#1 Film Review: Goyo, Ang batang heneral
“Goyo, Ang batang heneral” directed by Jerrold Tarog is a direct sequel to the hit Filipino film “Heneral Luna”. Both films succeeded in creating a compelling storyline depicting the Philippine history during the American regimen. The cinematography and the plot progression are also on point and is well thought out, given that both have the same director and studio (TBA studios).
To be honest, I was highly interested to watch Goyo since Heneral Luna was really a good film (in my opinion), and Goyo did not disappoint, the plot and how it was narrated was indeed good, I like how the first few scenes of the film did not just tied and connected the film to the previous film installation (Heneral Luna) but it also became the key plot point to introduce our new protagonist “Goyo”, this just shows that each and every detail in the film is highly thought out. There are other several scenes that also showed brilliance in narration along the way but the way the film started promised a good journey ahead so I had to mention it.
There are several good points to focus and mention in the film but I will focus on Goyo, Gregorio Del Pilar as a character since the whole film is basically dedicated to him (the film itself is titled after him) and also because his character is very relatable and interesting.
In comparison to Antonio Luna, Goyo is relatively young thus is less experienced when it comes to his own decisions and priorities. There are times he felt conflicted about the decisions he made and will make. Luna and Goyo are somewhat “polar opposites” of each other, Luna clearly knows what he wants and where he stands but Goyo despite having one of the highest ranks, (a general) he is still indeed a young man on his early twenties, a boy general who is currently on his way in finding who he truly is and the real reason behind the cause he is fighting for.
That particular scene above started Goyo’s internal struggles. All throughout the film, Goyo kept remembering Bernal’s words. This made him start to hallucinate and actually triggered his past traumas. Bernal clearly implies that Goyo does not have his own ground in all of these, he’s just a “dog”, a loyal dog of “Miyong”, (Emilio Aguinaldo).
All throughout the film, we see Goyo reflecting his own decisions and struggles. His internal struggles and past traumatic experiences brought fear of his own death to the point he needed his brother’s words to remind him of who he was supposed to be and what was expected of him.
I actually felt that Goyo’s way of coping with his own monsters was through dating and playing around (dating and flirting with several women at that). I actually thought he’s not serious with Remedios but their exchanges proved me wrong. Remedios’ character and words actually knocked some sense to Goyo as seen in the film, when he read Remedios’ letter. Prior to that scene, their group was heavily struggling, trying to find a safe place to camp out. Goyo came up with a plan right after surveying the valleys surrounding them, this shows how he is clearly inspired by Remedio’s letter. Goyo was now determined to survive and set his priorities straight. At this point, I felt hope surging through my veins and was really excited with how things will proceed.
As anticipated, everything was doing good for Goyo’s side, they were able to strategically fight back the American troops but unfortunately, their strategy did not last long. I kind of knew in my gut that a Filipino will cause their downfall, and lo and behold, I was right. A local actually guided these American soldiers to outfight Goyo’s camp. (That person was probably forced and was scared to death... but still...)
At this point, Goyo’s camp is losing and I was really prepared to see him die just like how the history books narrated Goyo’s unfortunate fate. I was prepared for a heroic death but what I got was something unexpected. One moment he was just peacefully contemplating his life and priorities through a series of flashbacks and the next thing I knew, he’s shot right on the lower part of his face.
I was seriously thinking: “ Nah, that one shot won’t kill Goyo, he’s gonna stand up and fight back with all the strength he got and he’ll be really cool and heroic...” but this time I was wrong, he literally died right away... his death was somewhat uneventful for a protagonist but is very realistic when compared to the real world.
I was just expecting a really heroic death scene just like how Luna’s death scene was but guess they’re truly opposites...even in their death scenes.
I kind of understand why the writers did this kind of death for Goyo, they wanted to portray something realistic. They wanted to show how Goyo is just like one of us, how Goyo is just a human too despite being a General at a young age. I felt that the writers wanted us to learn and internalize like Goyo, he was not made to greatly awaken our passion for our country like how Luna was portrayed... Goyo was made for us to think and reflect on our own priorities, actions, and decisions as Filipinos and as individual human beings.
All in all, it was a really good film with a relatable hero! (but I still can’t move on from his anticlimactic death scene LOL ) Kudos to the production team and to Director Tarog for making this incredibly good film!
