Friday, January 09, 2009

Baler

“Sa Baler, nagsimula ang isang kuwento ng pag-ibig.”

The opening line of the movie Baler spells quite a strong promise of a love story. Indeed, it was a love story, but unlike your typical love stories that naturally highlight the romantic thrill, Baler gives us a dose of the love that we have for every human being – even if they are called enemies at the time of war. Indeed, as the movie line says it, this “love is worth fighting for” – because we struggle to keep this love even if it sometimes conflicts with our concepts of freedom, loyalty, and love for life.

For those with kilig expectations for this movie, they need to be toned down, I suppose. Neither Jericho-Anne nor the Nikki-Mark on-screen chemistry is vivid. If you are a Jericho fan (like me!!), that superficial romantic thrill is a given. But in my opinion, the couples had no giant gestures of love, thus their love may be true but it was not great. And at the time of war, and given their circumstances, I was hoping for a great love.

BUT the movie highlights a greater love. It is the love for every human being amidst the set-up of a war where people are supposed to kill, to shoot, in the name of whoever for a whatever purpose perceived to be noble. Because at the end of the day, we look at the individual rather than the troop we are supposed to kill. Feliza loved Celso because she looked at him not as a soldier but as a person. Gabriel (Carlo Aquino) stayed with the Spanish soldiers because he was loyal to a person.

The Acting

Jericho is well …. very himself – the intense actor that he is known for. Probably the reason why he did not bag the Best Actor awards. Maybe the judges are looking for something positively different – which to be fair to him, he was able to deliver in certain scenes of the movie, especially during the “Bravo meal”.

Philip Salvador who played the father to Feliza and Gabriel rightfully deserves the Best Supporting Actor award. It was very evident how he shifts from being a man whose sound hatred toward the Spaniards influences how he lives his life (and wants his children to live theirs too), to a father with an innate love for his children (and grandchild later on).

Anne’s acting was good – in the sense that her movements and facial expression sometimes make me forget that her being mestiza should have been a consideration before they gave her the role. But she was able to pull it off. It is just that maybe, I expected more than the ‘in-love’ and the worried look – especially since she is the Best Actress.

The Lighting

I watched the making of the movie, and one of the pride of the movie is its lighting, which they tried to look as natural or raw as possible. To that I agree plus I love the contrast of the bluish tone of the inside of the church versus the lush greens of the outside, not to mention the red orange tinge that sets the romantic mood during Feliza and Celso’s time alone together.