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Not all praises for Pinoy film 'Death March' in Cannes
It was not all praises for Filipino indie film "Death March" at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival held in France between May 15 to 26.
The film by Adolf Alix Jr. garnered reviews that ranged from "exceptional" to "self-conscious" a "stylistic experiment that engages the interest for about a quarter of an hour. "
According to a report on GMA Network's "Saksi" newscast on Tuesday, the film was screened upon an international audience in the “Un Certain Regard.”
The film by Adolf Alix Jr. garnered reviews that ranged from "exceptional" to "self-conscious" a "stylistic experiment that engages the interest for about a quarter of an hour. "
According to a report on GMA Network's "Saksi" newscast on Tuesday, the film was screened upon an international audience in the “Un Certain Regard.”
The film tackles one of the most poignant moments during the Second World War: the Bataan Death March where an estimated 75,000 prisoners of war -- 60,000 Filipinos and 15,000 Americans -- were forced to march 104 kilometers (65 miles) in 1942 from Mariveles, Bataan to Camp O'Donnell in Capas, Tarlac.
About 7,000 to 10,000 soldiers, mostly Filipinos, died as the Japanese troops forced them to embark on the trek during the early months of the Second World War.
The "Death March" movie was written by Rody Vera and directed by Adolfo Alix Jr.
Vera also wrote another Filipino film entry in the festival, “Norte, Hangganan ng Kasaysayan” which is directed by Lav Diaz.
Alix and Vera are also respectively the director and writer for GMA's Eleksyon 2013 campaign awareness mini-series “Bayan Ko.”
"Death March" actors include Sid Lucero, Sam Milby, Jason Abalos, Jacky Woo, and Carlo Aquino.
Cannes is one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world, drawing the world's best in the film industry.
“Its a great movie because it's the first time I saw this kind of representation of the war,” Jackie Buet, an organizer of the women's international film festival said, adding “It's exceptional.”
Alix who attended the film festival with “Death March” stars Jacky Woo and Sam Milby, was happy with the result of their hard work.
“Natutuwa po kami sa pelikula dahil marami naman po ang nagkagusto doon sa pelikula,” Alix said.
'Can be theoretically admired'
Meanwhile, a review of the film posted on the Hollywood Reporter entertainment news site said, "director Adolfo Alix Jr.’s film can be theoretically admired for trying something different, but the repetitiveness and tedium soon take over. Walkouts were numerous at the first Cannes showing and only festivals with a comprehensive Asian focus will likely go for this self-conscious art piece."
The review mentioned a point in the film where a Japanese soldier told the prisoners of war, “Anyone who surrenders deserves to be treated like a dog.”
This film segment captures the reason why thousands of prisoners of war died of disease, thirst, hunger, and execution.
The review said "actors in realistic uniforms march in place, crowd together in jungle filth and stench, are fed handfuls of rice at most, defecate in their pants, see their buddies bayoneted and decapitated for no reason and, at the very least, are pushed to the brink by their ordeal."
The reviewer suggested that to achieve greater impact, "Alix and screenwriter Rody Vera would have had to develop some strong personal stories among the men to extend the viewer’s attention beyond the production’s surface physical aspect and into a deeper, more emotional realm, a move that would have required far greater dramaturgical and acting skills than anything on display."
"What they’ve made instead is a stylistic experiment that engages the interest for about a quarter of an hour," it added.
Not for everyone
A review of the Chicago Sun Times said "Alix’s method is surprisingly effective, although this isn’t a film for everyone. It is best appreciated almost as a dance of seething, scrambling, stumbling bodies, to the cacophonous chorus of groans, pleas, and exploding shells. Periodically, faces and eyes are fixed in sudden still moments that underline the horror and chaos."
The review noted how Alix "zeroes in on several soldiers who periodically come to the fore, including a Filipino who hallucinates dead companions, an American trying to nurse his dying captain, and a compassionate Japanese guard who imagines himself hovering above the men as a glowing angel with enormous white-feathered wings."
The review summarizes the film as "an eerie meditation on the psychology of men facing incomprehensible brutality." - Andrei Medina, Veronica Pulumbarit, GMA News
'Can be theoretically admired'
Meanwhile, a review of the film posted on the Hollywood Reporter entertainment news site said, "director Adolfo Alix Jr.’s film can be theoretically admired for trying something different, but the repetitiveness and tedium soon take over. Walkouts were numerous at the first Cannes showing and only festivals with a comprehensive Asian focus will likely go for this self-conscious art piece."
The review mentioned a point in the film where a Japanese soldier told the prisoners of war, “Anyone who surrenders deserves to be treated like a dog.”
This film segment captures the reason why thousands of prisoners of war died of disease, thirst, hunger, and execution.
The review said "actors in realistic uniforms march in place, crowd together in jungle filth and stench, are fed handfuls of rice at most, defecate in their pants, see their buddies bayoneted and decapitated for no reason and, at the very least, are pushed to the brink by their ordeal."
The reviewer suggested that to achieve greater impact, "Alix and screenwriter Rody Vera would have had to develop some strong personal stories among the men to extend the viewer’s attention beyond the production’s surface physical aspect and into a deeper, more emotional realm, a move that would have required far greater dramaturgical and acting skills than anything on display."
"What they’ve made instead is a stylistic experiment that engages the interest for about a quarter of an hour," it added.
Not for everyone
A review of the Chicago Sun Times said "Alix’s method is surprisingly effective, although this isn’t a film for everyone. It is best appreciated almost as a dance of seething, scrambling, stumbling bodies, to the cacophonous chorus of groans, pleas, and exploding shells. Periodically, faces and eyes are fixed in sudden still moments that underline the horror and chaos."
The review noted how Alix "zeroes in on several soldiers who periodically come to the fore, including a Filipino who hallucinates dead companions, an American trying to nurse his dying captain, and a compassionate Japanese guard who imagines himself hovering above the men as a glowing angel with enormous white-feathered wings."
The review summarizes the film as "an eerie meditation on the psychology of men facing incomprehensible brutality." - Andrei Medina, Veronica Pulumbarit, GMA News
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