MANILA, Philippines - Sundalong Kanin is a film that tells the story of four young boys (played by Nathaniel Britt, Isaac Cain Aguirre and Elijah Canlas) coming of age during World War II. Armed with nothing more than hand-made tiradors and baril de pana, they are determined to become soldiers and fight for their country. But when they find the guerilla camp, they are ridiculed and dismissed by the guerillas themselves, who call them sundalong kanin, a term used for boys who have no use in fighting but always end up eating the rations of the entire unit.
The boys are not easily disheartened, however, and they continue to “spy” on the Japanese Army who have recently marched into their small town. The boys are soon faced with the realities of war, and before they know it, they are no longer children playing at being soldiers — they are soldiers, each determined to avenge what they have lost, to protect what they still have, and most importantly, to give justice where there is none.
Sundalong Kanin is Janice O’Hara’s entry to this year’s Cinemalaya Film Festival under the New Breed Category. Having been raised by parents and uncles who worked in the film industry, O’Hara’s wish to direct comes as no surprise. She started out writing for television, under ABS-CBN, then later on ventured into writing for films. She is the writer of Ang Paglilitis ni Andres Bonifacio, a film directed by the late Mario O’Hara for Cinemalaya 2011.
After Ang Paglilitis ni Andres Bonifacio, O’Hara started working on the material for Sundalong Kanin, along with Rey de Castro, Jerry O’Hara and Mario O’Hara. She has always been fascinated with history and the stories in it — that while we all have individual experiences, beliefs and principles, we are still bound by a shared history, something which ultimately defines us as a nation and as a people.
The story of Sundalong Kanin was originally conceived several years ago. Said O’Hara, “Even then, I took a particular interest in it. The idea of children wanting to be real soldiers and joining the war against the Japanese, is certainly a novel one. What attracted me to the story (and what I wanted to bring to the fore) is that it shows how the war affected the lives of these innocent children.”