A vast and beautiful greenery spreading over the mountains, rich blue waters, and lush forests. Against the backdrop, we hear the Islamic prayer songs of the Bangsamoro people, and see a crippled child walking along with his parents towards a mosque, a victim of war.
BAGONG BUWAN is one of the rarest of Filipino films. It is a smart, unflinching, and heartbreaking look at the war in Mindanao between the Philippine government (during President Joseph Estrada's short stint) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), primarily through the eyes of the Bangsamoro (or Moros as they are more popularly known). But it is more than that, it is also a story of one's man beliefs being challenged by war, and in telling his ordeal, our beliefs are challenged as well. The love and care that went into the making of this movie is so evident, that it is a marvel, a rare and special gift from the film's creators to its Filipino audience.
It's story revolves around Dr. Ahmad Ismael (Cesar Montano), who grew up in Mindanao (and wed there) but works in Manila as a surgeon. He discovers that his young son has been killed by Christian vigilantes and goes home to grieve for him with his nurse-wife Fatima (Amy Austria), and his mother Bae Farida (Caridad Sanchez). Upon arriving, he comes in conflict with his rebel leader-brother Musa (Noni Buencamino) due to their clashing ideals, but still strives to treat the victims around him, regardless of what religion they belong to.
It is in the course of his treating war victims (and some of them eventually casualties), that Ahmad comes across several people who's views and shared experiences give him (and the audience) a deeper understanding of the Mindanao conflict. Datu Ali (Ronnie Lazaro) is a respected tribal leader who values his Moro heritage. His abode is a place where many of the injured are treated. His stance is militant, but understandably so. He is a hardened man who has lost patience with peace efforts ("Why don't you tell Musa about the many peace negotiations he's been to), but not his passion for his homeland.
Datu Ali's home is soon come across by a troop of government soldiers, led by Lieutenant Ricarte (Jericho Rosales), who are searching for suspected rebels. One critic says that the Ricarte character is too understanding to be a soldier, taking the time to explain to all those being treated that the government wishes no harm, and would just like the rebels to surrender. I'm inclined to agree. But the filmmakers have already pointed out that he is an idealistic soldier with good intentions in his first war, so I can overlook that. A tougher more hardened soldier would have made it a more challenging movie. Though his efforts are well meant, his understanding of the war is limited (just as ours is), but there is goodness in him that we identify with. We care for his youth, and realize how many young men like him must've been sent to the Mindanao conflict. After the lieutenant's troops are ambushed, Ahmad, his family, and the injured flee into the jungle forest, hoping to escape possible reprisal and to seek safer ground.
Other characters include Ahmad's nephew Rashid (Carlo Aquino), a young rebel who has a deep hatred for Christians, since his mother died trying to escape crossfire. Jason (Jhong Hilario) is a volunteer peaceworker who like Ahmad wants to help all the war's victims. And Francis (Jiro Manio) is a young tyke visiting from a metropolitan city, who after getting frightened by a city square bombing, strays into a passenger vehicle leading to his coincidental meeting with Rashid, who planted the bomb. He and Rashid constantly argue, and develop a bond (which is sort of cliche). That bond is usually in the form of comedic and tragic relief from bleak nature of the story.
I watch a lot of foreign news. And I cringe (and cry at few times) when I see deaths between Palestinians and Jews (especially when youngsters are shot). BAGONG BUWAN reminded me that in 2001 (and probably to a lesser extent, right this moment), a very similar type of bloodshed had been going here at home all along. It's shocking to see that kind of violence between to cultures or religions, but to me it is even more mind-boggling that it could happen within a nation's borders, just short of civil war. We see it in lots of places nowadays, Nigeria, Indonesia, Northern Ireland, Iraq, and yes... Afghanistan.
BAGONG BUWAN is a special type of war (or more appropriately "anti-war") movie. Like THREE KINGS (only much more serious), it not only tells us that war is bad, but it nobly tries to comprehend all angles. Though the picture is told from a Moro point of view, it has no real villains, except probably for the vigilantes and CAFGUs (Citizen Armed Forces Geographical Units) that hold no reasonable convictions in the war. We have always viewed the MILF as terrorists (reasonably so by some of their tactics), but their union was founded on strongly held values and beliefs. After seeing this movie, I realized that many rebels are not like the brainwashed pawns of Al-Qaeda. They fight over the principle that great areas in Mindanao are the lands of their forefathers (and probably ours at that). Their ancestors have fought against Spanish and American colonists, and we consider the Datus of old heroes for that. It is surprising that we take their descendants as barbarians. Their struggle, unlike many Islamic rebels/terrorists, is over their heritage, and not so much over religion (although religion gives them more reason to justify their acts).
