Film Review - Ilusyon

Looking through 'Ilusyon' and giving new hope for Filipino filmmaking
By: Rianne Hill Soriano

Starring: Yul Servo, Jaycee Parker, Ronnie Lazaro, Techie Agbayani
Directed by: Paolo Villaluna, Ellen Ramos

The film industry may be going through difficult times, but digital films costing from some hundred thousands to a few million give hope for artists and film outfits. Indeed, another door has been opened as independent filmmakers Paolo Villaluna and Ellen Ramos come out with Viva Digital’s ’Ilusyon.’

Showing up in the production design and music, ‘Ilusyon’ explores a story set in the 1950’s. Miguel (Yul Servo) is a young, inspiration-seeking painter from the countryside while Stella (Jaycee Parker) is a nude model pegged with the looks of Marilyn Monroe. They meet up at the apartment of Miguel’s father, Pablo (Ronnie Lazaro), a renowned painter in Manila. Pablo leaves for the province to heal from his depression and find his lost self in his ‘intrapersonal cave’ after his wife’s (Techie Agbayani) death. Meanwhile, coming from the province, Miguel spends a vacation at his father’s apartment and finds a job as a house painter. One day, the femme fatale Stella arrives at the apartment to pose for Pablo. Mesmerized by her beauty, Miguel pretends to be his father and tries to paint her. They fall in love in a deception that Miguel has risked for. But complications starts pouring in as the gorgeous Stella is struck by a strange skin disease that starts to disillusion Miguel.

Inspired by a story of a painter in the 50’s, the tale comes from fellow filmmaker Jon Red. Villaluna and Ramos have shot this debut full-length film in less than a week with a very conservative budget. And yet, the film tends to prove that quality doesn’t necessarily come with having a big budget. The treatment for the film is more than just that usual formulaic movie we tend to see in most local and even Hollywood films. ‘Ilusyon’ delves into surrealism that is set in a period drama. It doesn’t drown itself pretentiously on the power of digital effects to make up for things that could have been lost along the way during filming. Backed up with its surreal and mildly comic way of “storytelling a typical melodrama story,” its simple, raw look gets itself into an advantage.

The film explores the concepts of beauty, love, lust, truth and reality. A combination of some strange and some simple characters add color to the presentation of the story. Expect to see a talking cow from the province, a blabber-type mailman, a flirting girl-next-door, a nosy landlady, a typical egotistic boss of a small-scale business, and some concerned co-workers. Miguel becomes blinded by immaturity and he gets lost along the way. He centers his attention to the present without thinking much of the responsibilities and the accountabilities he might have in the future. Regardless of the fact that his relationship with Stella is based on a lie, he turns things his way without much caution. And here, he succumbs into the same account as his father’s own poignant experiences. But on the good side of things, Miguel finally unleashes his true artistic talent from his mixed up emotions as he gets to face the consequences of his actions. The surreal tone of the film justifies what merely happens in the story.

The film visually plays around yellow to some slightly orange tones and shades of red. The warm look is further enhanced using diffusers/warm promists at appropriate times. The shots tend to be dynamic, at most times moving, reflecting the confounded mind of Miguel. And although such a digital look as seen on this film has not yet reached the topmost resolution of a print projected on big screen and originally shot on 35mm film, the digital revolution really proves a hopeful future for filmmaking. And the good thing about the making of ‘Ilusyon’ is that the rawness and the little imperfections not yet overcome by digital shooting are carefully utilized and infused to match the right look for the story. The surreal attack is further enhanced by using simple animation that the audience would just normally see in independent productions. The story is creatively interpreted to complement its surrealism in such an abstract way – more than just being spoon-fed with a screenplay overflowing with dialogues and a treatment having overboard melodrama effects. It leaves a creative space for the audience to think and play around various perspectives, possibilities and interpretations. It is something new for the audience to enjoy in the theaters (particularly at the UP Cine Adarna and Robinsons theaters – they are open to projecting digital films for considerably regular showing). However, I noticed minor flaws in the sound. I haven’t exactly confirmed if it’s a problem with the projector used or with the final cut screened inside the theater.

