Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Kubrador (Jeffrey Jeturian, 2006)

Jueteng, as Kubrador reminds us, is a numbers game that is as common and popular in the Philippines as lotto is to the Americans. Everybody plays it and a kubrador (bet collector) talking up potential customers is a common sight in villages and neighborhoods across the country. Its ubiquity would have been reason for avoiding it as a movie’s focal point, if not for the fact that it is also illegal in the country and the irony that results creates much tragedy or an illustration thereof. But unlike things illegal in the West, jueteng isn’t sexy. There’s no edgy appeal to playing jueteng. It’s associated less with celebrities than it is with bored grandmothers and corrupt politicians. This lack of mystique allows Jeturian to bare the game naked and use it as an allegory to the contemporary Filipino condition. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t, but by and large it does well in injecting new blood into the art of Tagalog filmmaking.

Gina PareƱo is Amy, a cautious yet bet collector whose desperation drives her to push her luck despite the chances of getting caught by the police. Everyone knows her—everyone calls out her name as she passes by, gives her the latest gossip, and of course, gives her their numbers (and money). As an agent of the popular jueteng, her character traverses the different levels of the hierarchy of Filipino society, from the slums to the local jueteng bosses to the regional cashier, and to the police, who gives her their bets right in their station. She gets very little for her work, and she suffers through long days and stubborn customers unwilling to part with their money. But she still does it, from desperation or some illogical sense of adventure we are never really sure (she’s poor, yes, that in itself never seem to be the only reason for being a bet collector; simply manning their house-front store and devoting her life only on that seems like a boring life relegated to daytime TV and disintegration).

The film is most effective when it “merely” observes. As a digital production, the resulting image could not help but have a very deep depth of focus. However, this is not to the movie’s detriment, as it lends a depth of meaning in allowing the eyes to wander through the milieu that Jeturian records. By avoiding close-ups and blurred backgrounds—and thus shot counter shots and heavy action-reaction editing—Kubrador successfully becomes never a “mere story,” but rather a depiction of a condition and a reality. In addition, the movie’s numerous long takes, especially the opening scene (which felt like a journey to the depths of hell guided by our Virgil-kubrador, appropriately followed by a chase scene filmed atop the tin roofs of the shantytown as if Dante just dug himself out of Hell only to be kicked back into it) and the last scene, adds to the sense of reality merely recorded, and thus the expectant complications that comes therewith. Instead of an “issue”—as it has been treated in popular Filipino media especially during the last seven or eight years—jueteng becomes a tool in sketching experiences and realities, and the intersecting motives and rationales that drive these experiences and realities to come about.

The movie however fails when Jeturian moves away from neorealism to moralism. Amy works because she has a lazy husband. Jeturian never expands the husband’s character to allow us an insight in why he does not work. Simply, he is a Juan Tamad (Lazy John) archetype, and the invocation of that is enough for his marginalization. Worse off, he watches Filipino television. Never mind that he must have reasons for watching this mindless piece of diversion. But all we see is of him in extreme close-up, obviously enjoying the stupid game shows and gyrating half-clad women on “Wowowee” (a local noon-time game show, which recently got involved in a cheating “scandal”). Only that for Jeturian, he abhorrently does. Also, in two potentially effective scenes, Kubrador merely becomes polemic. In one, Amy, busy writing numbers down, wanders off into unknown alleys and becomes lost. Instead of increasing Amy’s—and our—confusion, we are instead reminded of the hopelessness of the slums: “confusion” in air quotes. In another, when Amy goes to a gambling cashier’s house to collect winnings, the cashier (played by Johnny Manahan) goes off into a rant about buwayas (literally alligators, corrupt politicians) and the church, and how they hypocritically benefit from jueteng while they condemn it. The cashier’s speech could have been easily inserted into the narrative, but is instead turned into a lecture on the inner workings of illegal gambling and political corruption. True as these concerns may be, the movie becomes issue-oriented, thus losing the complexity of reality.

