Angeli Bayani – Way Too Indie http://waytooindie.com Independent film and music reviews Fri, 02 Dec 2016 17:34:42 +0000 en-US hourly 1 Way Too Indiecast is the official podcast of WayTooIndie.com. Our film critics grip and gush about the latest indie movies and sometimes even mainstream ones. Find all of our reviews, podcasts, news, at www.waytooindie.com Angeli Bayani – Way Too Indie yes Angeli Bayani – Way Too Indie dustin@waytooindie.com dustin@waytooindie.com (Angeli Bayani – Way Too Indie) The Official Podcast of Way Too Indie Angeli Bayani – Way Too Indie http://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/waytooindie/podcast-album-art.jpg http://waytooindie.com Norte, the End of History http://waytooindie.com/review/movie/norte-the-end-of-history/ http://waytooindie.com/review/movie/norte-the-end-of-history/#respond Mon, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://waytooindie.com/?p=21803 First thing’s first: Lav Diaz’s epic Norte, the End of History is 250 minutes in length, a relatively short running time for the Philippine director (2008’s Melancholia runs 450 minutes, while 2004’s Evolution of a Filipino Family is a whopping 647 minutes). People will naturally run in the other direction the moment they see the four-plus hour runtime, but those willing to give Diaz’s film a chance are in for something special. Yes, Norte requires a bigger investment than other films from its viewers, but its returns are just as large.]]>

First thing’s first: Lav Diaz’s epic Norte, the End of History is 250 minutes in length, a relatively short running time for the Philippine director (2008’s Melancholia runs 450 minutes, while 2004’s Evolution of a Filipino Family is a whopping 647 minutes). People will naturally run in the other direction the moment they see the four-plus hour runtime, but those willing to give Diaz’s film a chance are in for something special. Yes, Norte requires a bigger investment than other films from its viewers, but its returns are just as large.

Fabian (Sid Lucero) is a law school dropout working at a café, barely making enough money to scrape by. He continues to visit his old classmates and professors, all of whom beg him to return and finish up the last year of his studies. Despite his intelligence (friends and colleagues repeatedly mention how he was the smartest person in their class), Fabian is too disillusioned with the world to pursue anything. He believes in a worldview where, to be good or return to a “zero society,” everything bad or immoral must be destroyed.

Eliza (Angeli Bayani) and Joaquin (Archie Alemania) were in the midst of opening their own business when an accident almost killed Joaquin. Their funds depleted, the couple rely on help from Magda, a local loan shark, to lend them money. With Eliza finding no work, and Joaquin unable to work, Eliza begins selling their possessions to pay off debts. When Eliza sells off a family heirloom to Magda, Joaquin tries to get it back, only to freak out and attack Magda when she refuses. Fabian, who also happens to borrow money from Magda, decides to start putting his theories and philosophies into practice. Fabian murders Magda, along with her daughter for being a witness to the crime, and flees.

Norte 2013 movie

Joaquin’s assaulting of Magda makes him an immediate suspect, and in almost no time he’s arrested and sentenced to life in prison. At this point, just over a quarter into the film, Diaz more or less puts the brake on plot development. Diaz cross cuts between Fabian, Eliza and Joaquin at a slower pace, sometimes focusing on one person for up to a half hour before switching over to the next. The change in pace is an effective tactic, though; as each character gets displaced in the aftermath of Fabian’s murders (Eliza moves north with her family to make a living pushing a vegetable cart, Fabian tries to start anew in Manila, and Joaquin serves his time far away in the national penitentiary), Diaz’s elongated focus on each person reflects their newfound isolation.

Diaz’s camerawork, filled with one stunning composition after another, helps the four hours go by a lot faster than one would expect. Much of the running time could be attributed to how Diaz approaches every scene, creating a deliberate pace throughout the film. His lingering on scenes, characters and landscapes feels natural. Scenes feel like they’re unfolding on their own terms instead of feeling like constructions. The way that, despite the artistic framing and carefully planned shots, Diaz’s film feels completely authentic might be the most exciting aspect of Norte.

