The Kingmaker

As I write Ferdinand Marcus junior or 'bong bong' has been elected president of the Philippines, so it's a good time to view this documentary about the Marcos dynasty, its rise, its fall in the peoples revolution of 1986, and the gradual and dramatic rise again of its fortunes; in particular this film focuses on the surprisingly influential, some might say malevolent role that Imelda Marcos played. It's a shocking tale of shameless corruption nepotism cronyism and greed, at the end of which one can only feel saddened for the Filipino people, who have been used abused lied to and robbed over decades by their elite, and still are. Half of todays Filipino voters were not alive for the first Marcos era, but I was there in late 1985 and saw the huge disparity between the rich and poor, and just how hated the Marcos regime was at the time. Sadly all of that now seems to have been forgotten. If you want to know something of the true story of the Marcos 'dynasty' see this fine doc.

Well worth watching. Amazing documentary about privilege and the sociopathic mindset. It's about a narcissistic self serving former first lady abusing her position. The film shines on the ugly politics of the Philippines.

This is an incredibly well put together documentary. Imelda Marcos doesn't exactly shoot herself in the foot - she is too smart to do that, but you nonetheless get to see the realities she so flagrantly ignores whilst living in her self made fantasy world. How many billions has this power crazed matriarch squirreled away in 140 countries across the world. There are only 8 and a bit billion people on the planet and handing each one a single dollar might seem like generosity but this very much hides the manipulations of the Marcos clan. We note other world leaders seem to be in the same exclusive club as this gurning despot. Lord help us all.

With the Marcoses' consistent effort to rewrite history, this documentary reminds us that behind the grandeur and elaborate schemes of the Marcoses are the stories of pain and sorrows of the victims, which are not mere perception but the truth. As Greenfield's style is apparent in the documentary, it did not fail to capture the depressing history of the Philippines under the Marcoses and what may be an apparent future if they were put again into position. The contrasting images presented by Greenfield is a great divider between Perception and Reality.

Highly recommend this. Like her or loathe her you can't deny the blatant pesos for politics. Watching Marcos hand out wads of cash to kids in a hospital ward in front of the cameras was as cynical as it was sickening.

I've never paid much (read: any) attention to Filipino politics but will be following along the 2022 election with interest!