I think this same issue is what ultimately made Jeturian’s Tuhog (2001) equally unsatisfying despite being compelling. In Tuhog, where two filmmakers adapt a rape victim’s story only to turn it into a skin flick, Jeturian explores the “divide” between fiction and reality and how maintaining and transgressing this divide fuel Filipino cinephilia. The movie could have been effective, if only Jeturian could have kept himself from being too excited. Once he gets worked up, he acts just like anyone who gets a pulpit. In Tuhog, even though he balances “reality” and the two filmmakers’ rendition of this “reality” quite well, he slips into a condemnation of “fiction,” over-dramatizing the filmmakers’ version of reality to over-emphasize its falsity. The movie thus went from an exploration of the Filipino film industry to a didactic piece about the evils of it.

Despite all these, Tuhog and Kubrador are not bad movies. They are very thoughtful films, and made with an original and irrepressible vision of truth and reality. But if Jeturian doesn't watch it, he might just become the new Gil M. Portes, another Filipino movie maker who makes great films hampered by an inability to resist grandstanding. (His Homecoming (2003), for example, was a great film crippled in the last minute by Portes’ main character’s need to “educate” her fellow Filipinos.) However, unlike Portes, Jeturian at least shows an ability to grow, to develop a trust in his audience’s ability to perceive the reality he submits. In a recent “Maalaala mo kaya?” (Would you remember?) Jeturian-directed episode (which aired on TFC here in Los Angeles on 01 SEP 2007), issues of poverty, family, and international identity are treated to a rendition that both kept the gravity of these issues intact, while at the same time keeping the rendition squarely populist (but not condescending either, using melodrama but not histrionics). This goes to show that Jeturian has the makings of a Vidor or de Sica if only he realizes the inherent intelligence of his “masa.”

14 comments:

Jojo Devera said...

hello Kuya John!

na-receive ko na po yung pinadala mo. i mailed your DVD kanina so hopefully ma-receive mo na before the middle of next week. nagtataka lang ako dahil ang copy na nakuha mo maraming cuts, i think it was the theatrical version but my beta copy as far as i can remember is uncut. released yon ng VIVA video. kasi i remember na kumpleto ang rape scene ni Stella Suarez and nay breast exposure pa si Rita Gomez. anyway, maraming salamat sa copy... mabuti na yon kesa wala di ba? sa uulitin!

John Santos said...

Ah yun nga? I wouldn't be surprised because there were a whole lot of jarring jumps from scene to scene. Nakakinis hinding lang incomplete yung pelikula, nagugulo pa yung dalo nung storya at saka yung pagkaka-film. Pero sinabi mo na: mabuti na yun kesa wala (and in my case talagang walang wala LOL).

But I have to say though, for a heavily censored film, it's odd that they left that incredibly horrific scene in the beginning. Yung nanay ko eh mukang na-damage pagkatapos niyang mapanood yung kawawang baboy...

Sinusubukang ko ngang maghanap ng mga Viva videos pero it seems na hindi sila nag-bebenta online. Do you know a place where I can get some sort of a catalog from them? Mukhang marami silang magagandang mga pelikula, pero wala na mang akong mahanap na listahan ng mga pelikula nila.

Jojo Devera said...

in the late 90's kasi there was a VIVA video office diyan sa California and they used to sell VHS tapes of their movies kaya lang nagsara na yata nung 2000. dun ko nabili ang copies ko before ng Beloved ni Ate Guy, Andrea at I Love You Mama I Love You Papa for $14.99 each. binatikos ng criics ang Gamitin Mo Ako sabi nila alam na nilang puro kababyuan ang pelikula sa opening credits pa lang hanggang sa mga kababuyang pinaggagawa ng mga karakter sa pelikula. i would think that this was Bernal's worst. ano bang VIVA movies ang hinahanap mo? baka meron ako. sure ka ba na walang Akin Ang Iyong Katawan sa video store na suki mo?

John Santos said...

Ay nako kakauwi ko palang...pumunta ako sa isang "fact finding mission" kuno. May nahanap nanaman akong video stores sa Long Beach (Sine Filipino) at dito rin sa Carson (Sampaguita Videos). Mukang mas maganda ang mga selection nila. Sigurado akong wala yung lumang suki ko nung Akin Ang Iyong Katawan, pero etong dalawa mukang mas may pag-asa.

