Film Review - Tule

A Peep at 'Tule' and the Cinemanila 2005
By: Rianne Hill Soriano

Watching the digital film ‘Tule’ directed by Aureus Solito at the Cinemanila is a refreshing piece to watch inside the regular theaters. It’s good to know that a film as this one is finally given the chance to be produced and shown in mainstream theaters other than our local film festivals and film screenings at the UP Film Center and other alternative venues.

I watched the 3:20 p. m. screening last Oct. 16, 2005 at Robinsons Ermita. Before my actual review of the film, I couldn’t help but mention some disappointing instances. To begin with, prior to the 3:20 p. m. screening, as expected, there was the standard showing of the Philippine National Anthem. As my seat was somewhere at the middle area of the deluxe section, I noticed two people at my far right talking on their seats, as if not hearing the National Anthem. At the middle of the Lupang Hinirang, the girl finally stood in respect, but the guy companion didn’t at all. He could be Filipino in looks, but how would I exactly know, it was quite dark inside… But the point is, it’s a matter of respect. There’s no excuse for that, not even if you’re from another continent, except if you feel like fainting in a few seconds if you stand… What is standing for a couple of seconds for the Lupang Hinirang? It’s not too much effort like walking your way from the mall entrance to the moviehouse! Now, the worst thing was: a number of undisciplined people more barbaric than any other person I ever encountered inside a theater were present. They really ‘horrified’ me, my companions, and even the other people watching the film. Was it because not even half of the seats were occupied that they forgot they weren’t inside a ‘palengke,’ nor probably in the comfort of their own homes? Imagine, somebody talking to another person from his cellphone from my far left… his voice was even louder than the sound of the film? This went on for more or less 10 minutes. People were reacting. Some were even shouting at the barbaric one. A guy nearby even yelled at the inconsiderate being saying, “Lumabas ka na!” But he didn’t care at all. A few minutes after, there you go again with another group of barbaric people doing basically the same thing: chit-chatting inside the theater in maximum volume. I couldn’t be entirely sure if it was a group of pranksters spread around the theater making the lives of the real audience miserable. Some even had their cellphones ringing at times. What ever happened to the cinema audience then? And with the cinema staff of Robinsons Ermita, I was just hoping they would do some actions for those instances, hopefully, next time, in case the barbarians attack once more. Or better yet, may I just address this request to all moviehouses. My apologies, I just couldn’t help but mention them. Give respect. Earn respect.

Now, moving on with my real purpose here…

‘Tule’ explores a number of issues and abstractions of folklore, mysticism and rural life. Poetic as it is, the film is equipped with its director’s power for visual storytelling with the combining elements of simplicity and complexity, symbolisms, parallelisms and experimental touches. Its facet of vagueness promotes both the ethnic and mystical context texturizing the storyline. Its uninhibited but unexploited showing of sexual parts and acts proves to be an effective work bound within the grounds of the film language. The screenplay and treatment for the film show different perspectives that can make the audience think. The people watching the film can prove themselves intelligible. Moreover, the film does not lose focus on its very intentions. The director and the writer know what should be and should not be shown – and maintain an audience’s heart for the story’s turn of events.

The story tackles basic issues on woman empowerment, the struggle in a patriarchal society set in the rural area, the basic Filipino traditions and way of life, and some conflict between Catholicism and the lore on mystical beliefs. It is commendable that although the story engages in very much used concerns in the society brought into the big screen, the treatment goes as far as visually rich within its rawness, realistic within its mystical weaving. The plot unexpectedly jumps into something people would really cling on – and seek for its ending. I don’t want to blurt out the major twists to let the people enjoy watching it still.

The story delves into the painstaking experiences of a girl suffering from the hands of a typical drunkard father who is also known as the man behind the circumcision of almost all the boys in town. The establishing of the story has been focused during the Lenten season. And so, we see scenes of the pasyon, senakulo, sacrifices and charging of ‘anting-anting.’ The story progresses with the exposition of typical Filipino traditions/practices like serenading, the ordinary day for a young working girl selling ‘kakanin’ and ‘monay’ around the barrio, playing ‘sungka’ as a past-time, bathing in a refreshing ‘batis,’ and the flourishing of love and attraction in a simple rural town. It also depicts the hearsays, ‘chismis’ and ‘pamahiin,’ the different stories of the elders, the typical bullying of the weaklings, and the domination and the questioning of a patriarchal society.

With a passive and nothing more than a loving, martyr mother (Eugene Domingo) enduring both the physical and emotional baggages brought by her abusive husband (Bembol Roco) and whose only means to express herself is to cry, and a best friend (Vanna Garcia) who suffers from a past love and loses her unborn baby, the character of Desiree del Valle builds her own strength, will and courage to stand for her redemption and the liberation of the women in her society.

Carlo Aquino’s grandmother in the film tries to add color to the story. Carlo gives justification to the various symbolisms and suggestive thoughts for the theme. Personally, there have been clashing expectations from my end as having been able to watch past films and videos of Aureus Solito vis-à-vis the mainstream image of the lead characters headed by Desiree, Vanna and Carlo. Vanna’s performance is the most inconsistent of the three. Some of her crying scenes have been quite a drag and unconvincing. With Desiree, her very image in the public has helped in putting an effective impression of her strong, rebellious character on screen.

Aside from the utilization of parallelisms like the inheriting of the ‘anting-anting,’ the job of circumcising and the showing of some phallic symbols, the elements of nature and folklore are very much apparent – they seem to have much affinity with the director. The ‘tuhog shots’ are quite effective for emotional build up in most scenes. The raw and realistic look from the 3 DOPs (directors of photography) who have worked for the project are okay. The musical score generally complements the visuals. But there are certain points where, though minimal, it turns against the visuals. The live sound is okay. But overall, as I always get to see in our local films, the sound editing is again, quite a problem here – well, not way too bothering but the sound editing is noticeably not much a priority in productions, especially, those having conservative budgets.

I find the action scene of Carlo defending Desiree and her family from the hands of the townspeople quite corny. Although it has been planted ahead of time in an impressive array of shots that are very commendable in lighting and composition, still, it has looked funny upon execution. It could have been too abrupt that a ‘mano-mano suntukan’ could have been a bit better, perhaps. With justifying the portrayal of typical rural girls’ whereabouts, know-hows and personalities, a perfectionist’s eyes could question the too elitist ways of walking of the 2 ladies hopping on rocks across a fresh body of water – knowing that in reality, any person who has grown up within the area could have done such fast enough like having an ordinary walk in the pedestrian lane.

Capturing the audience in this film doesn’t rely on the visual play of light and composition but more on its content and treatment. In fact, the cinematography is quite rough and too dark at some point (talk about the mainstream look), and yet, it is rather effective for the story. Though it has some flaws, I recommend that you watch this film still – as it is as invigorating as touching the fresh body of water you get to watch on screen. The Cinemanila gives you this rare chance to watch new perspectives and various looks on filmmaking. It is sad to know that the turnout of audience is quite low. Personally, in as much as I would want to watch a number of entries, the busy working schedule and the proximity somehow hinder me from watching more. I do hope that there would be other venues in the near future that can cater to the screening of such films – through a more solid support from both the government and private institutions that can extend more help for the enrichment of the Philippine cinema.