Lauriana is the second film of the supposedly series of movie reviews for September (and sadly, the last one because I had some appointments that coincided with a-little-more-than-a-week-long showing of the Sineng Pambansa Festival which did not warrant me to fulfill my wish to watch all of the featured films! I just hope that DVDs will come out soon so that I will have the privilege to see the masterpieces of the rest of the Maestros in the Philippine Cinema.) that I saw at SM Cinema-Baguio. Surprising though that the price of the tickets was only P100.00. I was expecting even more than the regular movie price, which I was willing to pay by the way, because I know that these quality films are products of the highly-acclaimed directors of the Philippine Cinema. However, even if I only saw two films, I am still very grateful that these two movies did not fail to deliver the quality of films that these maestros are known for. I just hope that next time, I will be able to watch most, if not all, of the featured films. For a movie enthusiast like me, watching quality Filipino movies is a breath of fresh air! To all our maestros, keep making surprising and quality films! Kodus to all of you!
2. Lauriana
Starring:
Allen Dizon
Bangs Garcia
Adrian Cabildo
Victor Basa
Written by: Ricky Lee
Directed by: Mel Chionglo
My Review:
Disturbing. Provocative. Moving.
Haunting. Superb acting, intensely emotional and chilling! That, for me, is Mel
Chionglo’s Lauriana.
The
Movie
Lauriana deals with a very
delicate theme that is very prevalent in our society nowadays: violence against
women. It is based on a true story of a woman in Quezon whose unfortunate fate
with his abusive husband was witnessed by a ten year old boy Carding. Through his
eyes, the brutality of the relationship between Lauriana, a probinsiyana who
only finished 3rd grade and who had been longing to go to Manila,
and Samuel, a captain of the Philippine Constabulary who was assigned to fight
against the Huks in 1950’s, becomes so vivid.
One very graphic scene that was
nauseating for me (and so inhuman, indeed) was when Samuel did that same
horrific act his father did to his mother (you have to find out what he did to
Lauriana since it was for me the height of Samuel’s cruelty!). You can see the
horror in the faces of Lauriana and the boy Carding who happened to be there
with her that night. It was very painful to watch Lauriana dealing with such
incident, aside from the constant physical beatings that she got. Samuel’s possessiveness eventually led him to
commit a crime that will haunt not only him but also Carding, whose adult life was
severely affected, particularly his relationship with women.
As the movie
progresses, so does the violence and its devastating consequences in the lives
of the protagonists. Consumed by the desire to avenge Lauriana, the adult
Carding (Victor Basa) searched for Samuel with the intention to kill him. Will
he do it when he finds him? Will justice be served on behalf of Lauriana in the
end? Well, watch the movie and find it out for yourself.
The
Powerful Casts
Allen
Dizon as
the psychotic Philippine Constabulary Samuel persuasively plays his role. The
beast within masked by his good looks is easily unleashed by his obsession with
Lauriana and his unfounded jealousy. And he did it so compellingly. Allen’s
movements and facial expressions really speak louder than words. These are more
noticeable at times when he shows his gentleness towards Lauriana after beating
her, which for me reflects the ability of a brilliant actor who knows the
character so well and plays it with much conviction. And not all male actors
have that gift. As an award-winning actor, Allen proves in this movie that he
is up for more awards in this industry. And that he truly is an asset that we
all can be proud of in the Philippine cinema.
Bangs
Garcia
(who I found very notable in the horror flick Segunda Mano and even won an award for best supporting actress) was at
her best as the innocent, sexy, and naïve Lauriana. I have read in a paper when she
was interviewed that she gave her all in this movie. And I believe her. She was
right when she said she gave her 100% in this film. Even if it seemed like an
underwritten role for there was not much in the film that tells us more about
her life, still, I would say that Bangs managed to tell us that somehow her
falling into the emotional blackmail by Samuel (“He had a very difficult
childhood and we are his only friends who understand him,” said she to Carding)
contribute to a fertile ground for domestic violence (that actually made her
look pathetic, oblivious of the manipulation that has been going on in the
relationship) which even dragged her and the boy into further victimhood by
Samuel’s psychosis.
