Film Review: Gomburza (MMFF 2023)

Rating: 2/5

Aside from being martyrs executed via garrote, most Filipinos do not know anything more about Gomburza - - - the trio made up of Padre Mariano Gomez (Dante Rivero) , Jose Burgos (Cedrick Juan), and Jacinto Zamora (Enchong Dee).

Pepe Diokno begins the film with a glimpse into the life of Hermano Pule, who ended up leading a quasi-cult of rebels just because he was not allowed to become a priest, no thanks to his Filipino lineage.

This sets up the expectation that the film would be about Gomburza's fight for equality when it comes to priesthood, or so I thought.

Instead, the film focused on how Burgos' defense of Pedro Pelaez upon the latter's accidental death paved the way to his notoriety in the eyes of both Filipino and Spanish priests, how his teachings roused the activism of his students though  he did not directly take part in it, and how the two other priests were just dragged along by being in the wrong time and place.

Yes, Gomburza, contrary to its promotional materials, actually questions the martyrdom of the said priests. We have Burgos the teacher, Gomez the plant lover, and Zamora the gambler.

I can't help but notice that Diokno's direction staggers the more people are in the scene unless it is focused on just about two subjects. My favorite scene is the conversation between Burgos and Gov. Carlos Maria dela Torra, with the tone going from jolly to dreary, as the topic of the change of guard came up and what it means for the Filipinos.

Enchong Dee shone in all of his scenes, even though he was given so little to work with, like Ketchup Eusebio, whose presence is felt even in his silence. 

Newcomer Borja Saenz de Miera was intriguing and menacing in the few frames he was in as Gov. Rafael de Izquierdo. 

In a dialogue-heavy biographical drama such as this, it is almost a commandment to cast actors whose stare alone evoke a whole paragraph. But alas, half ofthe Filipino supporting actors are bogged down by ham acting and exaggerated gestures, as opposed to the actors playing the Spanish supporting roles.

However, one of the best aspects of the film is its chiaroscuro laden cinematography, which was more obvious during candlelit and nighttime scenes. 

In the end, thanks to that little scene with Leo Rialp and the shadow puppetry, Gomburza was just a tool to rewrite history and absolve the friars of their culpability when it comes to death of the three priests.