Bulong (2011, Chito Roño)

I always anticipate a horror film directed by Chito Roño. I can never forget my moviehouse experience of viewing Roño's blockbuster hit Sukob. It is so scary that I had goose bumps all over my arms. Sure, there are several cheap shock tricks but overall, the suspenseful and brooding atmosphere gives me spine-tingling chills. The movie, starring Kris Aquino and Claudine Barreto, is based on a local superstition stating that it is bad luck for two or more siblings to marry within a period of one year. The superstition had its origin in rural places. Children of farm hands are dissuaded from seeking marriage within months of a sibling's earlier marriage because it will surely deplete the family's savings and resources, which are dependent on seasonal harvests.

Roño once more mined a Filipino superstition for his new film Bulong. This time the movie suggests that a person with an unfulfilled wish can seek the help of a recently departed loved one. All that is needed is to whisper your wish to the deceased. The premise is that the dead person is now at the bosom of the good Lord and more likely will be able to intercede for the wishes of the living. In this regard, Filipinos seem to treat their dead relatives as saints. Most of them even visit their departed loved ones on All Saint's Day and not on All Soul's Day.

Hospital worker Conan (Vhong Navarro) is hopelessly in love with a sexy and beauteous nurse named Ellen (Bangs Garcia). He is on friendly terms with the alluring lady but gets desperate when he sees her kissing a resident doctor. The jealous guy seeks the help of his friends and learns about the power of a wish whispered to the dead. He scampers off to a wake and surreptitiously opens the casket. In a barely audible way, he whispers: Mahalin ako ni Ellen.

The next day sees Conan, oozing with confidence, making his moves on Ellen. The young woman isn't too happy with the brazen behavior of the guy and gives him a tongue lashing. The wish didn't materialize. Is it because the wish needs time to be fulfilled? No. The corpse didn't hear him. Conan belatedly learns that the dead person was deaf.

Yep, this is not a straightforward horror film. Roño knows that it is a tough act to surpass or equal his horror hits Feng Shui and Sukob. He changes tactics by making a horror-comic film. Bulong is a supernatural film hampered by the need to come up with funny scenes. In the end, it is neither scary nor is it super-funny.

While the film benefits from reliable performances of Navarro and Angelica Panganiban, Bulong is just an average movie that is a mishmash of mildly terrifying scenes and fluffily funny antics. The tired slapstick routine of bandaged patients wiping the walls and floors with their faces is here. The film also borrows some fiends and concepts from films such as Drag Me To Hell and Close Encounters of the Third Kind and also from the video game series Resident Evil. However, the special effects are very good especially the muddy zombies pestering Oprah (Angelica Panganiban) and the disfigured mammary glands of Ellen. The latter is memorable because of a deliciously wicked strip-tease set-up by Roño.

Bulong didn’t impress me much with its cinematic skills but it did leave the audience with a few valuable life lessons:

1) Leave the dead alone. They have just been freed from worldly undertakings so don't pester them with your wishes. There's also the possibility of a quid pro quo.

2) Be careful with what you wish for. This is good advice for single people especially this heart month. Conan is able to taste the love of Ellen but eventually vomits it out of his system. Being loved obsessively and violently by the girl of his dreams is not what he yearned for.

Emir (2010, Chito Roño)

The hype is true. Emir is indeed the biggest Filipino musical you’ll ever see. However, the ads failed to mention that it is also one of the best local films released so far this year.

Budgeted at over 50 million pesos, the film is truly epic. From the sand dunes of Ilocos Sur to the verdant rice terraces of Ifugao to the palatial homes in Middle East and back to the picturesque Paoay Church in Ilocos Norte, the bold and majestic musical sweeps up the viewer on a magical carpet ride. The film soars so high that when the ride gets jerky due to a dragging song here and a few anti-male bashing there, the ensconced viewer is barely shaken and continues to enjoy the wondrous journey.

The voyage of Ilocana lass Amelia (Frencheska Farr) takes her to an unnamed Middle Eastern country. She ends up as a nanny to Ahmed, only son of a sheikh. She does an exceptional job raising Ahmed and gets shortlisted for the position of majordomo. She rejects the promotion. That decision somehow saved her from being killed in an uprising. Amelia returns to the Philippines and finds some of her dreams coming true.

Emir showcases the singing and songwriting prowess of Filipino artists such as Dulce, Bayang Barrios, Ebe Dancel, Gary Granada, and Chino Toledo. Although the songs are not radio-friendly, they do a neat job of fleshing out the narrative. The combination of excellent soundtrack and exotic choreography of Douglas Nierras is pure cinematic joy. There are several show stopping scenes such as the street dance in Ilocos and the tears-inducing duet of two ladies. The latter is a heart-wrenching elegy about love.

I find the duet between Dulce and Farr to be too long. But, if we consider the song’s length as aping the long-winded goodbye of Filipinos, then it makes sense. And, with the beautiful voice of Dulce, the scene is bearable.

My major complaint with the film is its refusal to tackle the deeper reasons behind the Filipino diasporas. The filmmakers avoided blaming the government for the export of Filipino workers. It may have something to do with the film being produced by the Film Development Council of the Philippines and the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP).

It is a pity that the film is not raking in lots of money unlike a Sarah Geronimo movie. Farr may not be as popular as Geronimo but she fits perfectly the role of Amelia. She is morena and, according to a press release, has Ilocana blood. Blessed with a full-bodied voice, she was able to hold her own against veteran performers in the film. She has a great potential to make waves in the theatre scene.

Good local films are on a roll. First it was Noy, then Emir, and, three weeks from now, several entries from the 6th edition of Cinemalaya will surely mesmerize us as well. If you’re planning on purchasing a Cinemalaya festival pass, then troop down to the CCP Box Office. Festival passes are very, very limited and worth PHP1500. That's a bargain if you consider the ticket price of PHP 150 per screening. And who knows, there may be a re-screening of the majestic Emir at the CCP during the Festival.