One very moving scene in the movie was when in bed she
tried to recall and recite the English phrases she learned from Carding
(“Please, excuse me. I want to pee.”) as a means of coping the pain. It was a
very heart-rending scene where she tries to console herself from the violence
she experienced! And Bangs did it so well that you can’t help but be moved. She
is a great revelation of a very promising actress. I hope she will get more
roles as challenging and demanding as this.
Another surprise, a good one though,
in this movie is the child actor Adrian Cabido as
the ten year old Carding. He was unbelievably great. His fragile yet convincing
portrayal of a boy who witnesses domestic violence at a ripe age is laudable. A
brilliant actor for his age, indeed. In most of his scenes, he tackles the
emotional nuances with delicate and natural deliberation. Some scenes that I
find him at his best are the one where he was caught by his mother stealing the
money to help Lauriana with the boat fare to Manila; the one with that
nauseating scene (sorry, but that is how that scene makes me feel like!); and
the one when he ran into the village shouting for help and confronted Samuel
afterwards. Those are emotion-laden scenes that Adrian handled so well and so
naturally, which is quite astonishing for his age. I hope he will be given more
opportunities to harness that innate acting talent he has shown in this film.
All three of them, along with other
supporting casts with equally strong acting performances, create a weave of
tapestry so intricately woven that makes this explosive theme so creatively and
realistically laid out on screen. One can’t help but feel the pain and the
struggles of each character as he/she tries to live out his/her life creatively
(for good or bad) in the midst of personal and mental battles of what is
life-giving and what is life-denying in the given circumstances in life.
The
Maestro and His Band
With all these praises to these great
actors (not to undermine, of course, Victor Basa, Angeli Bayani, Jaycee Parker
and other supporting casts who are quite good and who shine in their respective
role and scenes), I have to give a lot of credits to the directorial skill of
our maestro Mel Chionglo. I believe
that a good director brings out the best of his actors. And that makes a big
difference in this movie. Even with newcomers like Bangs, Mel was able to bring
out the characters into the screen, not just the artists in them. A MARK OF A TRUE
MAESTRO! A salute to you, Direk Mel!
Not to fail to mention the brilliant
script of Ricky Lee. Although, I
would have liked to have more details of Lauriana’s life and a bit gradual
development of the relationship between her and Samuel. Still, I would say that
it was a well-written script by Ricky Lee. Kodus
to you, Sir Lee.
The cinematography by Nap Jamir was also worth-noting here. It
tries to capture the natural beauty of Quezon Province. I like the “by-the-sea” sceneries where
nature helps capture the mood and the melancholic feelings of the characters.
I believe that Lauriana is a masterpiece! It is chilling
because of the fact that it acts as a catalyst to the reality of violence
against women. There is more to this movie than the erotic scene between Bangs
and Allen, as the actors and those involved in the movie insisted during their
interviews. It is indeed a movie that will leave a mark on your conscience on
the plight of many Laurianas in our society, then and now. I left the theatre
with a heavy heart remembering women who are closed to me who suffered, and
some are still suffering, from the emotional and physical abuses of their
partners. Lauriana gives the voice to
thousands of women (To be inclusive, to some men, perhaps?)
who are caught in a destructive relationship, and who want to be freed from it
before it’s too late. For this reason, the movie is really worth-seeing by
those who believe that all people are created equal and deserving to be treated
with respect and dignity, and be advocates for it.
In my opinion, Lauriana can be a strong contender
to Cannes Festival and Oscars, not to mention our local award-giving bodies,
and which may give Allen, Bangs, Adrian, and Director Mel Chionglo the most
coveted awards and recognitions. May this be so, because all of them in this quality movie truly
deserved to be recognized as such.
For this movie, I give 4 ½ stars!
