A sad but good movie

Jose Javier Reyes has done big films (May Minamahal), controversial films (Live Show) and movies that – sadly – don’t always make money at the box office.

His Makati Avenue, Office Girls in 1993 may have won Best Picture honors in the Gawad Urian, but it was a financial disaster for Regal Films. Two years ago, his Minsan, May Isang Puso also figured prominently in various awards races and even won a couple of Best Actor trophies for lead star Ricky Davao. But it’s still sad to note that it was a film that nobody saw. (It played for only a couple of days in Metro Manila theaters).

The performance of his latest movie, Anghel sa Lupa (which opened in cinemas middle of last week) doesn’t seem to be as bad – at least compared to Makati Avenue and Minsan, May Isang Puso – but it certainly is far from being called a box office success.

Most moviegoers will actually have some difficulty guessing what this film is all about. Is it a fantasy movie? Is it a compilation of documented angel stories and miracles? (Tales about angels peaked in the mid-’90s.)

A friend from Batangas even sent me a text message to ask if it was already the completed version of the aborted Angels movie (directed by Vit Romero for Regal Films), which was supposed to have featured Aga Muhlach, Dina Bonnevie, Elizabeth Oropesa, Nova Villa, myself and a host of other actors some seven years ago. (This film, unfortunately, had to be shelved permanently due to production problems).

Anghel sa Lupa, as it turned out, is all about death and the after life. Penned by Jose Javier Reyes himself, the film casts Dina Bonnevie as a widowed mother of two teenage boys, Cogie Domingo and Alwyn Uytingco. Dina has difficulty raising in particular Alwyn because the kid is stubborn and rebellious. Fortunately, Cogie proves to be a responsible older brother, forever looking after the welfare of the younger boy.

One late evening, Alwyn leaves home without permission and Cogie seeks him out in the mall. The two have an argument and on the way back home, they meet an accident which results in Cogie’s death. Cogie, however, chooses to be earth-bound for a while and doesn’t leave until he gets an assurance that his mother and brother will be okay in this world.

Anghel sa Lupa doesn’t romanticize death. On the contrary, there’s even a big chance that you’ll get more scared about dying once you see this film. Maybe this is because the film doesn’t exactly tackle the supposedly good life in heaven and focuses instead on the fate of lonely earth-bound spirits.

Anghel sa Lupa, however, is no horror movie – although there are shots where Cogie looks a bit frightening because, well, the kid looks so thin on the big screen, almost skeletal even. The film instead shows how lonely death can be once we can’t let go of our loved ones here on earth – or if we get too attached to material possessions in this world. Generally, it depicts how sad it can get for the departed (and, of course, for the bereaved) to leave behind family members – especially for those who meet sudden deaths.

To balance things out, Anghel sa Lupa also shows that death can be such a happy state – especially if we long to be with our loved ones who have gone ahead of us. This is clearly illustrated in the character of Luciano "Chaning" Carlos who is only too happy to embrace death to enable him to be with his beloved Cresencia – presumably his wife in the film. (It felt a little weird watching Chaning Carlos die and leave this earth on the big screen since it wasn’t very long ago when this beloved director of comedy flicks passed away and was mourned by the entire local movie industry.)

Even if the film is depressing in most parts (expect to shed a tear or two over some scenes), you’ll still feel happy in the end because you’ll realize that you’ve been treated to a very well-made film. It’s a sad, movie, but, hey, it’s a good one.

Contributing to the artistic success of the film are the performances of the cast members, particularly Dina Bonnevie, Cogie Domingo and Alwyn Uytingco. Ricky Davao, as Bonnevie’s suitor, is faultless as always, but it’s a very unchallenging part that could have been done even by a newcomer.

Of course, Jiro Manio – playing another earth-bound soul waiting for the chance to tell his mother that he had died – hasn’t lost his touch. Some of his scenes are among the most heart-wrenching.

Anghel sa Lupa, unfortunately, also has its share of lapses, which is unusual for a Jose Javier Reyes film. In one scene, for instance, Dina Bonnevie has to tell Ricky Davao that she and Cogie had an argument – when it was shown to the movie audience that the argument took place right in the presence of Davao. But that minor loophole in the script is forgivable. Even with that slip, Anghel sa Lupa is basically still a little piece of cinematic heaven on earth.