Screening a film about war during the joyous Metro Manila Film Fest (MMFF) season is an act of courage or boldness, depending on which side of the fence you happen to be.
Courage because the Muslim conflict down south is a political issue that touches on sensitive nerves, because of its religious undertones.
Bold because all that blood and mayhem may seem out of the place in this season of cheer.
But writer-director-producer Arlyn dela Cruz chose the road less traveled, and fielded this official entry to the New Wave section of the 41st edition of MMFF.
The result is a serious film that makes you shake your head, close your eyes and murmur a little prayer for lives lost in the name of freedom.
This action-drama movie boasts of an ensemble cast headed by Luis Alandy, Ping Medina, Alwin Uytingco, Victor Basa, Marc Solis, Carlo Cruz, Jericho Ejercito, and Ken Anderson (brother of Gerald Anderson).
Based on real events, Mandirigma depicts the struggles of Marines as they battle against rebels in the war-torn areas of Muslim Mindanao.
Lt. Arlan Salcedo, Platoon commander of one of the battalions in the Philippine Marines, is looking forward to spending a few days of rest and recreation with his family in time for the birthday of his only daughter. But one fateful mission would drastically alter his fate and the lives of his men.
In broad daylight, an armed group led by Malaysian terrorist Hamda Marawan (played by Mon Confiado) ambushed Salcedo’s platoon and wiped out almost everyone. The officers and the men who were left behind find themselves in the frontlines once again, faced with another battle.
LOVE, FAMILY, PATRIOTISM. Mandirigma tells many stories put together like little pieces of one big jigsaw puzzle. Each piece consists of stories about love, family, and patriotism.
A Muslim boy wants to grow up a warrior like his brave father. A young Marine tells his older brother he wants to fight it out in battle just like Kuya.
Most touching of all is a young husband who promises his only daughter he will return to celebrate her birthday after his stint in Sulu is over.
We all know of lonely nights away from family and loved ones, the back-breaking training, the dogged devotion to a cause that drives Marines to put their lives on the line.
We know of Marines too swept away by the powerful tide of patriotism, they haven’t even paused to ask why they’re risking life and limb at such a young age.
BALANCE. Like all war films, Mandirigma stares at us with eyes of violence and hate. It has its soft side, though, and tugs at our heartstrings with scenes about a loving husband and wife, an innocent child, a bereaved father.
It engages heart and mind by making us feel for the victims and search for reasons why they had to suffer so. It is a paean to those brave soldiers whose hearts blazed with love for their country. But it’s also a black mark on a government that can’t control this violence and spare young, innocent lives.
Gore and tenderness balance each other as one scene shows dead bodies all over the place, and another depicts a Marine soldier advising a boy about grief. The boy--the son of the soldier’s enemy--just lost his dad.
This sense of balance continues as Mandirigma presents the side of the Muslim rebels willing to die for Allah while showing the hardships Marines go through for war.
A Marine officer nails it when he tells a young recruit that it’s not about how you die, but about how hard you fight.
In presenting various faces and vignettes of war, director Arlyn dela Cruz perhaps wanted to bring out all the emotions – good and bad – and issues – seen and unseen – in armed conflict.
If this is her aim, she did succeed.
But then, not everyone is looking for a patchwork of story vignettes. Others want a solid story that ties up all these bits and pieces into one seamless whole. This way, the story becomes more telling; its message, more moving.
Let’s hope that in showing how bad war is, Mandirigma will convince moviegoers to embrace its opposite: peace, the message of Christmas.
It’s not that simple, though, because deeper issues of religion and politics are at play. It’s just as well the film did not dwell on these issues. Doing so could have just added one more subplot to the film’s many storylines.
SEARCH FOR MEANING. All we can hope for is that Mandirigma opens the eyes of young soldiers who want to fight for the country; that it’s not just about going out in battle and facing the enemy.
It’s about leaving a mother, father, wife and child behind–perhaps forever.
That way, these soldiers will march in battle knowing what they’re fighting for.
In knowing the whys and wherefores of war, the soldiers who fight it can do so with more purpose.
Then and only then, can their life – or death – have more meaning for them and their loved ones.
Mandirigma is one of the five entries featured in the New Wave category of the 41st Metro Manila Film Fest.
This and the other entries--ARI: My Life with a King, Tandem, Turo Turo, and Toto--will shown at SM Megamall, Glorietta 4, and Robinsons Manila cinemas until December 24, 2015.
(To learn more about the MMFF 2015 New Wave entries, CLICK HERE)
Ed's Note: The "PEP Review" section carries the views of individual reviewers and does not necessarily reflect the views of the PEP editorial staff.