Rebellion without the propaganda in ‘Iisa’

This might seem too obvious, but it bears repeating: The first and last shots of a movie are very important. There are those who even claim that these are the only shots that matter and if that's true, Chuck Gutierrez's "Iisa" automatically qualifies as a masterpiece. The first scene, featured on the poster, is mesmerizing in its banality. Figures, seemingly of soldiers, covered in mud, immobile first then gradually coming to life. A metaphor? Absolutely.

The last shot, slight spoilers, is a poignant reversal of this scene. Now, what happens in between?

"Iisa" teeters between heavy-handed and almost intentionally obscure. Not much is explicitly said to explain what is onscreen and we simply infer that there has been a natural calamity (likely a strong typhoon) and that the people we are watching are from an unspecified underground movement. They call each other "kasama" and internal conflicts are revealed to us—problems that make their situation more precarious.

They worry about shelter and food—basic needs that should be provided by the smiling politician on a tarpaulin that's been turned into a makeshift roof (an example of the film's heavy-handedness).

Little action happens onscreen, but "Iisa" is strangely engaging. The scenes are at times stiff, but never needlessly dramatic. Gutierrez manages to leave a trail of truth as treats for the audience to follow, touring them to a kind of life that has been in the periphery of our collective consciousness. Rebels in the mountains, lumads caught in dispute—both groups spending their days trying to survive.

Gutierrez also refrained from discussing the politics behind the underground movement, choosing instead to show the mundane. The result is something close to European art cinema, with the benefit of some jump cuts. The characters, played with subdued intensity by Angeli Bayani, Mon Confiado, Rio Locsin, Jess Mendoza, and Perry Dizon, are pushed by desperation, frustration, and, above all, hunger.

There are many ways to interpret the title, the first being that against the force of nature, we are all one. But, for this reviewer at least, hunger is also an equalizer. We all need to eat and to struggle to find food, especially in a world where something like the Internet exists, is criminal. — BM, GMA News

Iisa is part of QCinema Film Festival Reloaded, happening at the UP Film Institute from January 19 to 29. The next screening is on January 27, 2:30 p.m.

The festival lineup also includes: The Crescent Rising, Gayuma, Bingat, Apocalypse Child, Matangtubig, Water Lemon, Patintero: Ang Alamat ni Meng Patalo, Audio Perpetua, Sleepless, Traslacion, Kapatiran, and Of Cats, Dogs, Farm Animals, and Sashimi. Visit the QCinema Facebook page for the complete schedule of screenings.