Amigo unearths the roots of troubled Fil-Am ties

The year is 1900, the place, Northern Luzon in the Philippines. The Treaty of Paris has been signed, and Spain has turned over the Philippines to the United States for 20 million dollars. The story of Amigo begins peacefully enough. Cabeza Rafael Dacanay has a beautiful wife and an intelligent (though stubborn) son. He is the head of Barrio San Isidro, as his father and his father's father were. He is well-loved and respected by the people he leads, and they trust him to make decisions and resolve issues, such as one man's pig eating his neighbor's sweet potatoes. But their idyllic life is turned upside down with the arrival of US Army Lieutenant Compton and his colonizing troops, whose quest to "win the hearts and minds" of the Filipinos is off to a questionable start as they come with violent force.

Eventually the barrio settles into a semblance of order, with the Americans lording over the barrio and Dacanay and the rest of the barrio forced into obedience. Up in the mountains, the guerrillas resist the US occupation as they did the Spanish regime. Dacanay's son Joaquinito escapes when the army comes to occupy the barrio, and joins the guerrillas who are led by his uncle, Dacanay's brother Simon. To say that Dacanay is torn is an understatement. He must keep his barrio safe, and he must also keep the new colonizers happy. At the same time, he serves as an insider for the guerrillas. Director John Sayles reveals that the character's turmoil, powerfully conveyed by veteran actor Joel Torre (Oro Plata Mata, Dogeaters), is based on what several Filipino cabezas really went through at the time. "The Philippines and the United States now share a great deal of history and culture. But until recently the beginnings of that long, complex relationship, was virtually unexplored," said Sayles at the Amigo premiere dubbed "Takip Silip" on June 28. "I hope... that this history that's been buried for a long time starts to get unearthed a little bit more. Certainly historians both American and Filipino have started to bring this history to life, but most people i know get their history from TV and the movies, unfortunately. So I think it's something I hope other Filipino directors will pick up, because there's so many good stories from this period," he added. Sayles has written and directed 17 films, and is recognized as one of the godfathers of the US Independent Film movement. An exploration of the roots of Fil-Am ties, Amigo is a timely learning experience for Filipinos. "The film tackles a part of Philippine history that has never been portrayed in moving images before. The story resonates intellectually and emotionally with Filipinos who have seen this film, because it represents the Filipino point of views as much as the American," says an advisory from the Department of Education, which invites students to watch Amigo. Not only is it a great learning experience, it is also an impressive work of art. You will lose yourself in the 128 minutes of superb acting from the cast, every role significant and necessary to tell the gripping story of war - both literal and internal, as the actors so effectively convey. Torre's portrayal of Dacanay is memorable, and the same must be said of the rest of the cast. Rio Locsin (Manila by Night/City After Dark, Ina, Kapatid, Anak) plays Dacanay's wife, Corazon, while Ronnie Lazaro (Anino, Ebolusyon, Boatman) plays Simon, Dacanay's brother. Also in the film are Bembol Roco (Maynila sa Mga Kuko ng Liwanag, The Year of Living Dangerously) as the guerrilla Policarpio, Pen Medina (Jose Rizal, Oprapronobis, Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros) as the guerrilla Albay, and Bodjie Pascua (Sisa, Batibot) as Sixto, one of San Isidro's residents. Amigo also features Yul Vasquez (War of the Worlds, American Gangsters) as the Augustinian Recollect Friar Padre Hidalgo, Dane Dehaan (HBO's In Treatment) as the US Army volunteer Gil, DJ Qualls (Road Trip) as the Signal Corpsman Zeke Whatley, Garret Dillahunt (Deadwood) as Lt. Compton, and Chris Cooper (Adaptation, Seabiscuit, American Beauty, The Bourne Identity) as Col. Hardacre. The dialogue is beautiful, with characters speaking in Tagalog, English, Spanish and Cantonese. Despite the story's weight, Amigo manages to avoid being depressing with well-placed wit and humor. But do not be deceived by the occasional lightheartedness. Amigo is a serious film, and very much based on real life - "history recaptured in the public imagination," as Sayles puts it. "I am always interested in how people behave in extreme, sometimes impossible situations. It is the essence of drama, and I've explored this kind of crisis before in movies such as Matewan, Lone Star, and Men With Guns. The Philippine-American War has been ignored or forgotten by both sides of the conflict... Amigo deals with one of the most common but least-examined aspects of human experience - the story of people caught in between," says Sayles. Lee Meily's cinematography is also wonderful, drawing the audience closer to each scene. The country's beautiful landscape is juxtaposed with the painful images of war, presented with production and costume design by Rodell Cruz and Gino Gonzalez. Without any ad placements or stray details, there is nothing to distract the audience from the story that Amigo not only tells, but shows. It is difficult not to get absorbed by the film. Heartstrings are undone as the events unravel, leading to a staggering, heartbreaking twist. Not only is the story poignant, but relevant as well in today's society where good people "just following orders" still inflict unimaginable cruelty on others, and the innocent are killed in conflicts where everyone is a loser. In one scene, an American soldier tries valiantly to have a conversation with a Filipina he has fallen for. Their exchange makes little sense, but they speak for a few minutes. A little girl in the cinema asks why their answers are all wrong, and her mother says it is because they don't understand each other. This can also be said of history, which is said to repeat itself, wrong answers included, because even now, we don't understand. Amigo is a fine contribution to a better and deeper understanding of Philippine-American relations. "There are many fresh insights and lessons to pick from the film for anyone who dares to live life's questions today," says Department of Education Secretary Brother Armin Luistro, FSC. "It's a part of our history that was deliberately hidden from us. I never read this in the history books," said Torre, adding that the film needs support from Filipino viewers. "We're opening between Transformers and Harry Potter, a little tiny movie that needs all the help it can get," said producer Maggie Renzi. - YA, GMA News Amigo opens July 6 in the following cinemas: SM North, SM Megamall, SM Manila, SM Mall of Asia, SM Bacoor, SM Cebu, SM Davao, Gateway, Robinsons Galleria, Robinsons Ermita, Glorietta 4 and Trinoma.