THE KIDS ARE NOT ALRIGHT

 My heart is broken ... as it is terrified.

Two students and two security guards lost their lives because a Grade 8 boy went to school with a gun and a rifle and started shooting down his teachers and peers.  What was worse was that he had a body camera to livestream his actions for the world to see as if this act of random execution was something to attest to his accomplishments.

In the end, the shooter aimed the gun at himself to end his life.  Again, he was Grade 8 studying in a prestigeous school armed with academic achievement and a tradition of excellence.

I am a teacher and I do not understand this.

I assume that at this point numerous theories are flying all over the place explaining why this happened.  And this is not the first of such events.  A series of violent crimes committed by minors in a school environment has been causing shock and indignation.  Why is this suddenly happening here in our country?

Information and details about such events reach us through news and social media.  This is something happening across the oceans.  School shootings take place in a different time zone as we shake our heads saying that kids there are different --- and the environment that triggers such acts of inhumanity must be attributed to cultural differences or even attitude of kids to authority.

But now it is happening here.

Many say that this is already a manifestation of the copycat syndrome and unless properly checked, there will be more to come.

It is difficult enough to reckon with students wrestling with a variety of mental health issues.  Again there should be an explanation as to why this generation of kids are so vulnerable and lacking the resilience that our generation as well as the next were willing to face.  I can spend pages and pages trying to find plausible explanations but it is what it is.  Kids are vulnerable ... and volatile.  And their reactions to this vulnerability are shocking.

Whether the shooter was bullied ... or a victim of high expectations to be Numero Uno in his class, we will never know. What is important to note is that he had a gun and a rifle and a bodycam recording and streaming his acts of entitled brutality and inhumanity.  How could a Grade 8 honor student do that to end his own life?

We must never stop asking why and identifying who are accountable for this horrible tragedy.

WHAT A GREEK AND A COMIC BOOK HERO SHOWED US ABOUT THE STATE OF PHILIPPINE CINEMA

 For the past month there have been quite a number of realizations.

In my short talk at the opening of Cinemalaya 22, I shared some interesting insights I surmised from the recent developments and performances of Hollywood movies in the country.  Two monster blockbusters literally dominated movie houses in our country.  The box office results resembled the fate of jackpot winner at a slot machine in a casino.  The numbers went beyond impressive but indicated something that  required ample reconsideration among Filipino film producers and audiences.

Of course there is no way that any local production can duplicate or even approximate the juggernaut marketing and promotions of Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey.  Morever,. there is no way --- real or imagined that local productions can match the amount of effort, work and money spent for the Spiderman franchise.

These films are marketed for the world --- whereas Filipino movies seem to define its universe to the territories covered not even from Batanes to Jolo.

There is really no way to compare the business of film between that of our archipelago with that of internationally distributed films with all its ancillary rights, territorial distribution and accessibility to platforms.

Bluntly (and undeniably) put, Nolans's The Odyssey made over P400M in its two week run and still filling up IMAX cinemas (which is the only way to watch it and appreciate the intentions of its creator).  What is even more interesting is that we do not have the right kind of IMAX theaters in the country to fully appreciate the screening of this film shot in 70mm celluloid.

And who would have expected that a movie about a classic poem of Homer would bring in such a large crowd --- even if people may have read the epic as part of their high school literature classes.

But they did.  And almost three weeks later, people are still flocking to IMAX cinemas to watch the Nolan piece.

Then came Peter Parker and his arachnid adventure.  I am not a Spiderman junkie ( I stopped at Tobey Maguire) but for those who I know were enthralled by the franchise, they all declare that Spiderman: Brand New Day is the best of the entire series.  Aside from the popular fascination for Tom Holland and his missus Zendaya, the obsession for this installment of the franchise has proven to be nothing short of a worldwide phenomenon.

Cutting right in the tail end of the Odyssey run, Spiderman walloped P700M+ a week and a day after its opening.  Talking with cinema exhibitors, the estimate is that by the end of its Philippine run, the movie would have made more than P1B+ .  And that's the truth.

Just today, as I was at the lobby of the Red Carpet theater at Shangrila joining the Cinemalaya crowd, a screening of Spiderman in Cinema 4 came to an end.  So amidst the crowd of Pinoy independent  cinema goers emerged an entire throng of people who just finished watching the phenomenal film.  The demographics of the crowd echoed what has already been observed throughout the week.  Entire familiei are watching the movie,.  Here is another clincher: the repeat business (when you rewatch the movie because you loved it so much) is very strong.

