By: Mario Bautista
AND THIS the final part of our 2008 yearender: our honor roll of the year's best film and performances. Our best film choices are all indie digital films shown in the Cinemalaya filmfest last July: "Jay" directed by Francis Pasion, "100" by Chris Martinez, "Boses" by Ellen Ongkeko, and "Brutus" by Tara Illenberger. Francis, Chris and Tara are all first time directors. "Jay" starts as a documentary about a murdered homosexual named Jay. How the docu was made is then shown as the main part of the movie. The TV host who made docu is also named Jay and the movie becomes a satire on how media can distort facts in the quest for better ratings.
AND THIS the final part of our 2008 yearender: our honor roll of the year's best film and performances. Our best film choices are all indie digital films shown in the Cinemalaya filmfest last July: "Jay" directed by Francis Pasion, "100" by Chris Martinez, "Boses" by Ellen Ongkeko, and "Brutus" by Tara Illenberger. Francis, Chris and Tara are all first time directors. "Jay" starts as a documentary about a murdered homosexual named Jay. How the docu was made is then shown as the main part of the movie. The TV host who made docu is also named Jay and the movie becomes a satire on how media can distort facts in the quest for better ratings.
"100" is about a young woman who learns she'll die in three months and then makes a list of all the things she wants to do before she finally expires.
"Boses" is a very moving melodramatic story of a young battered boy who is redeemed by music with the help of a sympathetic violinist.
"Brutus" is the coming of age story of two Mangyan kids, a girl and a boy, who take the job of illegally smuggling lumber downriver from the mountains to a town in the lowlands.
We can add to this Maryo de los Reyes' tale of marital infidelity that leads to a crime of passion, "Torotot", another digital film.
Among the mainstream films, we'd like to mention "Baler" by Mark Meily, "Ploning" by Dante Garcia, and "Caregiver" by Chito Rono, but none of them has as great an impact to us as the indie films we've mentioned above.
For best supporting actress, our list includes Shamaine Centenera as the mother who kills the rapist of his gay son in "Lihim ni Antonio", Mylene Dizon as the nurse from the city who serves in a backward town in "Ploning", Eugene Domingo as the dying invalid mom in "Ploning" and as the supportive best friend in "100", Cherry Pie Picache as the kind-hearted directress of a shelter home for distressed kids in "Boses", Angelu de Leon as the mentally disturbed teacher and Snooky Serna as the foul-mouthed broker of body organs for sale in "Paupahan", Flor Salanga as the mother of a murdered gay son in "Jay", Irma Adlawan as the generous aunt having an affair with their gardener in "Dose", and Maricel Laxa as the feisty but supportive wife in "Magkaibigan".
For best supporting actor, our choices are Ricky Davao as the abusived dad and Coke Bolipata as the helpful violinist in "Boses", Julio Diaz as the spineless cuckolded husband in "Serbis", German Moreno aka Kuya Germs as the aging gay in "Paupahan", Phillip Salvador as the rebel leader in "Baler", Peque Gallaga as the theater director who's fighting for artistic freedom in "Hubad", Joseph Roble as the wacky friend in "UPCAT", Emilio Garcia as the ruthless and corrupt bisexual cop in "Walang Kawala", Yul Servo as the NPA leader who helps the Mangyan kids in "Brutus", and Tommy Abuel as the understanding father of a gay son in "Lovebirds".
In the lead actor category, sure to be rivals are Baron Geisler as the exploitative gay TV reporter in "Jay" and as the cuckolded husband who kills his wife and her paramour in "Torotot", Julian Duque as the battered boy who refuses to talk and turns out to be a precocious musician in "Boses", Christopher de Leon as the dying friend in "Magkaibigan", Yul Servo as the wronged husband who decides to forgive his erring wife in "Torotot", John Estrada as the woefully aimless husband in "Caregiver", John Lloyd Cruz as the cynical boss with an ax to grind against his own family in "A Very Special Love", and Polo Ravales as the ill-fated gay fisherman looking for his lost lover in "Walang Kawala".
Sure to be noticed as lead actress are Mylene Dizon as the dying heroine who makes peace with her loved ones and with God in "100", Judy Ann Santos as the village lass who has a positive effect on the people around her in "Ploning", Gina Pareno as the matriarch of a wayward family living in a dilapidated moviehouse in "Serbis", Irma Adalawan as the theatre actress having problems with her marriage in "Hubad", Sharon Cuneta as the wife and mother working in London who has to make a final choice about her irresponsible husband in "Caregiver", Dawn Zulueta as the patient and sacrificing wife of a dying man i "Magkaibigan", and Boots Anson Roa as the addled mom who can't accept her youngest son falling in love with another man in "Lovebirds".
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