It's Not That Complicated -- ang babasahin para sa mga Alien! ~ by: Uel Ceballos

Kung ihahalintulad sa isang pagkain ang akdang ito ni Eros Atalia, ang akdang sumunod sa naunang sulating "Ligo na U, Lapit Na Me", ang "Its Not That Complicated" ay isang malinamnam na putaheng kumpleto sa mga rekado at siksik sa sustansya. Pagpapawisan ka sa paghigop ng mainit nitong sabaw na bahagyang pinalapot upang maging masarsa at mag-iwan ng kakaibang lasa sa iyong dila na hinding-hindi mo malilimutan. Pihadong mapapasabak ka sa walang humpay na paglantak sa hain nitong napakamalamang sangkap hanggang sa tumirik ang mga mata mo at maghabol-hininga ka sa rurok ng iyong kabusugan.

Muling pakikibutin ni Intoy ang natutulog niyong puso, pakikislutin ang nanlalamig niyong mga ugat, paaagusin ang nagsesebo niyong dugo at pasasakitin ang nanahimik niyong puson sa muling pagtatagpo nila ni Jen na ngayo’y may kasama pang Tina.

Sila Jen at Tina ang mga alien na sumugod at nanggulo sa buhay ni Intoy hindi upang manakop kundi upang makihati ng saglit sa mumunting mundo ng binata at magbaon ng kapiraso nito sa kanilang pag-alis. Ang kapirasong iyon ng mundo ni Intoy ang gagamitin nila Jen at Tina upang lumikha ng panibagong mundong kanilang pagyayamanin.

Higit pa sa akdang pang-romansa ang It’s Not That Complicated dahil bukod sa likas na pangingiliti nitong taglay ay may hatid din itong nanunundot na paksang magpapasilab sa iyong kaalamang panlipunan. Kumbaga’y hindi lamang nito pauusukin ang tenga’t ilong mo, kundi puputungan ka pa ng bombilyang nagniningas ang liwanag.

Nakakatawa man ang mga linya ni Eros, may angkin namang itong talim na nakalilikha ng malalim na hiwa. Malaya nitong paaagusin ang dugong namuo na sa sobrang tagal nang hindi pagdaloy. 

Nababagay ang prosang ito sa mga alien sa sariling bansa ng sa gayon nama’y makilala na nila ang Pilipinas sa totoo nitong kulay at kalagayan. Baka sakaling magkainteres ang mga Pilipinong alien na ito na magkaisang agawin ang pamumuno sa mga mapagpanggap na nilalang (na silang totoong mga alien). Kapag nangyari iyon tuluyan na nilang masasakop ang Pilipinas at mapagyayamang muli hindi na bilang mga alien kundi mga totoong Pilipinong inangkin na rin sa wakas ang sariling pagkakakilanlan.  

KUBRADOR : MAKE YOUR BET ~ by: Uel Ceballos

The Pinoy Indie movie Kubrador was the embodiment of a crudely conspicuous film that was both courageous and shamelessly frank on its portrayal of the Jueteng issue in the country. Extremely firm on its conviction, Kubrador had brazenly explored the anomalies of those persons in rank positions who should be helping out to eradicate the illegal betting but were taking part instead in the entire scheme. 

The film covered all the aspects of the social and economic borders that were reached by this gambling activity. The movie showed as well the impoverished condition in the country that was pushing the majority of the poor to rely their luck on making a bet to the illegal number games while the rich people were even more lured to bet on the game for the promised of greater and quicker gain of riches.

Kubrador centered to the story of Amy, an old woman (Gina Pareño) who provided for her family from the small earnings that she was getting as bet collector. Her life was set in a monotonous reality – roaming around their place from early morn to late evening encouraging her neighbors to place their bet – until certain events came up (concerning her livelihood as bet collector and the unforeseen experiences which involved the mystical presence of her late son’s spirit) that eventually transformed her life.

The authority then had become stricter in their operation to get rid of the illegal number games due to the jueteng issue involved by the two consecutive Philippine presidents. The first one was on the year 2000, wherein President Estrada was impeached after being proven guilty of receiving millions on illegal pay offs. The next one was President Macapagal wherein there were allegations that her relatives were receiving payouts from the jueteng operators.

Kubrador had clearly depicted how the crippled society had fallen to the pit of Jueteng world just to survive their daily needs. The setting in the film was all too crystal-clear, showing the poverty-stricken squatter that actually defined the Philippine society in a larger picture. As Amy was shown walking around the area, all the details that characterized the destitute state of the poor were given away in this film – slum, unemployment, overpopulation, subsistence living, barely making ends meet – Kubrador had also shown here some ways of the Filipinos to escape poverty such as finding a foreigner husband and working overseas for a greater source of income.

But what really made this film aggressively daring was its presentation of the corrupted system which in one way or another had quite illustrated the involvement of political, military and police branches. The film had also showed the Church’s connection on this Jueteng matter though it was demonstrated here in a subdued manner.  

The effect of the film to me was quiet heartbreaking to the sense that it was trying to

impress the hopelessness of the Philippine system due to the despoiled persons who are in the positions. And what extremely highlighted to the movie were the sad facts that while the poor keep on struggling in their lives to the point that they are involving their selves to illegal jobs, the rich ones also keep on gaining benefits from the schemes where the poors were set in the frontiers like the pawns in a board game.  

Many subordinate issues also were presented in this film, all chained from the main header of the subject – poverty. I noticed that there were several times that Amy was shown buying a bottled mineral water from a sari-sari store and there was an instance where she expressed her dismay over the expensiveness of the distilled water. It dawned on me then how the poor are so deprived of clean water to drink, which in turn, causing them several water-related diseases and other sorts of malady.

However, the presence of unnatural element here had somehow balanced the movie between the desperate conditions and the optimism that each new day brings. The spirit of Amy’s late son Eric, was seen at numerous parts of the film watching and guarding his mother. There were highlighted parts that emphasized the significance of Eric’s spirit, subtly pacifying the mood and bringing lights not only to Amy and her family but to the audiences as well.

Technicality-wise, there were lacks of lighting in the movie which gave it the most appropriate effect – the dimness of setting and the rawness of shots were next to the perfect depiction of the lower class society. The texture was so perfect that its effects will really include and immerse you to the film’s setting and depressing situation.

For this Pinoy Indie that received numbers of awards and nominations from both local and abroad, I will give it a rate of 10 Espresso Shots!