For the record, the ticket prices of both Odyssey and Spiderman are on the P400+ range. There were no special discounts on their regular run --- and yet these movies were screening with full capacity audiences.  

I have a friend whose family decided to make an  outing of watching Spiderman.  To their surprise, they had to navigate two malls before they found the availability of four tickets for the couple and their two children to catch the same screening ... on a weekday showing.  And that's also the truth.

But going over and beyond that, what do all these information mean?

And where does that leave Philippine cinema?

The Complaints

Let it be clear that the diagnoses to the waning number of people watching (not only Filipino) movies on theaters can be attributed to certain and very particular factors.

We were already getting there but the almost three-year pandemic literally shoved us to where we are right now.  Watching movies has ceased to be part of the run-of-the-mill daily rituals of life.  Whereas before movie watching with popcorn bag and all seem to be integral to a comfortable weekend (or late night weekday/after work ) activity, now all that has changed.

The reasons assumed are all valid:
(a) The pandemic has taught us that in our lock-in scenario that there are other forms of valid entertainment alternatives aside from movie watching in cinemas: these include the marvels of the internet whether it is the accessible YouTube or engaging in social media.

(b) Movie going does not only comprise the cost of a movie ticket but all the peripheral expenses as well such as transportation, additional food (if you are on a date or indulging in the amenities of a mall) as well as whims of the moment which leads to ...

(c) There is comfort in being spend thrift by investing P600+ for a monthly streaming subscription than spending P400+ for a single movie.  Besides, the window between a cinema exhibition of a Filipino film and its migration to a major platform is only for one hundred days at max, Unless a movie is worth the time, the trouble and the price, then why not wait for just three months to see that same movie right at the comfort of your own home?

and lastly

(d) Ang mahal ng ticket sa sinehan.  It was only so many moons ago that ticket prices ranged from P200 to P250 pesos.  But now a movie ticket costs between P350 - 400 if you are watching on a regular screen.  Attached to this price are extras that include a bottle of water and even a bag of popcorn which people are not aware of receiving.  But whatever.

Somehow these have been the accepted reasons consistently repeated and reiterated not only by the public but also the film  industry stakeholders, pointing the blame to economics --- and the price of cinema tickets.

And then this happened.  Teka, teka.  Mag-isip-isip nga tayo muna.

If the price of tickets were the problem, then where did the P400M+ and P700M+ box office bonanza of two Hollywood mammoth productions come from?

Pangmayaman lang yan. Yung nakakapanood na lamang ng sine yung "can afford".   That means the patronage of cinemas has now been limited to the Upper C, B and A audiences?  Only the middle and upper classes have the buying power to continue to patronize movies? 

That is not completely untrue.  If you are a minimum wage earner in Manila collecting P695/ day, would you spend more than half of that for a single movie ticket?  Most likely not.  Siguro hihintayin na lang sa Netflix, di ba?

In fairness to the Cinema Exhibitors Association of the Philippines (CEAP), effort is in place to lower the price of local movies to as much as P270.00/ ticket.  This is a most welcome development to entice local audiences to not only go back to the moviehouses for the complete cinematic expetience but also to resurrect the patronage of Filipino works.

This worked well for some Filipino movies ( Antoinette Jadaone's Sunshine was a perfect exsample) but then the decrease in the ticket price was still no guarantee that the remaining moviegoers will patronize a film just because it comes in much cheaper than a foreign release. 

As late as August 2026, only two Filipino movies outside the entries of the MetroManila Film Festival can be considered as money earners.  These are Irene Villamor's The Loved One and Mae Cruz Alviar's  Tayo sa Wakas. Therefore it is not surprising that for  the first time in history, five weeks have elapsed and not a single new Filipino movie opened in the cinemas.

Sino ba naman ang tangang producer na babangga sa Odyssey at Spiderman not unless naniniwala sila sa halaga ang pagpapatiwakal?

But the lesson here is loud and clear.

Yes, the price of ticket may be forbidding but if an audience finds value, enthusiasm, excitement and even curiosity to see a movie, money will not be the hindrance much less the problem.

Build ... and they shall come ...is quoted from Field of Dreams and this could very well apply to the overlying principle operating here. Make movies that excite the audience and they will go deep into their pockets to see the work.

If they realize that the product is not worth not only the money but the effort to see the material, then chances are they will either ignore it .,.. or wait for this to go into a streaming platform.

