QCinema International Film Festival is back and its in10es! With it its 10th edition, the festival will showcase 58 films from all over the globe. Part of it's main competition are compelling short stories of various themes of change, acceptance, love, and longing. Here are the 6 shorts competing in the QCShorts category:
A neanderthal-looking man (Nicco Manalo) is bound to fly abroad to work, but he soon discovers that his passport is missing. His father tried to help him look for it by retracing their steps. They look for it in their backyard and in a hidden cave, unfortunately with no desirable result. Will they ever find it?
"Luzonensis Osteoporosis" placeholder title is "Luzonensis Mula 7 Hanggang 9," inspired by Agnès Varda’s "Cléo from 5 to 7." The story isn't really the same, except for the idea that a person is contemplating his life.
"Luzonensis Osteoporosis" gets its title from the surprising fact that Neanderthals suffered from back pain. Well, as it turns out, the earliest people were quadrupeds, and this affected Neanderthal bone structures. What’s interesting, though, is that years of changes in living and working conditions force modern people’s backs to curve more. Hence, frequent (and more painful) back pains!
It’s kind of a blessing for director Glen Barit to come across this fun fact from his archeologist neighbor, as it's pretty much the perfect wording to describe the plot and the deep history of Filipino working culture. Obviously, it is about more than just work and our countrymen's tendency to seek opportunities outside of the country for a better life; it also makes the valid point that some people are unwilling to leave their roots. In a very family-oriented culture, most younger people now crave a connection to their ancestry to have a sense of identity, pride, and belonging. But they are forced to leave by their own kins.
Concurrently, "Luzonensis Osteoporosis" also follows Luzonensis's dad. He’s a man already neck deep in modernity who believes that the secret to success exists only outside of the country. Although it’s ironic that he was never able to build his wealth, this was a common and sad reality that OFWs faced.
"Luzones Osteoporosis" is not as bizarre as Glen Barit’s other films. It’s easily understandable despite the many backbreaking themes it touches. It could’ve been wittier, but overall it was satisfying and easily endearing.
4.5/5
Oyo (Bee Jay Furugganan) returns to his hometown, accompanied by his friend RJ (Joylord Lenato), before leaving abroad. Together, they go around town with a tricycle to meet a lot of people from their past. Oyo narrates that the town once suffered from a flood that killed many of the people’s carabaos and loved ones. including his own brother.
In Austin Tan’s "Ngatta Naddaki y Nuang?" we see a sentimental character visit his hometown and get amused by the overwhelming change that happened there. But if you take a deeper look at it, it’s poignant. There’s a sense of sadness in trying to find familiarity in an ever-changing place, mostly caused by tragedies.
There isn’t really much to talk about in "Ngatta Naddaki y Nuang?" maybe just the profound longing it has and the way it treats Cagayan as a living object that breathes and evolves as time passes by. It could’ve been more, as it could’ve been a protest against the constant flooding in the area caused by the dam. It feels like it is just floating around in that space of constant wondering and meditation.
"Ngatta Naddaki y Nuang?" english translation is "Why Did the Carabao Cross the Carayan?" and it’s a question that can be answered by watching this film.
2/5
During a fire in the Malayan Movie Studio, Joaquin (Carlos Dala) braved the extreme heat to get the film reel of Dalagang Bukid. He then finds himself transported inside the film.
On paper, "Pagliligtas sa Dalagang Bukid" is easily the most captivating title in the lineup. "Dalagang Bukid" is a real Filipino silent film directed by José Nepomuceno in the 1919s, and like his other films, it is considered a lost film. The expectation is that it will be a homage to the original film and explore the history of it. Director Jaime Morados delivered, though the way it is packaged is rather unusual. The execution might not be a greater or better idea than a documentary about Nepomuceno’s movie, but it still offers a satisfying sense of emancipation.
Unlike its peers in the competition, "Pagliligtas sa Dalagang Bukid" is simply a declaration of love for cinema. It offers nothing strikingly deep, and casual viewers will appreciate it for its earnestness. Although this would make the film a weaker entry in the festival compared to others. In all honesty, though, I think it’s a crowd favorite. It's an underdog and also in a league of its own.
"Pagliligtas sa Dalagang Bukid" also has really good production quality. It might spend most of its runtime in silence and black and white, but the creation of the sound, the design, the acting, the editing, and the lighting are all "chef's kisses" to me. It’s an easily digestible and well-made film.
My wish is that Morados would consider creating a longer film similar to Soushi Matsumoto’s "It’s a Summer Film!" that would pay tribute to all of Nepomuceno's works. These lost films deserve to be seen as one of Philippine cinema’s greatest losses, and it would be interesting to see them again, albeit in a new light. Even though the film suggests that we should create our own story, I think it's still important to look back at the past.
