By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.5 cats
Director: Raya Martin
Starring: Alessandra de Rossi | Lucero | Mika Aguilos | Tetchie Agbayani
Country: france, germany, netherlands, philippines
Year: 2009
Running time: 77
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1346973/
Bruce says: “Occasionally a new director comes along who seems absolutely destined for greatness. After seeing INDEPENDENCIA, I would put Raya Martin on the list of directors to watch. Although INDEPENDENCIA is not a great film it does portend wonderful things to come from what appears to be an extraordinary talent. Having some knowledge about the history of the Philippines is helpful going into this film. The subject is Spanish colonialism and the American invasion – the film is an allegory.
“A mother (Tetchie Agbayani) and her son (Sid Lucero), a young adult, live in the jungle without human contact. They hunt and fish, harvest fruits and vegetables, and live in an abandoned hut. Initially one might ask, ‘Who are these people and why have they run away from society?’ The sounds of the jungle penetrate the days and nights. Martin uses a silver gelatin print tinted with green, painted backdrops of jungle scenes and a classical score to evoke a plaintive, primitive mood.
“The idyllic family duo is changed when the young man discovers a young woman (Alessandra de Rossi) unconscious in the forest. He carries her back to the hut where he and his mother nurse her back to health. Raped by soldiers, she is pregnant; several months later a boy is born. The boy is visibly different from the others but loved just the same. The extended family lives happily together until the old lady dies. Then it is just three again, the traditional family of mom, dad and son (Mika Aguilos). The narrative line is abruptly broken up as a newsreel depicts American soldiers shooting a boy who has stolen from a marketplace. His death serves as an example of what happens to ‘bad boys.’ The sudden shift is jarring and makes one strangely aware of the film’s meaning which has become lost in the storyline. As the boy grows older he gets bolder and strays further away from home. Towards the end of the film he says ‘I hear the sound of the Americans. They are very close.’ The utopia is about to end. 3 1/2 cats
(INDEPENDENCIA screened at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival.)“