delivers some of Goyo’s best lines along with audience surrogate Joven Hernando (Arron Villaflor), the photographer’s assistant from the first film.
Cinematography: Creative. I commend how every frame captures the mood and implies message to its viewers. Also, the drone shots of Mt. Tirad are breathtaking. I don’t mind if some part of the landscape is graphically enhanced, after all it is meticulously and skillfully done. The establishing shot which shows the time and place were on point.
Musical-Score: I love the part when Goyo reads the letter from Remedios below Mt. Tirad— the music (which I think is an instrumental arrangement of Susi) intensifies the mood of the scene. I would also commend the soundtracks they used in the movie. The lyrics of the OST Susi (composed and interpreted by Ben and Ben; with musical arrangements by Miguel Guico and Jerrold Tarog) suits the message of the movie well. It’s like the song is directed to the life of Goyo itself.
The song interpretation of Bato sa Buhangin by Glaiza De Castro in the ending scene gave me goosebumps! It startled me a bit because I was disappointed and dissatisfied by the ending scene of Remedios, then suddenly Glaiza sang out of nowhere without instrumental intro going on.
GOYO:ANG BATANG HENERAL VS. HENERAL LUNA
If Heneral Luna had the catchphrase: “Mga kapatid, meron tayong mas malaking kaaway kaysa sa mga Amerikano: ang ating sarili.” (Brothers, we have an enemy bigger than the Americans: ourselves.)
Goyo has “Tandaan mo kung sino ka.” (Remember who you are.)
Since this film is less intense compared to Heneral Luna when it comes to action scenes, it is a challenge for the producers to make this film interesting. One thing they included to add thrill is the series of flashbacks and imagined internal struggles.
If Goyo succeeds in anything, it is in humanizing the patronized young general Del Pilar. While stories portray him as larger than life, the film grounds his exploits firmly in reality, even his womanizing nature. It’s wonderfully researched and—despite giving the disclaimer in the beginning that it uses fictional elements to deliver a cohesive narrative—gives audiences a better glimpse into the life of one of the country’s heroes. It gives its own version of events, such as sticking to the contention that it was Remedios and not younger sister Dolores who was Goyo’s true love.
At first, I was frustrated at the progression of the film—I think it was lousy and it didn’t really meet my expectations. Then I watched it for the second time around hoping to subvert my negatives and find the bright side of the film. I decided to focus more on the lines and the complexity of the characters. As I delve deeper on its plot and dialogues, I realized how significant the point they are trying to imply on its viewers. This film doesn’t just want to please our eyes—the movie encourages us Filipinos to ponder and reflect on our current situation from what
It is not just about the life of the young general Gregorio Del Pilar— the entire film, slow and plodding as it is, is a well-crafted argument against the selfishness of the men who shape this nation. Mabini narrates that it is only in fighting, in dying as a soldier, that Aguinaldo may regain his lost honor and prestige. But as the disgraced first President stares blankly at the sunset over Malacañan, he mutters that he has already given fealty to the United States. It’s a chillingly familiar refrain: A leader who seems to favor another country over his own. Mabini laments that perhaps the Americans were right, after all—that we are but mere children trying to fight a grown man’s war. He says that Filipinos ignite with passion very quickly, but burn out just as fast. It’s a terrifying reminder that the Philippines may be doomed to follow the lead of people who put their own interests above the country’s.
Though the film is a stand-alone type of movie, I suggest you go and watch Heneral Luna and Angelito first, respectively, before watching Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral in order to clearly understand what’s going on in the movie.
Heneral Luna is the first installment of Jerrold Tarog’s Philippine war trilogy that was launched last September 2015. It lasts for about two and half hours.
Angelito is a short film uploaded in TBA Studios’ and Globe PH’s YouTube channel. The short film, which lasts for only 21 minutes and 12 second, serves as the bridge to the two movie installments.
“Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral” has a screen time of almost 2 hours and 30 minutes including the intro and credits.
It is a must-watch movie for those who loves historical films. I highly recommend it to those who wants to know more about the Philippine history.
To those who haven’t watch any of the two movies yet, it is already available on Netflix.
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