Tuhog

by Marika King

Last July 11, I attended Loyola Film Circle's Film Symposium. Invited were the casts and crews of the film, Tuhog, to talk about their upcoming movie. I just want to disclose that I am not promoting this film, simply sharing my experience.

These were some of the things that I got from the film's trailer, which is due for release on July 17. There are three main characters, Fiesta, Caloy, and Tonio, each one having a story of his/her own. Fiesta is someone who is alive but not really living. She seems hostile as if it's her against the world. She mentions, "ito ang impiyerno ko," referring to what she goes through everyday. Caloy, on the other hand, is a virgin who feels that he is being left behind by all of his peers around him. His friends are enjoying their young lives, losing their virginities, while he deals with his long distance relationship with his girlfriend. He feels lost and doesn't know anymore what to do and what not to do, amidst all the pressure. The last is Tonio, a retired worker who wakes up one day and decides to gamble all he has in order to pursue his passion and dream of being a "panadero." The focal point of this film is the lives of these three different characters are suddenly intertwined by a freak bus accident that leaves them all skewered through a single steel bar.

Basically, what I just want to share is that I believe this film captures what we have been talking about recently in our Philosophy class. First, as what Fiesta's life story makes us realize, we must not just be alive and simply exist, we must live. We must live our life now and live it to the fullest. It is in living that we experience and hopefully, we get to experience the best things in life.

Second, we must follow our passions. Sometimes, we feel that as we get older, the less chance that we will be able to do what we really want to do, not just what we need to do. But, it is always never too late. It is better to try and pursue our passions than not at all. In Tonio's case, he didn't mind what his family was telling him and what kind of risk he's getting into, all he knows is he wants to be a "panadero." Another dilemma in these kinds of situation is that at times, we may feel that our passions only hinder us from our ultimate aspirations in life, which may not be in line with our passions at all. But if our passion is what's going to give us our happiness, if pursuing that is what's going to bring us closer to our ideal self, then we must take it. It's all about focusing on what really matters for you.

Lastly, I think what the story of Caloy tell us is, if we feel lost or in doubt, if we feel that we are being left behind by everything around us, we must strive to find ourselves. We must search for what we truly believe in and stand our ground. Eventually, everything falls into their place.

Now as I said earlier, their lives were intertwined by a bus accident. This is where the twist comes in: two must die in order for one to live. At the end, death is inevitable. When we encounter death, in any way, we realize that we want to live more. Now as death looms, which may be sooner for some people, it all becomes a matter of how we lived our life and if we lived it to the fullest.

In the end, I suppose a question raised by the director still lingers in me: if we get a second chance in life, will we love, dream, or live more?

You may watch the trailer here:

Irreversible

by Nats Barretto


Books, texts, movies -- they are not just for entertainment. They are a means, a means of expressing the different possibilities in this world. That's one of the things I've learned so far in this second philosophy course. And today, I've seen that learning "put into action".

Irreversible. One word. Everything that has already happened is irreversible. Every possibility that has passed, every possibility that is happening -- they are irreversible. Time destroys all things.

Having had a three day weekend gave me a lot of opportunity to watch lots of tv shows and movies. And somehow, I happened to stumble upon this rated 21 and above movie from France. Out of curiosity, I watched it.

It was probably the...harshest movie I have seen in my 19 years of living. The movie contains 13 scenes, shown in reverse chronological order.

I won't tell the plot as some of you might want to watch it. But basically, the whole movie tackles a reality often dismissed by many film makers because of its negativity and harshness. Until now, I still can't get the images out of my head, and I doubt I ever will. It's irreversible. I thought, actually, why would someone make a film so...unnerving. Aren't films supposed to be entertaining? This movie is probably the opposite of entertaining!

But no, I guess entertainment's not the whole point of movies. Movies show possibilities, and harshness was simply the possibility shown by "Irreversible". Somewhere in other parts of the world, these things are actually happening. Probably more worse things than this are happening in some other parts of the world. And that's just the way the world goes.

This movie, is a noble movie. It tackles realities other movies are afraid of tackling. And it's noble in a way that it gives these realities exposure, more than what the nightly news shows you. Yes, it makes people horrified, but it also moves people to do something about these realities. Maybe, just maybe, the audience will be able to do something about these realities.

**Spoilers beyond this part.**

After more thinking, I've came to realize the things that made the movie so...horrifying.

1) Two people could have helped Alex in the tunnel scene: the transsexual Guillermo and the man who appeared on the other end during the rape scene. They both could have helped Alex, but they didn't. Sin of omission, yeah. It's scary, how people aren't brave enough sometimes to get out of their way and help people in need; how people are unresponsive to other's demands.

2) It's the same thing in the Rectum club scene, where Tenia was beating the hell out of Marcus' head with a fire extinguisher. All the other guys could have helped Marcus. But they just stood there, watching the man get himself beaten. It was one of the scariest images in the movie I couldn't keep out of my head.

3) The intensity. Several other movies also try to expose these kinds of things, but they don't make you feel the intensity the way "Irreversible" makes you feel it. A part of it is brought by the what the camera chooses to show--the penis of the rapist after the rape scene, the deformation of Alex and Marcus' face during and after the beatings, and several other things.

Watch only if you think you can handle it. It's not a movie for everyone, and I think I've already established that throughout the blog post.

How Far Can Charity Go?

by Thomas Manalac

The trailer blurb says:

"In a time when America's economy and sense of community were crumbling, one guy left everything behind--to see if he could survive solely on the support of the 21st century's new town square: Craigslist. It was in this climate that 29-year-old Joseph Garner cut himself off from everyone he knew and everything he owned, to embark on a bold adventure. Armed with only a laptop, cell phone, toothbrush, and the clothes on his back--alongside the hope that community was not gone but just had shifted--Joseph began his journey. For 31 December days and nights, everything in his life would come from the Craigslist website. From transportation to food, from shelter to companionship, Joe would depend on the generosity of people who had never seen him and whose sole connection to him was a giant virtual swap meet. Would America help Joe? Could he survive with nothing, apart from the goodwill of others?"

The class might find it interesting and relevant as it tackles the disappearing sense of community in society due to isolation caused by technology and media.