The three shorts in Lakbayan portrayed different journeys of various people.
This short by Lav Diaz is in black and white. This is a story of miners and their journey back to their hometowns after they have ended their contract. The long takes in the film played with my expected outcomes per scene. There were parts where I would cling to my seat because the duration of the takes were building up suspense.
I didn’t get the theme of the short but I guess it’s about how superstitions play with the actions of people. Being away for a long time, these three miners had to go through a forest while the tension between Andres and Baldo grows because a huge debt had to be paid by Andres and Baldo’s stubbornness started. Only Andres got home alive because Baldo and Paulo got into an argument while being drunk but they were already tense since Andres says that he saw a black horse in which they believe to be an omen of their deaths.
In contrast to Diaz’s short, the short by Brillante Mendoza was really straightforward. It was about the plight of the farmers in the nation and how they were really begging for their lands. Jose, a freelance videographer, shot the whole protest and accompanied the farmers in their walk all the way to Malacañang.
This short really played with my emotions. I was tired for the farmers during their long walk. I was happy for them every time they got together to eat. I was sad for the old farmer who didn’t know how to read and was asking a young boy to teach him. I was touched when the farmers won their lands back and they started to play with the land. Then I became angry since they never got the promised lands.
I like how the short was ended with Jose trying to decide whether he’ll publish the footage in exchange for money or not given that Nanding was assassinated after the protest. I guess he was torn since publishing the footage might be disrespectful for the efforts of the farmers since he’ll be compensated for the footage.
In the short by Kidlat Tahimik, Kabayan explores different traditions from the different parts of the Philippines as he travels from Baguio to Davao. In his journey, he met a lot of people with different stories. In the end, someone made him realize that his journey shouldn’t be in the physical world. To be able to find “Liwanag”, one should look inside. But looking inside means knowing your culture and the short explored different cultures in the nation.
In the end, Kabayan was able to find peace for himself and for his family.
