VERDICT: 4/5
By TRIXIE DAUZ
Contributor
All is fair in love and war, but not all is
fair when it comes to illnesses and death. If you thinkMagkakabaung is a film just revolving around the irony of a
coffinmaker who eventually ends up building a plywood coffin for his daughter
because he can’t afford to buy a decent coffin, then think again. Don’t be
fooled by the trailer. It is more than just that.
In Magkakabaung, the third feature length film
by Jason
Laxamana, the
politico-economic aspect of passing away is discussed. Though the film is
slow-paced, it is meditative and we are not peppered with didacticism. We are
instead led by hand to follow Randy (Allen Dizon), the protagonist who’s an impoverished coffinmaker in Sto.
Tomas, Pampanga, as he journeys through his everyday life until that fateful
day when he administers medicine to his daughter Angeline
(Dizon’s real-life daughter) and accidentally kills her because of his ignorance with regards
to allergies. Now, who is to blame, is it really him or the pharmacist who gave
him the medicine despite the lack of prescription just because she’s obviously
too lazy to argue and just wants to get the transaction done with?
What makes this film, which capitalizes on
social realism, really work is Laxamana’s touch of adding layers to his
characters, even the bit roles or people with just one lines. They are the
people you see everyday. Those are the situations you encounter. That’s what
adds to our empathy with regards to Randy’s dire situation.
It also explores the capacity of humans to be
so apathetic because of their greed and selfishness. The nurses in the hospital
kind of bully Randy because they instinctively know that he is a low-class
citizen. Now, this part, seriously reminded me of how the staff in general
hospitals treat their patients and their visitors because I was privy to those
situations. The janitor –cum-cadaver syndicate assistant (Bor Ocampo) together with his boss (Emilio
Garcia) pretend to be nice to
Randy because of their ulterior motives, with our protagonist almost succumbing
to the temptation. Angeline’s mother (Gladys Reyes) just seems to suddenly remember that she has a
daughter upon learning of her death, her attitude towards the funeral
arrangements akin to that of planning just some corporate function. Neri (Chanel
Latorre) just views Randy as a
“load machine”, even her consolation is a mere charade, a gesture she felt that
was proper, not out of real compassion.
In the end, a hope for Randy to move on is
very evident as his daughter watches calmly as he buries her body in the last
frame. In the end, we are reminded that one’s burden can drive one to
desperation and even blaming one’s self, especially if one is alone, just like
all the dead people in their graves.
Magkakabaung recently competed at this year’s
HANIFF and took home some awards as well in other international film festivals.
It is part of MMFF’s New Wave festival running from Dec. 17 till the 24th at SM
Megamall and Glorietta cinemas. For more information with regards to the
screening, please visit the Facebook link below:
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