TWO THINGS

I will make this short and sweet.

I did two things today which I believe are pretty momentous.

1. PLONING

I watched it. Finally. I have been raving about it in a past posting here and I ended up being right about the giddiness I felt when I saw the trailer.

I will say it loud and clear. IT IS A GOOD MOVIE.

For quite some time (several years in fact), I haven't watched a commercially released movie that didn't make me feel as if I lost a few of my brain cells or made me catatonic after I got out of the cinema. Other than the few indie films I have seen like Maximo and Kubrador being some of my favorites, methinks I can only describe mainstream Filipino movies as simply a waste of money.

Ang lambot ng Ploning, ang tahimik pero mainit at nakakapaso. Kapag di ka umiyak, di mo naiintindihan ang konsepto ng pag-ibig. (It's a soft movie, quiet but it seers with its emotions. If you didn't cry, you don't understand the concept of love.)

quote by Anonymous (I got this from the movie's website)

Yes, the movie has it shortfalls. It has that "indie" appeal in it - unpolished and has that small-ness in it. It's not the big-budgeted Hollywood'ish or Regal movie type. But what it lacked in it's small-ness, it made up for everything with it's simplicity.

It is "quiet" and stirring movie. I didn't see any histrionics nor heard any brain-numbing, tacky dialogues. Wholly, it has a story that makes you ask and lets you fill in some of the details. It even has a slightly open ending. And for a long time, I have finally been able to watch a local big screen movie that didn't treat me like a 10-year old. There was a lack of over-patronizing details. For that alone, I felt good about the movie.

... and Juday. Now I know why I got so giddy. She's an excellent actress. When I saw her play Ploning, I forgot the actress and only saw the quiet dignity of a woman in Cuyo, Palawan. I wasn't simply watching an actress who is excellent in her craft but I cried, wept and hoped with a woman whose story was essayed on film. When she spoke with Siloy, I felt Ploning's pain. When her past was unraveled as Seling read the documents Ploning kept, I felt her quiet strength. Judy Ann Santos sbecame Ploning. Ploning became Juday.

Watch the movie. I am not getting anything out of this except the satisfaction that I found a beautifuk story of a splendid woman portrayed by an actress who has my unflinching admiration.

p.s. Gina Pareno and the little boy that played the character of Digo, they are gems of Philippine cinema.

2. MY NEXT EXHIBIT

I finally finished the poster for my next exhibit.

Yes, I am having my next exhibit this May 11, 2008 at KAIDA GALLERY.

It's a small gallery at the Second Level of GFO Building, 122 Kamuning Road, Quezon City. It is near the corner with EDSA. If you're heading north along EDSA, it's on the left side and about 4 to 5 building down the road. It's hard to miss. There's an Allied bank below it.

I'll tell more about it on the next post.

;-)