Thursday, May 10, 2018

FILM REVIEW AND MUSINGS: MATA TAPANG (CINEFILIPINO 2018)



SCORE: 3/5

dir. Rod Marmol

When we hear the word "brave", aside from the Pixar animated film, one of the images that come to mind are soldiers. This film is about soldiers, brazen heroes who don't fear bullets and death but are challenged with ghosts from their past, which they must overcome so that they would be able to reincarnate and not be ghosts anymore.


Before the title screen even appeared (which was a very good illustration on how to use a drone shot properly to enhance imagery), the degree of friendship the protagonist Luis Batobato aka Hardrock (Edgar Allan Guzman) has with his fellow soldiers Bangks (Arron Villaflor), Top Razon (Jerald Napoles), and Sandro Yulo (Miguel Almendras), was neatly established in the first few frames. But alas, the banter turns into a bloody encounter when the terrorists ambush them and left all dead except for Hardrock.

Hardrock awakes with his left eye permanently damage but could think of nothing but going back to the warzone. His wife Alice (Ritz Azul) is visibly upset with his hardheadedness and does everything she can to change his mind. Taking a cue from the Hongkong film My Left Eye Sees Ghost, half-losing his sight proves insightful as he can now see the ghost of his dead comrades and they enlist his help to do special tasks that would be able to compete them, and set them on the road to reincarnation.



The film worked quite well during the first 2 tasks which involved a revelation of Yulo's secret to his father as well as Razon's wish to honor some people because it manages to keep one engaged as to how Hardrock will resolve the complications involved in doing a task. It wasn't predictable yet. However, during that scene where Hardrock was joking with Razon, the focus on Bangks' face revealed who his first love is and obviously, what his request would be. This foreshadowing might've been deliberate but for me, it weakened the story instead of strengthening it.

Overall, the film still manages to entertain and might easily have the most quotable quotes among the CineFilipino film entries for this year. It does remind us that life is short and it is better if our loved ones hear what they need to hear from us. It also reminds us that some people can be selfish and that they have this one best friend who they keep just because they want to keep their sanity. Luck is just a perception.



Quotes:

"Pwede ka naman pong sumunod, sir. Dalawa naman yung paa n'yo. Ano bang pumipigil sa inyo?" - Nurse

"Akala ko babae ang pinakamatindi kong kaagaw, yun pala serbisyo. Sana nga babae na lang para pwede kong sabunutan, pwede kong awayin, pwede kong sugurin. Pwede ko ba yung gawin sa trabaho mo?" - Alice

"Ah sir, kamukha ni Toguro yung tatay n'yo eh. Parang mananapak ng baby." - Bangks to Yulo

"Sabihin mo, may nunal siya sa bayag. Tatlo." - Yulo

"Kapag kinakalimutan mo, lalo kang sinusundan." - Yulo





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