Yung Akin ang Iyong Katawan, posible kayang lumabas yun na may ibang titulo? Tinignan ko sa IMDB, pero wala, although IMDB isn't exactly the most trustworthy thing in the world.

Wala akong partikular na palabas na hinahanap. Parang lang na kapag nanonood ako, palaging lumalabas ang Viva Films logo, kaya inisip ko baka mas maganda kung makikita ko yung master list nila. In terms of being able to find rare Tagalog videos here in California, specifically in Southern California, I'm not surprised that it's easier to do it here than say other big cities in the US. Trigon Videos, Regal Films, and I think Viva Films all had offices here. (In fact, Regal's office was only about a mile from where I live now, kaya yung mga video stores dito tambak ng mga Regal videos). At saka yung mga Filipino neighborhoods dito parang Pinas na Pinas ang dating. Carson, where I am at, has one of the biggest Filipino populations in the US, next only to Artesia about thirty minutes from here. Mahirap lang talaga sa akin dahil mga isa o dalawang buwan na lang ako dito sa California. Kailangang ko nang umalis. Pero di bale, ang plano ko for the next few weeks e humiram ng limang pelikula kada araw, kaya wag kang maabala I'll keep looking for that Brocka vid. Also kung may iba pang request, huwag kang mag-atubiling magtanong. Good night po.

Oh, also, I totally agree with Gamitin Mo Ako. Parang di-baleng pelikula na ginawa lang para magkapera.

Jojo Devera said...

talagang kinareer mo pala ang pagpunta sa nabanggit mong mga video stores. marami ba silang Trigon VHS tapes? tinanong mo ba kung ibinebenta nila? if they are selling baka puwedeng bilhin mo na for me at ipapadala ko na lang sa yo ang bayad. meron kaya silang Naked Paradise, Isang Araw Walang Diyos, Kung Kasalanan Man and i have to think of the other titles. meron ka na bang Bakit Bughaw? at kung ano pa ang hinahanap mo baka meron ako. maraming salamat po!

John Santos said...

Ay talaga. Kakagraduate ko palang at naghihintay ng trabaho, kaya hiram na lang ako ng hiram ng mga palabas sa ngayon. Oo maramirami rin silang Trigon. Yung lumang koleksyon nila mostly mga galing Trigon at Regal.

I-email mo sa akin nung listahan nung hinahanap mo. Ako naman e hanggang Brocka/Bernal/Gosiengfiao/Perez pa lang ako, kaya yung listahang dala-dala ko kapag humihiram ako mostly mga pelikula nila. Kung mayroon mga ibang magagandang palabas na gawa ng ibang direktor, mas maganda, para lumawak naman ang mga tipo ng palabas na napapanood ko. (Alam ko na hindi naman obscure sila Eddie Garcia at Peque Gallaga, pero sa ngayon sa mga palabas na ginawa nila interesado lang akong mapanood ang Scorpion Nights at wala nang iba. Ma-appreciate ko kung mayroon kang ibang suggestions.)

Tinanong ko na sila, at ang sagot e nagbebenta lang sila kung mayroon silang dalawa o tatlong kopya nung pelikula. Kaya siguro kung rare, baka hindi nila ibenta. Pero depende sa kopya. Tatanungin ko na lang sila kapag nakuha ko na yung listahan mo dahil baka yung iba noon mabili na lang natin.

Wala pa rin akong Bakit Bughaw Ang Langit. Masaya kung pwedeng humingi nang kopya, pero kung abala lang OK lang. Salamat po.

Jojo Devera said...

sige po gagawa ako ng listahan... most of those old videostores have at least two copies so may posibilidad talagang makabili ng kopya. sige padadalhan kita ng Bakit Bughaw... akala ko kasi meron ka na. teka ano bang e-mail address mo? para maipadala ko sa yo ang listahan. karamihan kasi ng mga tapes ko betamax kaya lang a month ago bumigay na ang player ko kaya di ko na na-transfer yung iba, siguro yun muna ang ipapahanap ko sa'yo

tama nga yan do something subjective habang naghihintay ng trabaho at least you're starting to appreciate Filipino movies. i would also recommend that you watch Mel Chionglo's earlier works like Playgirl, Teenage Marriage and Sinner Or Saint. kaya lang yung later films niya medyo sumablay na.

maraming salamat uli for taking the time na magtanong sa video stores about the movies... i'll just send you the list once maibigay mo na ang e-mail mo... ingat oi!

