Astig: Authentic People, Authentic Story

This independent film is a story of the lives of four ordinary men, each facing an obstacle in life.


The primary message of the film, for me, is that people have different ways of solving their problems. Sometimes, solving our problems become so difficult and bothersome that we have to resort to immoral solutions. Kapit-patalim, as referred to in Filipino.


Somehow, the movie made me understand why they do such things. It made it easy for me to put myself in their shoes and imagine myself in their situation. What would I do? This question became easier to answer that I allowed myself to be tolerant of these acts for a moment, only for a moment.


Added to the great plot of the film is the excellent acting of the actors portraying their role. Although it was clear that the camera used was not the high definition type and the shots were not that amazing, these things made the film more real to me.


Symbolisms were also present in the movie. The falsified documents Ariel produces represent his lies and fabricated stories to the women he victimized.  in Boy's story, the cinema represents hope, perhaps a solution for his problems to be solved. On the other hand, Ronald's dilapidated building that has been rejected by many buyers represents his identity as a person. He was also rejected by his half-brothers, half-sisters and even his father. Baste, for me, is a symbol of a young father, a young man bombarded with a lot of responsibilities.


The movie gave me another reason to love indie films. It's real, interesting and leaves me in awe. I am looking forward for more authentic stories. i encourage everyone to support indie films especially now that a fusion between indie and mainstream films is in the works.

Malena: Beauty Can Be a Curse

Malena (2000) is a movie which revolves around a soldier's wife left alone in a small Sicilian town where Benito Mussolini was considered to be a hero. Being an extraordinary beauty, she attracts the attention of the men in her community, including a young boy by the name of Renato. Renato develops a deep infatuation for Malena and proceeds to observe her daily activities. Malena's popularity with men caused a deep jealousy for the women in her town. When news that her husband died broke out, Malena was forced to become a prostitute to survive. The women's hatred towards her worsened; it came to a point when she was attacked by them. She was then driven out of town. After a couple of days, her husband arrived in town and looked for Malena. With Renato's help, the couple was reunited and returned back in town where they started a new life.
The movie was character-oriented. It was focused on the diverse personalities of each character. The character portrayed by Monica Belluci (Malena) was a strong woman. It takes a great deal of patience to ignore nasty gossips and criticisms about you. It also is very courageous to return to the town where you faced great ridicule and pain. Furthermore, Giuseppe Sulfaro's (Renato) character was indeed an adolescent boy becoming aware of his sexual urges.

It is really very difficult to find the perfect location for a movie that focuses on a small town in a countryside so I give my congratulations to the cast and crew of the movie. According to my research, it was shot in Castelcuto, Sicily and the setting was perfect!

The theme of the movie was young love amidst the presence of a hostile society. Renato's infatuation and deep admiration for Malena evolved into love. At the very last moment, Renato found the courage in him to tell Malena's husband her whereabouts because the boy was deeply concerned about her.

As the director and writer, Giuseppe Tornatore's style seemed to center in the presence of a number of symbols. First, there was Renato's shorts. His act of wearing shorts everywhere he goes signify his being a kid, his innocence and youth. However, when he started wearing pants, he was seen as someone who is already matured. His unsent letters to Malena represent his uncertainty, fear and cowardice. The hole where Renato used to peep at Malena signifies the one-sided connection between the two of them. Renato, who uses it to observe Malena develops a connection with her while Malena, who is unaware that someone is watching her, does not get to know Renato's person. The bike, which Renato got at the start of them movie, was a sign that he was already part of the clique. It also signifies the new experience of knowing Malena. When she learned that her husband died in battle she started wearing black clothes, which represents her mourning nd grieve. At the center of the movie, we see Malena cutting off her long locks. This exemplifies her transition from being a faithful widow to being a priced prostitute in order to live. There was also another scene where Malena held a cigarette to her lip and all the men wanted to light it up. This connotes that all the men wanted to "light up her fire" or in other words, spend the night with her. Lastly, when it was when it was shown that Renato was throwing the record, it meant that he was determined to forget her.

As a whole, I liked the movie. However, I'm having a hard time determining its relevance to modern society so if there was really a significance, it was not emphasized enough. I recommend that some scenes be deleted to give way to more striking scenes.

Cinema Paradiso: Things Weren’t This Complicated

Cinema Paradiso, a three-hour long film directed by Giuseppe Tornatore revolves around true love, the fulfillment of dreams, the importance of family and the unbreakable bond of trust.

At the start of the movie, famous director Salvatore Di Vita (Jacques Perrin) returned to his hometown Giancaldo, Sicily after 30 years of not visiting the place. He went back home to witness the burial of his old friend, Alfredo (Philipp Noiret). Before he actually arrived in Giancaldo, he recalled the deep friendship he shared with Alfredo. He first met Alfredo when he was six years old. Alfredo worked as a projectionist in the Cinema Paradiso, Salvatore’s favorite movie house. At first, Alfredo saw Toto (Salvatore’s nickname) as a nuisance but then he grew attached to the boy and taught him how to use the projector. Alfredo taught Toto various aspects of filmmaking. In an unfortunate accident in the Paradiso, Alfredo became blind and Toto was tasked to work as his replacement. As Toto grew up to be a dashing young man, he also met the girl of his dreams. Elena (Agnes Nano), the daughter of a wealthy banker, caught Toto’s eye the first time they met. Toto worked hard to gain Elena’s affection and he did. However, all his hard work became useless as Elena’s parents greatly disapprove of their relationship. With more work from Elena’s parents, eventually the couple separated. To heal his wounded heart, Alfredo told Toto to leave the village and pursue his dream as a director. Toto became a successful director and returned to his hometown where he would soon meet Elena again.

Trust is a fragile thing. When it is broken, it will be hard to restore. This was evident in the movie when Toto discovered that Alfredo was behind him and Elena’s separation. He was hurt and he felt very stupid for giving Alfredo all his trust. He looked as if he won’t ever forgive the old man but alas, he did. Toto knew that Alfredo was doing it for his own good. Alfredo wanted him to realize his full potential. To realize his dream of becoming a film director.

The shots were okay. The location was perfect. (It was in Tornatore’s hometown!) The characters portrayed their roles very well.

My only problem is the length of the film. Honestly, it was so long that it lulled some of us to sleep. I only wish the director deleted unnecessary scenes because there sure were a lot of them. The movie would’ve been more interesting and appealing to the viewers if only some scenes were cut or deleted. It will save time and will give way to more efficient scenes.

There were symbolisms present in the film. One was the anchor. It symbolized the Toto’s difficulty in letting Elena go. The projection room was a silent witness to Toto and Alfredo’s fatherly bond. Cinema Paradiso symbolized the crowd’s past time activity. Alfredo represents the mentality of a father: protective, supportive and utterly caring. Lastly, the films gathered by Toto when he was young also symbolize his and Alfredo’s memories together.

Leit motifs include the lion-shaped peep hole of Alfredo, people doing different sort of things at a cinema, Toto’s worn out car, the projector and the films.

I recommend this movie to people who love watching films and those who like to observe the effect of mass media to society at large. It also presents a complex story of romance and commitment.

Make sure that in watching this film, you have lots of time to spare because this movie is indeed long.

Film enthusiasts, hopeless romantics and those who just feel like watching this film, enjoy!