FilmlangBlog

Blog for FilmLang class

[iacademy]

The Act of Killing

     The act of killing is a documentary style movie but done in a quite extravagant way, asking a group of mass murderers to recreate their weirdly spectacular murders. I find it quite disturbing that they even conduct their murders in such a way, but also find it quite funny as to how they do it- with dancing, music and the works. I like that they carried out their kills in style I find it better than just straight up murdering people like with a knife or something. One of the other things that disturb me about the film is the fact that they openly admitted to the camera that they raped younger children. There is another detail that lead me to be stunned is the fact that the politicians call themselves gangsters. It’s funny to me. They only call themselves gangsters because to them it apparently means free man- which is good for Indonesia?

      Other details that are sort of funny but also eerily creepy is how they just flat out say it without hesitation, like they see nothing wrong with what they have done. There are other things in the film like corruption and communists but what interests me the most are the murder scenes. Inspired by stuff like John Wayne and Mafia films from Hollywood at the time. Anwar also admits he gets nightmares from the horrible things that he has done. Even in one reenactment scene he had to take a pause as he was posing as a victim for the scene and contemplated all his deeds. As Oppenheimer said we can destroy ourselves with our deeds.

[iacademy]

New light

                The film is about a man from the province trying to start a life in urban manila, the scene starts with a black and white portrayal of manila where the streets seem empty but slowly it turns into a busy centre where people come bustling in and is suddenly so full of life and in colour once the main character- Julio Madiaga. The film itself historically portrays poverty during the Marcos era in the Philippines during the 1970s and many other social or political issues, continuing on the film; the film sho9ws how difficult it is to “get rich” in the manila coming from a province and was in fact not as easy and breezy as people said it would be. Julio manages to get a job as a construction worker and is paid what I think could be minimum wage in that time. Another dream to get rich was from one of the other character in which Julio is looking for- Ligaya. She was sent to manila dreaming to get rich and make more money than she did back in the province. She went to manila and became a prostitute; not by choice. Soon enough Julio also succumbs to doing the same thing and becoming a prostitute as he is laid off his job due to the building being almost complete just so he can make a sort of living in his trying times as the clutches of manila tightens its grasp on him.

                These issues are still relevant today as these issues are still present and perhaps even worse- as consumerism has pretty much taken over. While the film is good and has been restored to 4k the sound of the original film was quite different. Some scenes the background noise overpowered the conversation that was usually going on. The cinematography for some scenes where phenomenal. But personally I like that the colour came in the moment that Julio came into view in the start of the film when the starting film was empty and black and white.  The film itself also symbolizes the dreams that many Filipinos had. Like the modern day American dream. Back then Filipinos would flock to manila like for fortune and luxury. But instead there is corruption every-which way you go. Meanwhile Julio represents every poor man in a corrupt city, yet in the clutches of greed and corruption he manages to make friends and bonds with his fellow construction workers- which is one my favourite bits in the film. Because I value my friends quite well and we value each other. Even when we’re flat broke we still have fun together whether its playing games together or even eating together; like cooking something with whatever was left in his kitchen and just generally having a good time together, just like in the film. Julio is also seen eating with his friends in some sort of karinderia or going to an thrift store to buy “new”? clothes.

                   But perhaps one of the other scenes that struck me the most was the last seen where Julio had just killed his love interests oppressor which was perceived to be a Chinese man kinda like a pimp. Which is also somewhat relevant today. However, after killing him, the chase of the mob and cornering Julio the expression on his face was striking, his emotions perfectly conveyed, fear, and anger, maybe even regret? But there is a like a little glimmer of hope as Ligaya- Julio’s love interest shows up in the shot and at least they had that little time back together, not exactly a good ending for the story if it were some kind of love story. From there, it isn’t precisely shown how the film ends but I think that was a good way to end it, open-ended, free to interpretation. I like to think that maybe the mob doesn’t kill him and he reunites with his love, but I guess I’m just a sucker for those kinds of stories- most probably that isn’t how it ends but that’s how I take it. To conclude, the movie was made well, maybe a few hiccups in the audio production, intentional or not, I’m not much of a fan of how the background noise overpowers the conversations. But overall I like the movie how it is, even if it isn’t in 4k I like the feel of it more that way, it just seems more organic even with the somewhat broken audio- especially since it was shot in the 70’s some shots I like are the ones by the end with Julio’s expression and seeing Ligaya maybe one last time. I give the film 9/10 good film, attacks social issues and brings it in  an artistic format. I actually also like the way the film was coloured, maybe shot on kodaks Ektachrome film I hope.