The rebels are not the only party to have their story told. We see the killing of the innocents, the unlucky bystanders. Families that have been cut down, and individuals that have been mutilated. This picture does not shy away from a horror that needs to be shown. In the movie, their are two deaths of delivering mothers who will never get to rear their born, making us understand that right from birth, hatred will be sown. It doesn't help that most of the victims are women and children. Like in Michael Mann's HEAT, the women are sense of reason, yet the men stray away from them to be boys. Fatima (which is an obvious reference to Mother Mary) is so noble and accepting, that despite the death of her son, that she holds no ill will towards Christians. She is as tired of the war as anybody would be. And Bae Farida's pleas to her son Musa go unheeded even after her death. Ahmad tells Musa of her passing, "Even as she was dying, she was looking for you... ever since she was a child, she has been running... the war killed her..."
Despite the despair and sadness that occasionally permeates the film, Marilou Diaz-Abaya knows when to pull back so that we can get a glimpse of humanity and Mindanao's beauty at just the right moments, which I found astonishing since I can recall of no Filipino director able to do this so skillfully (almost masterfully). She has a great feel of emotional cues and visual poignancy. She knows when to show a child playing with a yo-yo, a father's longing for his son, a joke, a flashback, a vista. There are so many memorable, powerful scenes, that I felt I was watching a great director at work. For instance, when one Moro militant dies, she is able to convey the ending of that man's ancestral legacy through flashbacks of his forefathers doing the same last act. Another scene where we see a group of Muslims praying in song, then pulling back to show two Catholic's praying the rosary. A lot of the audience laughed at this oddity, but the director merely wants to show that in a nation where Catholics are the majority, our sensibilities seem strange, out of place in Muslim-dominated Mindanao.
The film has many memorable performances. Jericho Rosales is suprisingly good as the lieutenant. It is obvious that he did his homework researching on military maneuvers. He is not stereotype shoot-em-up hero you see in Filipino action flicks. He is convincing, and his mannerisms reflect a battle-ready soldier. Ronnie Lazaro is solid as ever. I liked how he adds little nuances to his character (the spitting of tobacco, the intonation in his voice) giving more than anyone could ask for. And Amy Austria shows how great an actress she's always been. You can see why Ahmad would love Fatima due to her caring nature.
But the two central performances in this film belong to Caridad Sanchez and Cesar Montano. I haven't seen HUBOG, but Assunta De Rosi (is that really her name?) must have been extraordinarily good to beat Mrs. Sanchez, whose performance is absolutely heartbreaking. You can see the agony, the suffering, and the emotional weariness she endures as she virtually loses everything to the war. Yet, her character is able to maintain a sanity that every character draws upon. Her stare penetrates you with a sense of urgency, love, and hope. Hers is one of the most unforgettable pieces of acting I have ever seen. And as of Cesar Montano, I never realized he was such a quality actor. He is capable of such bravura and flamboyance, but here he plays it straight. I was waiting for him to do an Al Pacino by overacting, but he pulls it in and does a Tom Hanks. Here he is an ordinary man in abnormal circumstances, being pushed to the limit. His son has been killed, his nephew in danger of being a casualty, and at a time when his patients and family need him most, he starts to lose confidence in his abilities and convictions. He reaches a breaking point, and the decisions he comes to on the way are acts we all can understand. At one point he screams, "God is punishing me!"
Another special aspect of BAGONG BUWAN is that though it tries to explain the Mindanao war, it doesn't pretend to know all the answers. It shows characters that are passionate and at times confused how the war came to be. When a child is asked why both parties are fighting, Bae Farida answers, "At times even I don't even understand... but I do understand that a piece of paper by the government shouldn't take away the land of our ancestors." A lot of people in the theater reacted strongly to some of the dialogue, and that is another proof of its uniqueness. It provokes a reaction, but a serious one. Many people will disagree with some of the ideas, but the film will challenge us to think twice about what we know about the Mindanao conflict, which is far better than a film that wishes to stay safe. A lesser film would've tried to tell us who is right and who is wrong, when in truth both sides think they're right and the other wrong, and that there are no easy answers.
O my, how I wish there were more Filipino films like BAGONG BUWAN. It is hardly flawless, and its shortcomings (its length and some cliche moments) keep it from being a great picture (at times it can get preachy). But I cannot ignore its ambition, its subject, and its superb effort. It is proof that quality Filipino films can still be made if only more local filmmakers would actually take risks in taking care of their craft. The screenplay is solid, the script so much better than the usual fare, the cinematography noteworthy, and the acting matter-of-fact. There are moments in this picture that are almost as beautiful as the heart that was put into making this film, and in that it makes me proud. One of those scenes shows Ahmad staring into the starry-night sky filled with a crescent moon as he comforts his wife Fatima, "A new moon is up. Don't worry... a better day is coming."
