Something fresh from the 6th Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival—a war movie by a first-time indie director.
Danny Añonuevo, who earned his stripes in the television advertising industry, takes on the tradition of Pinoy war movies, a genre that became popular after World War II. (Añonuevo had prior experience with this genre when he edited the Manny-Pacquiao starrer Anak ng Kumander.) His years of experience in post-production (under Unitel Productions and his very own Editcube Digital Studios) served him well in his directorial debut film.
Rekrut, his Cinemalaya entry, is inspired by the Jabidah massacre, an incident during the Marcos regime when Moro recruits were slaughtered by agents of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
A plot by ousted dictator Ferdinand Marcos to instigate the secession of Sabah from Malaysia preceded the massacre. The plan was to train military units, who would then incite dissent among the Tausug and Sama, two Sabah ethnic groups that share a culture with the Bangsamoro. Young Moros were recruited, but the recruits demanded to be brought home when they learned they had to fight with fellow Muslims in Sabah.
Rekrut shows off young actors JM de Guzman and Joem Bascon. JM is Lando de Guzman, a homesick Catholic who longs for the love he left behind (Rich Asuncion). Joem, meanwhile, is Jamir Alura, a trigger-happy yet religious Muslim who likewise yearns for his wife (Maxene Magalona) and children. In spite of religious differences, the two develop comradeship as they strive to survive the severe training.
Lando brings a hopeful sentiment between the rigorous training scenes. His youthful idealism surfaces when he jots down the letters of recruits who do not know how to write, and teaches them how to play chess. It is a touch of irony that the makeshift chessboard he carries around foreshadows the government's plan to use them like pawns in a game.
Veteran actor Emilio Garcia is the strict, scary, and manipulative Master Sergeant Manuel Lapuz. He earned the Cinemalaya Best Supporting Actor plum in the New Breed category for his role as the very intimidating officer who oversees the training. The film also earned the Best Sound Recording award for Albert Michael Idioma.
Rekrut is fun to watch with its witty lines and funny moments, such as the much-ballyhooed scene wherein the recruits run butt-naked to the shore. Direk Danny revealed to PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal) that they did not bring enough plasters when they shot that scene on an island so some of the actors had to cover their private parts with their bare hands.
Screenplay writers Danny Añonuevo and Jerry Gracio clearly worked on making characters feel "real," even revealing tidbits about the provinces where they came from and their families. The characters are believable, and it seems as if one gradually gets to know them by jogging miles with them every day, sharing rice and tuyo, and sleeping in the same barracks. It seems as if the viewer becomes part of the team, sharing jokes with fellow recruits or shaking one's head with them when an officer imposes punishment.
There are, however, a tad too many training scenes, which seem to drag toward the end of the film, especially since the time could have been used to develop the recruits' conflict of whether to finish their mission or not. There are also too many unnecessary and exaggerated shows of emotion (for instance, Lando crying while sleeping when he dreams about his girlfriend).
Fortunately, the convincing camaraderie that one gets to share with the recruits keeps the film from seeming too orchestrated. Rekrut is not merely an enjoyable film with memorable portrayals and exciting action scenes, it's the fresh and out-of-the-mundane experience which one looks for in independent films. Already this writer is looking forward to Añonuevo's next film.
Rekrut, as well as the other competition films of 2010 Cinemalaya, will be screened at the University of the Philippines Film Institute in Diliman, Quezon City. (CLICK HERE to view the screening schedules)