Review: Kinatay

Amid all the controversies that hounded it, Cannes-winning director Brillante Mendoza's latest film "Kinatay" (The Execution of P) succeeds in what it intends to do: engage the audience in a journey towards a heinous crime, while providing an eye-opening commentary on the state of Philippine society. "Kinatay," which won for Mendoza the Best Director award in the Cannes International Film Festival, is a riveting film about a police academy student's descent to the corrupted and brutish underworld of Philippine law enforcement. Peping Macapagal (Coco Martin), a newly-wed criminology student wanting to earn easy money for his young wife and child, gets recruited by his schoolmate Abyong (Jhong Hilario) to a "special project" of some policemen. Sadly, Peping finds himself trapped into the abduction, torture and dismemberment of a prostitute named Madonna (Maria Isabel Lopez), who gets brutally killed for her failure to pay a gambling debt to police officials. Despite the pervasive darkness, "Kinatay" proves to be a very engaging film. It allows its audience to empathize with the movie’s characters. Mendoza's raw, noir-ish treatment of this movie makes it haunting and, quite frankly, nightmarish. Among the most noteworthy parts of the movie are the scenes in the darkened van, which Mendoza shot creatively. The real-time night shots, with all the strange sounds and indistinct images, evoke the emotions of anxiety, discomfort and helplessness felt by the movie's lead character. The compelling performances of the movie's actors contribute much to the film's success. Actor Coco Martin gave a convincing portrayal of the film's lead protagonist. Through his facial expressions that are difficult to miss despite the darkness of the film, Martin manages to make the audience empathize with the fear, confusion and moral dilemma his character is experiencing. Also worth mentioning is John Regala's utterly realistic portrayal of one of the movie's ruthless villains. His take on the role of a corrupt police sergeant who performs the act of dismemberment gives the audience the creeps. What makes "Kinatay" even more haunting, however, is its realistic take on the situation in the Philippines. The first quarter of the film, shot mostly in daylight in a shantytown in Metro Manila, is filled with references to the poverty and desperation of the country. Through the typically Filipino scenes Mendoza placed at the beginning of the movie -- a man attempting to commit suicide by jumping off a billboard, for instance -- the director triumphs in establishing the context of helplessness in the face of poverty, a theme that runs through the entire film. A line in one of the scenes makes a subtle yet poignant commentary on the root of all the helplessness: "Macapagal, hindi ka na naman nakikinig." The night scenes are replete with bold references to Philippine crimes and haunting images of various ironies juxtaposed in different shots. For example, there is a picture of Jesus hanging on the wall of the house where the crime is committed, while the muffled groans of the tortured prostitute can be heard from the background. Perhaps the most striking irony in the movie is the scene that shows the motto "Integrity, once lost, is forever lost" printed at the back of Peping's uniform, while he carries a sack containing the head of the dismembered prostitute. Undoubtedly, Mendoza deserves recognition for his outstanding work in "Kinatay." The film is worth watching not just because of its riveting execution and storytelling. What makes it a good movie is its ability to make the viewer question the value of human life and morality in a society mired in poverty and corruption. - GMANews.TV The movie was shown in an exclusive screening for invited guests at the University of the Philippines Film Center last July 30. According to the director, it will not be shown to paid audiences in regular cinemas in order to avoid censorship. Instead, he intends to show it in schools nationwide.