[iacademy]

Who is Lilia Cuntapay?

Lilia Cuntapay was born on January 3, 1935 in Tuguegarao, Cagayan, Philippines. She also was a Filipino horror movie extra but has been dubbed the queen of Pinoy horror films for her more notable performances in “shake, rattle, and roll”. Unfortunately that is all she is known for and also how she is identified- so no other movies would try to hire her as an actress because of her identification as a horror film extra. Until Six Degrees of Separation from Lilia Cuntapay came out and she was more recognized as an actress instead of a horror movie bit player. Projects she was hired on was for most horror films  

              Six Degrees of Separation is a theory in which that all people are at least 6 connections or less away from knowing other people- which is sort of in tandem with the friend-of-a-friend chain. This is where a person states something about a friend from a friend which can be carried over from 6 people. It’s almost infinitesimal that one person would know another person that their friend knows. Much like having 2 completely different friendgroups in school and then finding out one of them knows the other from a different friendgroup.

              Six Degrees of Separation from Lilia Cuntapay is one of those films that is formatted to look like a documentary- but is in fact a mockumentary; written by Antoinette Jadaone In which case is a film that isn’t as true to life as it may be. The film starts off with a bunch of interviews from other prolific film makers. The film itself begins typically with a setting point that Lilia got nominated for an award for best supporting actress. The story continues as she prepares for her award- if she were to win that is. While it is somewhat documentary-like with its camera movement and production the intention is to lead the viewer into thinking it is an actual life story or biography.

               The mockumentary style of the film is benefitted by not having to be as true to life and most of the bits and pieces are what seem to be built on some kernel of truth. While some scenes can be comedic at times, it isn’t the best but at it but is most certainly a commendable attempt. What wasn’t expected was how moving Lilia can be. She can act more than just some spooky horror movie ghost or extra. The emotional scenes are moving, almost lifelike often times I find myself forgetting that this is supposed to be a mockumentary as opposed to a documentary. Leading to that, the scenes that moved me the most was when she was interviewed- Lilia’s eyes shined so brightly. She was happy to get some kind of recognition finally, but in the end all they showed was her name on the screen. I could totally feel the sadness that she was exhibiting, so much so that I also joined her in crying. Another scene that moved me so was when she called one of her children to say that she got approved. However the daughter took it differently, and instead thought that she got approved for a visa. She was so happy that she could get her mother to fly out and visit her. But Lilia stood silent, almost heart broken. Her excitement died down into a terrible sadness and despair. To further move the scene forward with her brilliant drama-like acting- she unplugs her telephone cord and is still and continues to be silent.

               Scenes where there is some kind of mock award show where she picks up a trophy and is talking on a podium is one of those scenes I like to appreciate because of how much it is repeated but almost always different. I like to think that whenever a scene like that shows up, it’s like going inside her head, having a little peak at what is happening in her mind. In there she is shown to be confident, and speaks well without pausing but once it comes to the actual event where she is called onto the podium by someone else who had won but wanted her to be recognized, she is frozen- almost speechless. But nevertheless, that scene did make me tear up quite a bit. Her name as a Queen of Pinoy horror films precedes her as her acting is actually quite on point despite mostly only having been a bit player for ghosts or aswangs.

                Ultimately, the film also showcases just how cruel the film industry can be by only giving glamour and fame to those who are deemed important. The movie itself showcases how the identified horror movie actress can be more than just what she is. Thanks to the director of the mockumentary, throughout the film thanks to the brilliant writing of the director, Lilia is able to convey and act out scenes with so much realism. If only she were given the chance to act in other films and not just be horror movie extras. She would be recognized as something more. It also shows that the queen of pinoy horror cinema has also worked with almost every other actor or actress before, hence the name six degrees of separation- this is due to the fact that she has had much history with the industry; almost 3 decades worth of experience. Overall- I think I’d give the movie an 8.5/10 because of how well written it is and how it made me feel despite being a mockumentary film.