3/5
"Bold Eagle" is all about Bold, an anonymous middle-aged sex worker. During the pandemic, he is isolated with only his thoughts, his phone, and his cat. Without many things to do, Bold starts to introspectively dive deep into his own mind and heart, only to discover questions about his life's purpose.
If there’s one really interesting film in the lineup that warrants a second viewing, it’s "Bold Eagle." It is something special with its vulgarity and no-holds-barred presentation of a life generally negatively judged by others. This is a disclaimer; this film will show you fascinating and provoking images that will make you want to cover your eyes and peek through them at the same time.
Obviously, there are a lot of sex-related puns and references all throughout. These scenes of lewdness can be overwhelming and discomforting, although I'm not exactly sure what point it was trying to make most of the time. Though it certainly opened the door for discussion, it can be noted as well that this is meant to reflect the way we consume media: fast and in large volume.
Beyond the raunchy images and the fun editing, "Bold Eagle" is also a projection of director Whammy Alcazaren's anxiety and frustrations. Scattered through the film are monologues of insecurities and uncertainties. And the words used by Whammy could easily reflect on anyone who is trying to find release and ascendency in life.
It is easy to get lost in the spectacle of this Whammy Alcazaren feature. It can be overlooked that this film wants to shed light on the power of cinema and the journey it has been on since its conception. In a talkback, Whammy was asked about his creative visuals for the film; he then pointed out that it was meant to show a new viewpoint of cinema through phones and apps.
2.5/5
the river that never ends
Baby (Emerald Romero) lived several lives. She sometimes caters to the needs of a stranger, and sometimes she’s a little girl. She ponders her future as the people around her start to disappear. But despite all of these changes, her constants are her father and the river that runs across their house and the road.
JT Trinidad's "the river that never ends" is one of the best short stories this year simply because it talks about all of the things we cared for. From the livelihood of the people in one of the most livable cities in the Philippines to the waning river that’s always lingering in the background, this film encapsulates our desire for a sustainable life without the pressure of alienation, isolation, and loneliness.
"the river that never ends" is a protest film against the creation of PAREX. A project that would create a 6-lane expressway over the length of the Pasig River will not only cover the entirety of the river, potentially killing it, but it will also displace the people living near it.
Needless to say, "the river that never ends" draws attention to the idea that this project will not yield good results, especially in the lower classes. Like Baby, they might feel a great sense of solitude as they become strangers in their own land. When buildings are condemned and ultimately deconstructed for the bridge, where will they find themselves? No one knows.
4/5
Katrina (Catherine Lubangco) goes home to the very superstitious town of Infanta to attend the wake of her dead grandmother. The day after, they discovered that the corpse was gone, and something in the woods might’ve taken it. In order to crack the mystery of the disappearance, Katrina starts to connect with the environment.
"Mga Tigre ng Infanta" is Rocky Morilla’s first short film featured in the festival, and from the looks of it, she’s a girl on a mission.
"Mga Tigre ng Infanta" draws inspiration from two things: the building of the Kaliwa Dam and the connection between women and the environment.
She looks at our definition of development and hangs on the question of whether it’s really growth. Would the benefits outweigh the cost and the toll it takes on nature? The film points out that predators hide in the shadows, and they can kill everything if they want to. The Kaliwa Dam was mentioned, but I doubt that it’s the only focus of the story. The approach is generally broad, and this film is for everyone trying to hurt the land we live in. Morilla clearly wants viewers to notice and consider the fact that there are powerful people that are willing to destroy for profit and then call it progress.
More than that, Morilla draws parallels between development and womanhood. It's unclear whether Katrina's grandmother becomes a part of nature or if there's something supernatural lurking in the woods, but the following sequence of wandering and musing offers intriguing insights that we all have a strong spiritual connection to our surroundings. Katrina experiences a persistent inch then finds comfort spending her time with the river and the trees. It might’ve been the same case with her grandmother, which means to say that life ends and bodies disappear, but the journey does not, and we will continue on in the wild.
In a talkback, Rocky Morilla mentions Clarissa Pinkola Estés’s book, which I assume is "Women Who Run with the Wolves," which is all about feminine empowerment and the wild woman archetype. The book offers many ideas on enriching the soul and sharpening the instincts by looking deep into one's own psyche. It was clearly an inspiration for creating the narrative of this movie.
"Mga Tigre ng Infanta" is good in many ways. It has a solid all-women core production team, and it has ideas that cannot be conceived by anyone without a deep passion for and understanding of nature and womanhood. But as a viewer, the points made can sometimes be loose. It can be difficult to decipher everything that transpires on screen without prior knowledge of the topics tackled. Fortunately, these movies leave things so open that they can be discussed. And the issues it talks about are not so far from home that they can be understood.
3.5/5