Don’t get me wrong. I’m a pro-peace advocate and definitely anti-violence but Dahas, a 1995 Metro Manila Film Festival entry, is one of my favorite Filipino films of all time. This is mainly because it stars my favorite actress Maricel Soriano in a crime, suspense drama which is a genre rarely seen in local cinema and much more so in the annual Metro Manila Film Festival. The film was not only well-crafted but had commercial appeal, too – two elements that are hard to combine in one movie.
In addition, I was looking forward to the Maricel Soriano-Richard Gomez tandem because they always have nothing but kind words for each other. It turned out that my gut feel was right because sparks flew on the silver screen with the explosive combination.
Directed by Chito Roño for MAQ Productions, Dahas tells the story of Luisa (Maricel), a battered woman who later emerges from her oppressive situation. A few days before her wedding, Luisa was raped by an unknown assailant whose identity was later revealed to be Eric (Tonton Gutierrez), a rogue cop. When Luisa’s husband Jake (Richard) discovers this unfortunate incident on their first night, all hell breaks loose. The beatings begin and get more intense with the slightest provocation. Ironically, Luisa turns to Eric for help and they conspire to put away Jake for good. Eric does the dirty job and Luisa eventually gets pregnant with his child. Luisa and Eric think they would be living happily ever after when one night, Jake, in all his quiet rage, returns from the dead, ready to confront and annihilate both Luisa and Eric. The movie ends with Luisa locked up in jail after killing Jake in self-defense while Eric also ends up dead, shot by another enemy.
The look of the film is dark, but its fast-paced sequences make it interesting and suspenseful to watch. The chase scene between Jake and Luisa towards the end is especially frightening and exciting. I also particularly like the way Maricel was made to look ordinary and not perfectly made-up. I was all the more impressed with how Richard allowed himself to be deglamourized, sporting long, unkempt hair with his face all puffy and scarred towards the latter part of the movie, very far from his usual matinee idol persona.
The movie’s strongest point, however, lies in Maricel and Richard’s bravura performance. Maricel shows all the nuances of a battered victim whereas Richard succeeds in providing the chilling effect in his most challenging, off-beat role to date.
Dahas is a small film done in a simple setting but is not wanting in social relevance. The issue of domestic violence, the central focus of the movie, is no longer just a private matter between a woman and her partner. The public outcry for a battered victim to get out of the horrible situation and fight for her rights has been growing through the years because there’s absolutely no justification for women battery.
The movie though is not without flaws. The awards night jurors thought the movie lacked positive values and so it only got the Second Best Picture Award. Some critics also questioned Luisa’s flawed character. With all its shortcomings, Dahas is still one of the better Filipino films I have seen and is definitely worth watching.