I’m a person who likes to keep a list. I have a list of the things I need to do for a day (none of which really gets done). I have a list of my top ten favorite songs and bands of all time. I have a list of my favorite romantic films. I have my top five favorite Beatles and Nirvana songs. I have a list of my favorite X-Files episodes. I have a list of my favorite Mike de Leon or even Cameron Crowe films… in chronological order. I have my own list of the sexiest, prettiest and talented actresses. And I have a list of things I want to do and experience before I die.
But as opposed to the character played by wonderfully perfect Mylene Dizon in Chris Martinez’ 100 , I am not dying of cancer (not yet, at least) and barring any unforeseen accidents, I hope I might actually get to live longer than her character.
100 ranks as my favorite in this year’s roster of Cinemalaya entries (not that I got to watch all entries…) and probably one of the best local films I’ve seen in a long time. Really.
On a related note: To those of you who really know me, the best gauge if I really like a film is if I kept badgering people to see it (i.e. I bugged everyone I knew to watch Two Days in Paris when it was shown last year in Cinemanila). Note to all filmmakers: I am a walking promo ad for a film. And I do it for free. Impress me.
People are probably going to slam me for this, but hey, you know what, I believe that although film should be political, should be committed to a cause, and should reflect quality in terms of storytelling and aesthetics, I also believe that film should touch and move us in ways that is both personal and universal. Free from all the artsy angst and excess baggage that tends to accompany most indie films, 100 was able to tell a very moving story of death and dying in a seamless manner. Exceptional was Larry Manda’s cinematography and the ensemble acting. From the first few sequences, Manda’s kinetic camerawork reflected the lead character’s initial rush to do everything before she dies. However, Mylene Dizon’s initial list merely consists of ordinary and, rather trivial, “to do” things. She had to clean the house, give away her books, fix her insurance, pig out on food, travel, etc. When all these were out of the way, the camera finally settled down. Now, the film wants us to get to know the characters. And know them we did. The chemistry between Mylene Dizon, her best fried played brilliantly by Eugene Domingo, and her mother also brilliantly portrayed by Ms. Tessie Tomas (I dare say that after watching this film, I know that everytime I see Ms. Tessie Tomas, she would always be “in thongs”) are, for lack of a better word, electric. The film alternates between laugh out loud funny and bittersweet tragedy. Who would’ve taught that a film about death could be so hilarious? For people who kept saying that the film is too mainstream, well, here’s the thing. If this is a mainstream film, Mylene Dizon will not be in the lead role (that will be a pity, not only is she a hot mama, but she’s also wonderfully talented. I know I’ve said that twice already), there will be too much crying, hysteria and melodrama, and the ending will be a shot of the lead characters (preferably a love team) pledging their undying love of one another.
On a more personal level, I like the film because I see myself in the character of Mylene Dizon. This is the only local film in which there is a character I can identify with, and rather strongly at that. Like her, I fear that I won’t have enough time to do the things I want and need to do. Like her, I fear that I might’ve wasted so many chances to love the people I should love and care for the things I should care about. I am afraid of not having anything to look forward to, because, how do we know that there is actually a life after this? That we are, in the end, just bits and pieces of bones. Like her, I am afraid of dying without living my life.
If at all, this film may not have told us much about how shitty our life here is in the country, but it did tell us a thing or two about how to live our life. And that’s the way I want my movies to be.
And you know what, keeping a list is easy. Living life…that’s the hard part.
