Kinatay (2009)
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| Directed by Brillante Mendoza |
The only thing that triggers me to see the film is when I read some of Roger Ebert's stuff on his webstite, and I've read one of his journal that talks about this particular film. Ebert simply butchered this film, naming it as "The Worst Film in history of Cannes Film Festival", and i was simply shocked about it knowing the fact that before i even see this movie the feed backs that it got was simply mixed and most of them are atrocious. It just that way Ebert describe this film shocked me, i have a complete face on the ground moments while reading it, and Ebert wasn't just beating the movie itself but it mostly directed to the director, Brillante Mendoza.
Now i want to be clear here that I'm not writing this just to have an argument to what Roger Ebert said about this movie or I'm not kind of this people who Sir Ebert said "Theorist" to correct or defend this film, no, I'm just going to simply express what i thought about the movie in all honesty. Simply what i read about what Ebert said is just a trigger that pushes my curiosity to see this film like i said before. I understand the hate on this film, but it doesn't mean i have the same perspective about "Kinatay", i have really different view about it.
While watching this film the first thing that came into my mind is that "What does Brillante Mendoza thinking about on making this film?", well honestly that's what i always think every time i see Mendoza's work but in this one it kinda pushes my boundary of having that thought into more wide curiousity, which is why i really want to know more about Brillante Mendoza. Kinatay is like the most thought provoking that Mendoza made for me personally. We all know that Mendoza is one of the versatile filmmaker, and really i guess Kinatay is a film that shows his pure versatility, yet it leads to another question which his style.
Kinatay is about a criminology student Peping (Coco Martin) who was at the young age, he marries a young woman Cecille (Mercedes Cabral). With Peping being a husband, a student and a father of his 7 months old child, he has to find a something to get some money with, and his cousin Abyong (Jhong Hilario) offers him a gritty job which Peping didn't expect what will it be. A band of men in a van who captures a woman named Madonna (Maria Isabel Lopez) who owes a cash or somewhat, tortured, raped and butchered and thorn her body in to pieces. We see Peping faces this turns of events in front of him, without realizing that he is also part of this murder. A man who needs a cash somewhat ended up into situation he never ask for.
I'm going to say it now, i thought Kinatay is one of the best pieces of Brillante Mendoza. A while ago i ask what might is Mendoza style would be, well i'd he has a lot of techniques and style that's is going on his films but the most noticeable for me is his goal to show the reality of life. Kinatay might be one of the most endearing film to execute such subject of Mendoza. With It's use of shaky cam, very low light cinematography, a very compress look to Peping's world and environment held a very relatable atmosphere. Through all of those technical aspects of the film i would say that it manages to forecast us the tone of the film since from the very beginning and that tone lead us to what Mendoza really wanted to show on this film.
I will say that the reality that director Brillante Mendoza was trying to show here is not the poverty or the needs of money of a certain poor family nor it talks about teenage family building. The reality that this film want to show us is the "Humanity" itself and how fragile it will be emotionally and physically when it comes to the things of powerlessness of us in a situation where we never aware we've been compromised. There is a moment here where the subtitles said "Integrity once lost, is lost forever" it only shows the slow transition of Peping from being this kind of responsible and kind to responsible and confused.
There's a scene in the movie which is my favorite one where Peping and Kap (Vic) played by great Julio Diaz (he is the leader of this murderous gang) had a conversation for the first time but It's not conversation or what they are talking about are the interesting part is, this is the moment where the rape is happening, obviously Madonna is screaming for her sake, the interesting part is the transition of Peping between the conversation and the scream of Madonna. It shows his inability to do something about the situation, it shows how life itself, that there's some moments in our life, the inevitability of not having a power to do something about things even if it's right in front us, for the sake of the others we care for. I was having a thought about the violence of this movie is divided to the physical violence which we will in Madonna's character and the emotional violence that we will see through Peping.
It's not the shaky cam, the low light or the idea of Brillante Medoza himself is the reason of the why most critics disapproves this film It's the imagery that is main thing they understand, and yes i would say for myself it took a bit of time to appreciate the good things about this movie, if you are not used to this kind of films. I'm not defending Kinatay but I'm just saying that the film has a limitation of which can still be reached by other who is beyond that limit and i talking foreign perspective about it.