Give them more of the same and they will moan the same-old-same-old complaint" "Been there, done that ... not worth my time or my money."  More often than not, in that act of paniniguro producers resort to the same templates, the color-by-number formulas with seemingly AI-guided plot lines that do not require extra sensory perception or the gift of prophecy to predict the twists and turns of the plots.  Feed the audiences with three-in-one formula movies and they will not invest their hard earned money just to be lured into a booby-trap.

If there is one thing that both Peter Parker and Odysseus taught us is thatr the filmmaker must be challenged to create works that can relate to an audience and entice them into an investment of time and money.  Although it is quite a superhero feat, one thing is also evident: films must be experienced. This does not necessarily mean a pre-requisite of spectacle, but something worthwhile watching on the big screen, immersed in the limbo of darkness to be absorbed by the strong audio-visuals of a narrative.

Otherwise, the comfortable living room/bedroiom setting of watching movies online serves a far better, practical and economical alternative.  What used to work in pre-pandemic 2018 is no longer feasible in a highly-wired social media dominated world.

This must be a wake-up call. Yes, the price of tickets may be a hindrance for watching movies in cinemas --- but the bigger problem of Filipino productions is the bias --- that tragic impression of our own audiences that we are not worthy of their patronage ... much less their admiration and, yes... their money.  This goes over and above any question of ticket price ... or streaming. It has everything to do with the impression certain sectors have that the works of their own countrymen do not deserve their attention or even concern.

The challenge remains: like Odysseus, we must overcome the songs of the sirens, the witchcraft of Circe and the intoxication of Calyso.

And like Peter Parker, we can only defy all odds not by superpowers alone but knowing what is the problem  to find constructive ways of gaining solutions ... even if it means doing somersaults while swinging.above and beyond the tallest buildings.  

CINEMALAYA'S CHILDREN: THE CINEMA OF LOST INNOCENCE

 Cinemalaya  has always hosted a number of films centered on children in their various awkward and even critical ages.  

The transformation of children into that painful passage to adulthood has always served as a popular theme for independent filmmakers making statements not jhust about growing up but the factors that bring these critical changes in the lives of the young.  From Clodualdo del Mundo Jr.'s Pepot Artista and Aureus Solito's Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros (2005) to Lawrence Fajardo's The Hearing (2024), the independent film festival has always provided room for films that dealt with the complexities of youth in a world that is even made more confused and confusing.

But this year Cinemalaya has three films that provide insight into the minds of the young placed in a variety of scenarios.  

Although they are almost similar in premise, the approaches done by the screenwriters and directors seem to have pulled them to worlds apart. JL Burgos' Ganggang, Kaka Sa Yawan ( Brothers of the River ) of Alpha Habon and Mark Duane Angos' Hand of God  all focus on the critical and life-changing journeys of young boys as they react and interact with the world around them.

Kaka SaYawan is about a lifelong friendship between Nico, a City Boy and a Mangyan youngester who he meets in a visit to Mindoro.  Ganggang may seem like a simple look into bullying in a remote public school using the metaphor of spider fights on tingting stalks but actually cuts deeper into the politics of power.  But it is Hands of God, a devastating tale about innocence lost when children are caught in the crossfire of a never ending war that leaves the strongest impression --- and disturbance.

The premise is simple: a military man named Reyes (credibly portrayed by Ruru Madrid) brings football right in the heart of an isolated Muslim community that has decided to stay neutral and out of the way of the battle between the soliders and the insurgents led by a certain Omar ( played with such casual and effective villainy by Jhong Hilario). The insurgents have resorted to recruiting children to be their soldiers in replacement for those eliminated by the military.

The heart of the movie is a boy named Khaleel (KD Omalin), the child of Farida (Iza Calzado) in a small village where an elder named Pah Ismail (Ronnie Lazaro) serves as mediator between the dwellers, the rebels and the military.  Reyes concocted a completely different strategy to win the trust and loyalty of the Muslims: he introduces and trains the children how to play football.  Khaleel has already been recruited by Omar to be part of his rebel squad but he orders the boy to return to his mother and entice his peers to join the insurrection. But in the process, Omar is introduced to football and is befriended by Reyes.  Thus provides the very core of the story.

The very first feature film of Mark Duane Angos literally broke my heart.,

At the end of the film, I found myself in tears mourning for the burnt innocence of the children caught in the maelstrom of war.  The fate of Khaleel and Farida is often ignored, taken for granted and even normalized in a world accustomed to violence and indifferent to the damage done by war. In the game of politics and strategizing, it is the children who suffer most --- whether they are victims or survivors.

And maybe that is why Ganggang, Kaka Sa Yawan  and especially Hand of God are such relevant statements made by Filipino filmmakers shaping their voices out of the national and international chaos that is the here and now.

