tsimshotsui

This is major filmmaking that feels like it should be instantly added to film canon. Lav Diaz brings one of the grandest pieces of filmmaking from Southeast Asia. Starting from Malacca, he lets us absorb images of dead bodies, all lives lost because of colonial conquest- guided by the Christian king who wants to stop Islamic progress (which reverberates to where we are right now as well). Magellan is a film that is interested more in who Fernão de Magalhães infects in his life from Malacca, back to Portugal with his young new wife, in the deathly voyage across the Pacific Ocean (where there is no one to destroy but fellow colonizers), and finally to the Philippines - where he meets his death. This film feels like a time machine, and a powerful way to reframe the Western story of the Age of Discovery. It is also a challenge to rethink the way myths are created and used to usurp power.

Rigodon as a film, and Sari Dalena and Keith Sicat as filmmakers, may exactly be what and who I've been waiting for (but only found now). From the moment the film opens with a quote from Kidlat Tahimik's Perfumed Nightmare, I knew I could expect something great. The film is told in separate segments about its 3 characters: Dante, Amado and Salome, Filipinos in New York for different reasons, and in different situations, but are connected to each other. The film, in its brief length, manages to describe the terror of immigration laws, the loneliness and helplessness of being away from home, and a dream becoming a curse and a trap. I love the atmosphere and the non-extravagant but beautiful production design.

I definitely picked the right film to watch this Independence Day, and am very excited to explore more of Sari Dalena's works, should I be fortunate enough to find them!