Norte, the End of History

That authenticity might have to do with Diaz’s placement of character at the forefront of his film. Norte is a highly political film (Diaz has stated plenty of times how Fabian relates to the rise of fascism in his country, among many other political aspects), but the politics rightfully take a backseat to Fabian, Eliza & Joaquin. The various intellectual conversations in the film’s first hour are overflowing with political and philosophical content, but they’re used to develop Fabian as a character. Diaz merely needs to let his drama play out to let audiences see the dramatic irony; Fabian’s act of true justice only led to an even greater injustice. Class division eventually comes into play as we learn more about Fabian’s background, which only emphasizes Eliza and Joaquin’s suffering. Watching the couple simply try to persevere through their circumstances in comparison to Fabian’s internal struggles (along with the shocking directions it takes in the final act) says plenty on its own.

For as much as Diaz spends time showing how his film’s universe isn’t just, towards the final hour he overreaches a bit. Diaz’s saintly portrayal of Eliza and Joaquin reaches a borderline hysteria by the end, and the fate of one character feels like Diaz unnecessarily showing his hand to prove a point he already established. The somewhat unsatisfactory conclusion luckily doesn’t take away from everything that came before it. There are plenty of moments throughout Norte where it realizes its full potential, showing off an amazing breadth and scale that makes it feel on par with reading a great novel. For those willing to give Diaz’s film a chance, Norte will provide one of the year’s best viewing experiences.

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Ilo Ilo http://waytooindie.com/review/movie/ilo-ilo/ http://waytooindie.com/review/movie/ilo-ilo/#comments Mon, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://waytooindie.com/?p=19324 Singapore born director Anthony Chen makes an impressive feature debut with Ilo Ilo, which not only received the Camera d’Or award at Cannes, but it was also Singapore’s official Foreign Language submission to the Oscars. Set during the late-90s financial crisis in Asia, Ilo Ilo observes a Singaporean family trying to overcome parental and financial […]]]>

Singapore born director Anthony Chen makes an impressive feature debut with Ilo Ilo, which not only received the Camera d’Or award at Cannes, but it was also Singapore’s official Foreign Language submission to the Oscars. Set during the late-90s financial crisis in Asia, Ilo Ilo observes a Singaporean family trying to overcome parental and financial woes. It’s a simple story told with a lot of heart that contains hardships that resonate worldwide: parenting struggles, surviving a financial crisis, and putting your family over personal problems.

Despite the weak economy surrounding the Asian financial crisis, the Lim family finds it necessary to hire a live-in maid named Teresa (Angeli Bayani) for a couple of reasons. Apart from simply relieving the pregnant mother Hwee Leng (Yann Yann Yeo) of household chores, Teresa is also hired to keep their troublemaking young boy Jiale (Koh Jia Ler) in line. From the moment Teresa introduces herself to the family, Jiale grumbles about having to share a room with her, immediately establishing the divided connection between the defiant boy and the maid.

Over time the animosity between the two wears thin as Teresa earns respect from Jiale when she doesn’t put up with his rebellious antics. But not everyone takes to her charisma. Jealousy settles in when Hwee notices her son getting along with the maid better than his own mother. But instead of caving into her initial reaction of feeling replaced as a mother, she understands how much Jiale needs the extra attention. And as if that wasn’t enough for a vulnerable pregnant mother to handle, the news of her husband losing his job hits at the most inopportune time. The camera remains glued to its subjects, focusing on their reactions and attention to details while simultaneously building a hefty amount of emotional tension.

Ilo Ilo film

The chemistry between the characters is genuinely felt due to the outstanding performances from everyone involved. The bulk of the weight is put on Bayani’s shoulders as she receives an unwelcome greeting into the family and must stand up for herself without overstepping her bounds. But it’s the youngest actor in Ilo Ilo who makes the biggest slash. And that’s not just because he enjoys water fights in the shower. It’s Koh Jia Ler who somehow makes his bratty, misbehaved character remarkably sympathetic and impossibly endearing. When the youngster takes a break from wreaking havoc on those around him, his thoughtful and caring side is finally exposed. The film certainly wouldn’t have been nearly as heartwarming if these two performers weren’t at the top of their game.

The characters in Ilo Ilo may be speaking in a foreign language, but the themes found within the film are universal. Watching a family try to survive by putting their own problems aside is without a doubt endearing to witness. Thus, Ilo Ilo packs an impressive emotional punch despite the rather concise and familiar storyline. Just about everything about the film can be described as subdued—the muted color saturation, quietness from the lack of score, the restraint pacing of the film—though the overall poignancy of the film is anything but submissive.

Ilo Ilo trailer

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