I felt really strange that i personally do really like the look and feel of this movie, the audio are just mixing up with background noises combined it the environment the surround on a tight camera look. Shows the slumps and dissected atmosphere of the city of manila, which is the movie doesn't try to make it look dark and gritty it just show what it does really look like and feel like, it add realism to the film which is what Brillante Mendoza want to apply here and i say he successfully put right down. The violence in movie is intriguing too, it was strangely minimalist despite of having a very brutal scenery it felt very balanced, because if you just feel the atmosphere this film, It's violent itself.
The film is life that what It's seems to be, it might look like a hyperbole symbolism, but the movie just put us into a this type of situation of murder. The only thing that i can complain is the ending of the movie that felt and seems like very unnecessary, and it felt like it affected the transition of what things movie wants to leave us, but overall i would say it's a very natural film, the performances felt natural, the environment and even It's intricacy. It's human, that really shows a bit of reality as human being in this type of situation where Peping was put into, and yes, Brillante Mendoza executed it exquisitely on this movie that i would say a unique work of his.
Kinatay (2009) is directed by Brillante Mendoza Starring Coco Martin, Mercedes Cabral, John Regala, Maria Isabel Lopez, Julio Diaz, Jhong Hilario and more...
I'm going to say it now, i thought Kinatay is one of the best pieces of Brillante Mendoza. A while ago i ask what might is Mendoza style would be, well i'd he has a lot of techniques and style that's is going on his films but the most noticeable for me is his goal to show the reality of life. Kinatay might be one of the most endearing film to execute such subject of Mendoza. With It's use of shaky cam, very low light cinematography, a very compress look to Peping's world and environment held a very relatable atmosphere. Through all of those technical aspects of the film i would say that it manages to forecast us the tone of the film since from the very beginning and that tone lead us to what Mendoza really wanted to show on this film.
I will say that the reality that director Brillante Mendoza was trying to show here is not the poverty or the needs of money of a certain poor family nor it talks about teenage family building. The reality that this film want to show us is the "Humanity" itself and how fragile it will be emotionally and physically when it comes to the things of powerlessness of us in a situation where we never aware we've been compromised. There is a moment here where the subtitles said "Integrity once lost, is lost forever" it only shows the slow transition of Peping from being this kind of responsible and kind to responsible and confused.
There's a scene in the movie which is my favorite one where Peping and Kap (Vic) played by great Julio Diaz (he is the leader of this murderous gang) had a conversation for the first time but It's not conversation or what they are talking about are the interesting part is, this is the moment where the rape is happening, obviously Madonna is screaming for her sake, the interesting part is the transition of Peping between the conversation and the scream of Madonna. It shows his inability to do something about the situation, it shows how life itself, that there's some moments in our life, the inevitability of not having a power to do something about things even if it's right in front us, for the sake of the others we care for. I was having a thought about the violence of this movie is divided to the physical violence which we will in Madonna's character and the emotional violence that we will see through Peping.
It's not the shaky cam, the low light or the idea of Brillante Medoza himself is the reason of the why most critics disapproves this film It's the imagery that is main thing they understand, and yes i would say for myself it took a bit of time to appreciate the good things about this movie, if you are not used to this kind of films. I'm not defending Kinatay but I'm just saying that the film has a limitation of which can still be reached by other who is beyond that limit and i talking foreign perspective about it.
I felt really strange that i personally do really like the look and feel of this movie, the audio are just mixing up with background noises combined it the environment the surround on a tight camera look. Shows the slumps and dissected atmosphere of the city of manila, which is the movie doesn't try to make it look dark and gritty it just show what it does really look like and feel like, it add realism to the film which is what Brillante Mendoza want to apply here and i say he successfully put right down. The violence in movie is intriguing too, it was strangely minimalist despite of having a very brutal scenery it felt very balanced, because if you just feel the atmosphere this film, It's violent itself.
The film is life that what It's seems to be, it might look like a hyperbole symbolism, but the movie just put us into a this type of situation of murder. The only thing that i can complain is the ending of the movie that felt and seems like very unnecessary, and it felt like it affected the transition of what things movie wants to leave us, but overall i would say it's a very natural film, the performances felt natural, the environment and even It's intricacy. It's human, that really shows a bit of reality as human being in this type of situation where Peping was put into, and yes, Brillante Mendoza executed it exquisitely on this movie that i would say a unique work of his.
Kinatay (2009) is directed by Brillante Mendoza Starring Coco Martin, Mercedes Cabral, John Regala, Maria Isabel Lopez, Julio Diaz, Jhong Hilario and more...
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