I celebrate Hand of God for what it aspired to say and the manner by which Direk Mark Angos shaped his story.  I applaud Ruru Madrid, Iza Calzado, Ronnie Lazaro and Jhong Hilario for this exceptional work now immortalized in film.  But most of all, I embrace KD Omalin for representing all the children who have become collateral damage to the folly and recklessness of adults who flaunt their powers to rule the world and destroy lives.

OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN: CINEMALAYA @ 22

 Twenty-two years later, the festival of independent cinema offers a curation of some of the best films in its history.  What makes this year's entries more important is how a number of these films center on Filipino women and children.

I will plow into a more incisive analysis of the recurring themes that seemingly reverberate in some of the best entries this year:  the sadness of women and the loss of innocence of children.  What is more important than citing what the filmmakers want to say in the here and now is an understanding of why these films resonate in this volatile year of political turmoil, duplicity and most of all, a search for meaning amidst an atmosphere of desperation.

Two of the more impressive movies center on the sadness of women.

The ignored and seemingly unloved heroine of STATUS: REJECTED and the victim of everyday bureaucracy in a country that has failed its citizenry in 2 VALID IDs are the two most impressive contributions of the festival this year. 

Van Leinard Pascual's STATUS: REJECTED is an unfiltered depiction of loneliness and the feeling of uselessness and abandonment in old age.  When Biring (Ruby Ruiz) decides that her only salvation is to cross the Pacific Ocean and join her son who is an illegal alien in Trump's America, her best friend Tess (Beverly Salviejo) decides to introduce her to online dating apps where she meets her American Prince Charming.

Early on, one could already predict where that road would lead but the engrossing performances, especially of Ruiz and her daughter played by Alessandra DaRossi reveal more than just competence delivery but an evident commitment to a project meant to give very clear and definite statements.  The desperation of Biring is not merely an economic challenge but that of what to do with the rest of her existence and Ruiz embraces that character well.

Similarly, Ma-an Asuncion Dagnalan's 2 VALID IDs tackles another level of despair, illustrating the frustrations of everyday bureaucracy and the glaring failure of our health care system where the poor prefer to die than to suffer the inhumanity of systemic requirements.  Based from the screenplay of Abet Pagdagdagan, this film leaves no room to breathe freely. Instead, it entraps the viewer into that germ-infested claustrophobic atmosphere of a hospital ward where the poor grasp for the last straws of hope that medicine can save them from a seeming irredeemable situation.

Whereas Ruiz as Biring embodied the desperation brought by loneliness and isolation, Marietta Subong (more popularly known as the comedian Pokwang) embodies the bane of womanhood and poverty combined, a farmer's wife who struggles through the complexities of requirements and deadlines ... only to realize that all these are mere exercises in futility.

If there is one thing in common about these two impactful films about women maneuvering their way through this urban labyrinth, then it is that sense of dreadful naturalism.  No one can escape heredity and environment as we are all victims of circumstances and must learn to accept our limitations granted onto us upon birth.

But despite all the bleakness and heaviness of the heart these films carry, it is the success of the performances that again prove that Cinemalaya provides the venue for our cinema artists --- especially our artistas to show just how much they can give.

Pokwang already showed the range of her  acting prowess in Dwein Baltazar's Oda sa Wala but it is here that we see an even more surprising performance.  Indeed, comediennes wield extraordinary talents that when tapped reveal a far greater acting range than what is demanded of them in their regular gigs.  Similarly, Joey Marquez and Zaijan Jaranilla add gravitas to Dangnalan's piece: Jaranilla as a child actor already showed the promise but, after all these years, it is Marquez who still surprises the audience with his capacity to show the depth of pain ... and the embodiment of everything wrong about our system as he becomes just another body, just another victim.

If only for these two films --- from a first-timer in Van Leinard Pascual --- and a filmmaker in her sophomore entry to Cinemalaya, then the effort to go all the way to the cinema and brave these rains is guaranteed a worthy adventure.  Pascual handles his first feature with confidence and focus --- while dear Ma-an has shown how she could do great leaps from Blue Room  to this seething statement on the plight of every Juan.  

If only for these two films, we need not argue that Cinemalaya is an important annual event which we, as supporters of evolving culture, must never allow to die. 

And for those who have a mouthful to say about the garbage-like quality of Filipino movies in your arrogant if not inutile generalizations about our cinema, manood nga kayo ng Cinemalaya. Give yourself the chance to be proud of who you are in the stories your countrymen tell in the language of films.