Philippine Films at TIFF 2015

Philippine Films at TIFF 2015

Honor Thy Father

Directed by Erik Matti

Starring: John Lloyd Cruz, Meryll Soriano, Tirso Cruz III

SYNOPSIS

A pair of married white-collar swindlers run afoul of their latest victims, in this suspenseful crime drama from celebrated Filipino director Erik Matti.

One of the most assured directors to emerge from the Philippines in the last two decades, Erik Matti has consistently used genre devices to address complex social issues. Prosti was a perceptive look at the sex trade, and On the Job was a fine study of police corruption. His latest, the crime thriller Honor Thy Father, examines fundamentalist Christianity and white-collar crime in the Philippines.

After years of financial struggle, Kaye (Meryll Soriano) and Edgar (John Lloyd Cruz) are finally on a roll. Kaye has made millions promoting her father’s investment scheme to her friends and fellow Pentecostal parishioners at the Church of Yeshua. But their world unravels instantaneously one day when Edgar swings by his father-in-law’s house to find the place ransacked and the old man gone. It doesn’t take long for Kaye’s friends to turn on the couple, who go to the fiery bishop for help. But he’s not exactly generous, preoccupied as he is with raising money for a new temple (and with the promise of extravagant kickbacks).
The parishioners continue to demand their money back, and Kaye and Edgar start receiving death threats. When the tension erupts in violence, Edgar decides to seek the aid of his criminally inclined family.

Honor Thy Father is many things: a suspenseful story of betrayal and retribution, a drama about familial reconciliation, and a commentary on the tenuous nature of newfound wealth. Holding everything together are Matti’s fluid, skilled direction and the tightly wound performance by Cruz, whose Edgar — disgusted by the greed and hypocrisy he encounters — seems always on the verge of exploding.

*****

Erik Matti:
Filmmaker, Honor Thy Father
Erik Matti was born in the Philippines and learned filmmaking through onset apprenticeship. His films include his feature debut, Scorpio Nights 2 (98), followed by Cross (99), Prosti (03), which played the Festival, Tiktik: The Aswang Chronicles (12), and On the Job (13). Honor Thy Father (15) is his latest film. (Source: tiff.net)

Imbisibol (Invisible)

Directed by Lawrence Fajardo

Starring: Allen Dizon, Ces Quesada, Bernardo Bernardo, Ricky Davao, JM De Guzman

SYNOPSIS

This stark and heart-wrenching film weaves together several narratives about undocumented Filipino workers trying to support themselves and their families back home by taking under-the-counter work in Japan.
Few countries have been more impacted by the phenomenon of the migrant worker than the Philippines. Free-trade agreements and globalization have further exacerbated the situation, making illegal or undocumented work that much more tempting. The reason for Filipinos to seek work abroad is, of course, to bring back wealth from richer countries, but, as Invisible demonstrates, life has a way of intruding.

Lawrence Fajardo’s stark and heart-wrenching film incorporates several different narratives about unlicensed Filipino workers in Japan. Benjie and Edward are two middle-aged men who fell for each other in Japan, a secret they keep from the loved ones they’re supporting back home. Manuel is an aging gigolo who’s past his prime and finding it increasingly difficult to make ends meet. And the seemingly saintly Linda is there legally, but constantly fights with her Japanese husband because she rents rooms to undocumented Filipinos.

One of the most finely crafted Filipino films in recent memory, Invisible is full of moments whose emotional impact is connected to their technical precision; you may never see a shot more poignant than the one of Benjie at Edward’s surprise birthday party, waiting in vain for his lover to show up. The film makes use of long shots reminiscent of Yasujiro Ozu’s films, and its formalist framings — which sometimes relegate entire conversations and arguments to off-screen space — call to mind those of Ruben Östlund (Force Majeure). Fajardo shares thematic concerns with those two filmmakers as well. Invisible is about the bonds of family and nationality, and about just how tenuous those ties can be. Solidarity and generosity are difficult values to uphold when the threat of deportation looms.

******

Lawrence Fajardo is a Filipino filmmaker. He studied film and theatre at the University of St. La Salle Bacolod before making his feature debut with Mother’s Racket (06), followed by Prinsesa (07), Amok (11), XDeal (11), Shackled (12), and The Strangers (12). Imbisibol (15) is his latest film. (Source: tiff.net)

Beast

Directed by Tom McKeith and Sam McKeith

Starring: Garret Dillahunt, Chad McKinney, Angeli Bayani, Will Jaymes, Wyzel Myo Indonto

SYNOPSIS

After accidentally killing his opponent in a crooked fight, a young Filipino-American boxer is forced to go on the run through the teeming streets of Manila.

Australian writer-directors Tom and Sam McKeith have taken elements of classic boxing films, added thriller twists, and refracted the resulting story through the lens of social realism to create Beast. This is a heart-pounding tale that captures your attention from the first frame and never loses its grip.

In the teeming, steaming streets of Manila, we meet Jaime (Chad McKinney), a young Filipino-American boxer managed by his father Rick (Garret Dillahunt), an American expat. Rick has great ambitions for his son, and convinces the reluctant Jaime to tamper with his gloves in order to win a match that matters a lot to some nefarious sideliners. When his defeated opponent dies from injuries sustained in the match, the guilt-stricken Jaime insists on turning himself in, despite pressure from his father to keep quiet. However, the criminals who had a stake in the game are combing the streets for Jaime, and the young boxer has already found his way to his opponent’s family — who now must join him on the run.

The heart of the story is Jaime’s struggle to decide if he can still be a good man after having done a bad thing. To redeem himself in his own eyes means breaking away from his father and all he’s ever known, and it remains uncertain right up until the last moment whether he will pay this price.

Tipping its stylistic hat to gritty cult classics such as Nicolas Winding Refn’s Pusher trilogy, and delving deep into Jaime’s ethical conundrum even as it takes us on a tour of the rarely-shown-on-screen Manilan underworld, Beast breathes new life into the boxing-film genre.

****

Tom McKeith is a Sydney-based filmmaker. He graduated from the Australian Film, Television and Radio School in screen directing. He co-directed the shorts Rain (11), Convenience (13), and A Farewell Party (14) with Sam McKeith. Beast (15) is his debut feature.

Sam McKeith is a Sydney-based filmmaker. He graduated from the Australian Film, Television and Radio School in screenwriting. He co-directed the shorts Rain (11), Convenience (13), and A Farewell Party (14) with Tom McKeith. Beast (15) is his debut feature. (Source: tiff.net)