John Santos said...

Walang anuman. OK lang na mag-kalkal ng mga video store, kung makakatulong naman sa pagliligtas nung mga pelikula. mr.john.santos@gmail.com ang email ko. Salamat nga pala sa Bakit Bughaw!

Actually ang pinapanood ko ngayon Bomba Arrienda (talagang maaga ang simula nang panooran dito). OK siya, mukang maganda. Problema lang yung VCR ko mukang nalaspag na sa kakapanood ko nang mga VHS tapes. May pagka malabo yung tape tuloy. OK lang, maganda pa rin. Nuong makalawa, ang hiniram ko naman Company of Women. Sampung minuto lang ang napanood ko dahil nagdatingan yung mga tiya't magulang ko. Napagsermonan pa ako dahil nanood daw ako ng bastos. Ok lang hihiramin ko nalang ulit hehe...

Ingat po!

Jojo Devera said...

padalhan na lang kita ng copy ng Scorpio Nights na kumpleto kunggusto mo. isasabay ko na sa Bakit Bughaw...

John Santos said...

Yay! Salamat ho. Talaga na mang na-inis lang ako na ganoon pala ka sama yung mga cuts na ginawa nila. Akala ko mga lima hanggang sampung minuto lang ang tatanggalin nila. Tang ina kalahati ng palabas tinanggal! Talaga naman oo.

Dumaan na ako sa video store kanina, pero medyo nagmamadali ako. Kaya, Binigay ko na lang yung listahan doon sa mga vendor at sinabi nila hahanapin daw nila. Mababait naman sila, kaya tiwala na man ako na gagawin nila yung pangako nila. Siguro sa mga dalawang araw makikita nanatin kung mayroon nga sila.

At saka tama ka. Yung video store mayroon silang extrang kopya nung mga palabas nila. Nalaman ko dahil yung Scorpio Nights nila mayroong tatlong kopya. Kukulitin ko na lang sila kapag nahanap na nila yung mga hinihingi mo. Ingat po!

John Santos said...

Kuya Jojo kakabasa ko palang nung commment mo sa iyong blog. Kung dalawang scenes lang naman ang natanggal, eh kukunin ko nalang yung DVD. Ayaw ko namang makaabala pa. Kung hindi naman naiba yung storya, OK lang, di ba?

Jojo Devera said...

nakakapagtaka talaga yung VHS tape mo. Trigon ba ang nag-release niyan? kasi yung akin kumpleto. sabagay tulad din ng Gamitin Mo Ako, nabanggit ko sa yo na yung VIVA video release ay walang cut pero yung ipinadala mo sa akin ay maraming putol. baka may ibang video company na nag-release niyan. padadalhan na din kita ng kopya para mapagkumpara mo naman. napansin mo ba na yung post ko sa Scorpio Nights ang most discussed?

sana nga hanapin ng mga vendor sa video store ang mga pelikula sa listahan ko at nang maibenta naman nila sa atin ang mga kopya. natanggap mo na ba ang La Paloma? most of the titles sa listahan were released on video kaya malaki ang chance na meron sila. maraming salamat uli at balitaan mo ako ha?

ingat po!

NAKS said...

tanong lng po..may habol ba tayo kung gayahin ng ibang bansa ang storya sa isang movie na galing sa bansa sa atin..?

John Santos said...

Not really. We shouldn't measure the validity of our stories on the capacity of others to comprehend it. We should remeber that the likes of Brocka or Bernal never made movies for the foreign set. They sought to entertain their own kind and tell the stories of their own lot. I think the largest fault of many filmmakers we have today is that they measure "success" based on international recognition, forgetting that discovery only happens to most filmmakers after the indigenous market has already recognized and accepted them. Filipino filmmakers should forget about the trends outside of the Philippines--or the "Filipino experience"--and concentrate on telling their own stories. Maybe some critic from Paris will recognize them, maybe not. But at least they went to their graves knowing that they have done something to articulate their experiences and of those people around them.