Acting performances of the characters harmonize with the treatment for the film. The combinations of quirkiness, strangeness and simplicity are built up and well-kept. The emotions evoked are generally on the right taste. But there are a few moments that have focused a bit more on the technical side of storytelling – they have not exactly lost touch, but they could have had more heart and could have been more touching and relating to the audience if played around a bit more.

This year, after ‘La Visa Loca,’ ‘Ilusyon’ comes next in line as the Cinema Evaluation Board gives it an A rating. And Viva Digital, the digital production arm of Vic del Rosario’s Viva Films, gives more hope to revive the film industry and to open doors for new talents. It may be a tough battle for all struggling filmmakers (personally, in my own definition, the directors, all the members of the production staff, crew, cast, and even the producers, are all filmmakers because they contribute to the collaborative effort of making a film). There’s a long way to go. As a struggling filmmaker myself who is one with the greater population of artists already ‘disillusioned’ in the kind of system and the close-minded terms of those who have the control in the present film industry, it is deeply saddening that most talents just get manipulated and exploited by those in power just to make sure they survive in our crisis-stricken country – and a certain population remaining in the shadows are tough enough to never yield to the rotten system (The word is ‘disillusionment,’ just like with Miguel falling hard in his own disillusionment in the story). Right now, let us look forward to a tough transition from sprouting opportunities for the new generation of filmmakers who are more open to changes, for transformation, for revolution.

The year 2005 gives much hope for us disillusioned ones. It has unwrapped a breed of hibernating talents from the young, independent and struggling filmmakers: projects like Cinemalaya, Cinema One Digitals, Cinemanila and production outfits unlocking doors for digital films and new talents to break in to the industry and get nearer to what we call ‘mainstream.’ It may still be hard for most of us to break in now, and we can not entirely overcome the system as the dark aspect of things like having to go through the political and influential side of certain festivals, award-giving bodies, and various production opportunities may sometimes, or actually, at frequent times, are a combination of talent and/or ‘kumpadre system,’ ‘utang na loob,’ use of power, sometimes, just mere luck… These things almost always get on the way. They exist in our society not just in the film industry but in the overall system of our social order. Now, there goes the issue of the survival of the fittest… Reality bites at times. Shit happens sometimes. But putting it in simple, comic terms - it’s just sometimes, not all the time... And if we remove our own selfish motives and look at things more positively, let us be happy that a handful from a sea of great talents are given opportunities – that our dream for a good change can be, slowly but surely, realized through them. And we can all enjoy and live up to a new flair in Filipino filmmaking – that can help our revolutionizing culture build our own identity. Moreover, all these can further uplift the stand of the next generation of artists, our sons and daughters, to come up with more developments. And relating this to ‘Ilusyon’s’ Miguel and Pablo, it is a learning and a healing process… to make things better.

To all the artists, let go of the angst through creative expression – no matter how big or small. Let us move on with the struggle. To the Filipino audience, let’s open our doors to diversity and new views for a good change. Let us break barriers and stop allowing the old ones (not just by age, but also by having a boxed mindset) dominate our system. Let us let go of authorities and influential ones trying to make us stuck in the past. They are the selfish chunk of their generation – who never wants to grow. They hide their being trapped in the past by utilizing the technical innovations for making films with the overused formula, style and treatment. They keep the audience stuck with nothing more than recycled materials without much creativity and possibly new/post-modernist attacks.

With digital technology on boost right now, let us continue to come up with new art forms that are meant for self-expression and let us keep track of each one’s own medium for conveying various messages to our society. With our present struggle in filmmaking, let us keep the transition going by meeting the two clashing sides halfway. Let both parties compromise and survive… and make some responsible change. And making good, meaningful and entertaining films can be one good way… Like the two generations of Pablo and Miguel, both of them have tried to heal and learn from their experiences. Let us live up to that.

Reviving the film industry and film as an art medium won’t remain an illusion - if we utilize our resources, reach out and come up with something like ‘Ilusyon.’