Movie Review: Ari: My Life with a King

Starring:

Francisco Guinto as Kong Dado

Cecille Yumul as Dado's wife Miding

Ronwaldo Martin as Jaypee

Directed by:Carlo EncisoCatu

My Review:

Poetic! Lyrical! Poignant! Funny! A movie with a heart and soul!

What happened to our local dialects? Where have they gone? Are we still proud of them, or are we putting them under the rags for shame of being ridiculed as "probinsiyano" or "bokya"? Questions that we will be forced to answer honestly as the characters struggle to be true to who they are in the midst of conflicting values and political reality that tend to overlook the prophetic and enlightening skill of a poet.The movie also depicts a grim reality: a gifted poet remains poor until the end. 

With the arid land of lahar-stricken Pampanga as its backdrop, one can't help but feel melancholic of the used - to - be vibrant and pre-lahar Pampanga. But this is only reminiscent of the main theme of the movie which is the beauty of the local dialect as poetically delivered by the king of the poets Kong Dado. His friendship with Jaypee, the student who picked him up from his house for the awarding ceremony, becomes a catalyst to a deeper realization of the ongoing challenge of loving and preserving the local dialect. I love listening to Kapampangan words (though I admit I don't understand a word of it, but thanks to the English subtitles!). There were times when I was laughing out loud because of the funny conversations between Jaypee and Kong Dado in Kapampangan. I felt like I was transported to that arid land and invited to enjoy the beauty of this lyrical, poetic, and humorous exchange of words between the king and the protegee. I really found the movie simple and not pretentious. It does not pretend on presenting characters that undermine their own cultural heritage over that which makes them feel "over and above" the rest of their struggling fellowmen and women. It shies away from too much tear-shedding you can see in most of our dramatic movies. But it powerfully touches you in some of its dramatic scenes (in particular, when Jaypee reads the last poem that the King wrote!) It boasts the use of Kapampangan and Tagalog as the main modes of communication and it stars unknown actors whose performances are raw, natural, but moving. There was no dull moment for me in the entire movie, really.

The movie shows a sad reality: the mixed reactions of the people upon listening to the rhymes and verses that the poet so dramatically delivered on stage or in casual conversation with friends. As he was talking, some in the audience couldn't bear to listen; others slept, others complained, while others just walked out even before the poet finished his speech (the mayor and his men). However, I think this for me makes this movie quite different from the rest of the New Wave entries that I have seen so far. There is something magical about poetic verses.They pierced one's heart and soul and they awaken the slumbering mind of someone who seems to be overwhelmed by the dictates of the society as to what is essential and what is not. I find myself being questioned by Dado's acceptance speech, a poem on the futility of pride. I think, throughout the entire movie one is invited to engage in the witty, poetic, and funny conversations, and make a stand on his view on politics and cultural identity, and live with it.

For me, Ari: My Life with a King is a cinematic delight. What we believe to be essential in our cultural heritage, be it language, poetry, or values, needs to be owned and embraced without reservation. It needs to be passed on. The movie captures this truth as Jaypee accepts the crown of laurel leaves bequeathed to him by the King. After all, the poet's death entails the rising of a new one, whose life with a king introduces him to the harsh reality in life, in poetic and lyrical forms!

Kodus to the Director, the crew, and the casts. Thanks for making such a simple but moving film.

My rating for this movie:           4 stars out of 5.