Let me begin by saying that I'm no movie critic, so this is just me
explaining why Lav Diaz's Norte: Hangganan ng Kasaysayan is one of the
best movies that I've seen recently.
This was the first time that I've
watched a Lav Diaz movie. I am well aware though that his movies are
long but Norte, a four hour movie about crime, disillusionment, human
perseverance, and compassion, would probably one of his shortest films.
This had a limited release here in the Philippines last year but before
that, the movie has been premiered in Cannes two years ago. Anyway, I
was not sure what I'd expect from the movie since it never occurred to
me to research about the plot. I just saw a cut-to-cut, no audio trailer online,
and the thing that stuck to me most was a bear like (yes, he was huge
and scruffy) Sid Lucero walking with blood all over his shirt, face, and
body. Interesting.
This was also the first time that I watched Timmy
(Sid) in a full length film and my God he's good! As I watched him
portray Fabian, I try to picture other local actors who would be able to
spew them lengthy, brainy, and "I don't want to be part of this
annoying conversation about how fucked up our country is and its
jurisdiction" pow wow lines believably and naturally like they do it all
the time, but none came to mind. None! He was so brilliant with how he
interacted in all those discussions in the movie that next time I see
him, I'd be mortified if he starts talking about the destruction of myth
of ordinance, post modernism, and 21st century politics, I might have
to fake a seizure or something just to get away from it. He was so
believable in the movie that when it came to that point where he
snapped, it scared the shit out me. His acting was gripping in Norte.
If
Timmy's character had the most lines in the movie, Angeli Bayani's had
the least but she gave such a powerful performance in Norte that she
really didn't need to talk to express her character's love for her
family, her frustration of being poor, and her longing to have a better
life, she left most of the acting through her eyes. Her eyes were very
expressive, they were mostly sorrowful in the entire movie. You would
feel for her and you would feel bad that you couldn't do anything to
help her. At one point, while she was unloading vegetables that she's
going to sell using her kariton, a goat came into the picture and I
remember saying "Uy o! Yung kambing" out loud like I was trying to warn
her because that's the least that I could do to help her, but then yeah,
it's a movie, right, right.
Angeli's character is married to the
character portrayed by Archie Alemania, who got incarcerated for a crime
that he did not commit. There are jail scenes in the movie and I'm not
really a huge fan of those. I'm used to seeing Archie being the funny
guy since he would normally take in comedic roles but he showed a
different side of him in Norte, he was placid, scared, and more human than anything. He was a compassionate, almost
saint-like, inmate. He took care of everyone in his cell even the mean,
torturous boss WakWak. That's why when a certain devastating event
happened that would definitely change his life, there was nothing left
to do but to shake your head and sigh. This guy couldn't get a break!
Watching this movie almost made my chest cave in because of certain
ironies that happened to the characters, and it made me literally grip
on my bag due to some very suspenseful sequences. There were also a few
jaw dropping instances because of certain twists which made me realize
how taken I was with this movie. I know I'm so late in the game since
Norte has been getting the accolades that it truly deserve but for
those of you who haven't watched it yet, borrow four hours from your
busy schedule and see it.
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