Sunday at the movies

I completely missed the movies of the last Metro Manila Film Festival, traffic, cooking and an impossible schedule keeping me away from the theaters. Therefore it was a welcome invitation I received a couple of weeks back for a special screening of Panaghoy sa Suba at the Greenbelt’s My Cinema.

Before that, I had a running review of Filmfest movies from my goddaughter Charvee, a freshman at the Ateneo, who watched all the movies in the festival as part of a school assignment. She and her classmates thought that Panaghoy was the best of the lot, although the storyline tended to be thin in some parts. Aishite Imasu had a good story, but they all liked Panaghoy better–and both are stories about World War II and the Japanese, they noted.

With that ringing endorsement I looked forward to the screening. There too to watch the movie were renowned artist Anita Magsaysay Ho and her daughter Doris, former Ambassadors Isabel Wilson and Ching Escaler, both now with the Asian Cultural Council-Philippines, businessman/restaurateur Ernest Escaler, photographer Mandy Navasero, Merly Cruz of the LJC Group, BPI’s Gigi Montinola and Roni Tapia Merk... an interesting crowd for sure.

It was indeed a good movie. I particularly liked the way the landscape was made an integral part of the movie, particularly the Loboc River, which in the movie seemed a lot more lush and beautiful than I remember. Each bend and twist of the river, the slow, deliberate flow of its waters, the life along its banks were eloquent where dialogue fell short or was absent. It was a bonus that the celebrated Loboc Children’s Choir sang the title song. The film was obviously made by a native son proud of his province, a paean lovingly crafted. More movies should be made like this.

The storyline was simple and straightforward, but with depths that the actors provided. Yes, it could be tightened in places, but forgiveable, for overall it was a delightful way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

I ran into Panaghoy producer/director/actor Cesar Montano and his wife, waif-like Sunshine Cruz, last weekend at a birthday party in Tagaytay and offered effusive congratulations. Obviously the movie means a lot to him, and he was thrilled with the compliments, especially my goddaughter’s endorsement. He revealed that the movie has been submitted to international film festivals, and I hope it reaps success in those venues and brings Philippine cinema one more rung up the ladder in the international movie arena.