MANILA, Philippines — The Duterte administration’s controversial “war on drugs” has become rich fodder for films.
Since 2017 at least, not less than 10 films have foregrounded or touched on how Pres. Rodrigo Duterte’s campaign promise to purge the nation of crime and narcotics is being carried out. To name a few, there’s Adolfo Alix Jr.’s Madilim Ang Gabi, Arlyn dela Cruz’s Bubog, Roland Sanchez’s EJK, Toto Natividad’s Double Barrel, Carlo J. Caparas’ Kamandag ng Droga and most recently, Erik Matti’s BuyBust, which had a theater run in North America this month and got reviewed by the Hollywood press like Variety as “a potent commentary on the devastating social consequences of the Philippine government’s war on drugs.”
Brillante Mendoza’s crime drama Alpha: The Right To Kill starring Allen Dizon is the newest film set against the backdrop of the drug war. It will compete for the top prize in Spain’s San Sebastian Film Festival on Sept. 21 to 29.
“As far as I’m concerned, it’s timely. That’s the issue now so that’s why (films on the drug war) are being made,” Mendoza told The STAR when asked about his thoughts on the film community churning out one drug war-related movie after another. Early this year, Mendoza did TV5’s Amo — the first-ever Filipino series picked up by streaming giant Netflix — which courted controversy after it was alleged by critics as “propaganda” for the intense crackdown on drugs because he directed the presidential SONA twice and was quoted in an interview as saying that the drug war was “necessary.” Amo also received special mention from Duterte himself in some of his public speeches.
But Mendoza has been no stranger to drug themes and similar issues. Kinatay, which won him the Best Director in the 2009 Cannes filmfest in France, was about police brutality. Right before Duterte won the presidency in 2016, Mendoza released Ma’Rosa, a film about a drug-dealing mother caught up in a web of police corruption. It won Jaclyn Jose the Best Actress award at Cannes.
Erik Matti’s BuyBust
“Ang drug issue di lang naman kasi ngayon, matagal na. The story of Ma’Rosa, four years or five years ko pa siyang alam bago pinalabas at ginawang pelikula. So, that means I’m just in touch with what’s happening around me. I thought it was an interesting subject matter, especially that time. It so happened that this government, they’re really into (the fight against) drugs. Nagkasunod-sunod na nga (ang mga films). Ganun naman yung mga artists and filmmakers. Kung ano ang relevant siguro sa paligid nila, yun ang kanilang ginagawa.”
One of the very first films directly inspired by the drug war was Alix’s Madilim ang Gabi. It tells the story of a drug-peddling couple who discovers that their son is missing just when they decide to renounce their underworld associations and reform their lives. The movie world-premiered at the Toronto filmfest in September last year. It finally screened in the country via the just-concluded Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino spearheaded by the government lead agency for film, the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP). “Di lang kami nakahanap ng platform because aside from you have an important and very sensitive topic, you also have to study (and) plan kung kelan siya ilalabas,” said Alix.
According to the director/screenwriter, more cinema on the drug war will be good for the film industry. “(As it has been said) film is a recorder of history. Certain moments in history or in life have to be recorded. So, okay yun, naging avenue for discourse as to what is a person’s take on an issue — in this case, filmmakers who are interested in the government’s drug war. Iba-iba tayo, meron sa kanila effective, sa iba hindi. But for me, I’m OK with it because there are more points of view, more avenues for discussion.”
For Alix, one’s political leanings cannot be excluded from the filmmaking process. “You have a stand. Hindi naman pwede itapon lahat ng views mo at pabayaan mo ang audience na kumuha ng take niya sa issue.”
Madilim Ang Gabi, he noted, assumes the point of view of the couple played by Gina Alajar and Phillip Salvador. “So, kung saan sila dinala, that’s the point of view of the movie... Whatever they go through, that is perhaps the take of the film because the platform is a journey and search for their missing child.”
Asked about the challenges in delving into a “very sensitive” topic, Alix said, “Parang, siempre, may certain things kang kailangan i-risk. But that was a composite of people we interviewed and our research. My feeling is that this story has to be told because more than the trappings of the issues, it’s still a story of a family, and we Filipinos, we value our family. So, tanggalin mo yung shell ng political situation and all, basically, it’s the story of a parent who is looking for his/her child. So, it’s still drama. Yun yung magandang platform because I feel that it’s emotional. Since it’s emotional, people will have interest, will take a chance to take a look at it.”
Adolfo Alix Jr.’s Madilim Ang Gabi
For Mendoza, the tough part in tackling a hot-button theme — a constant in his filmography — lies in the funding more than anything else. “Ang mga ginagawa kong pelikula, wala naman akong pinapaboran. What I critique is the institution, not the personality. So, I should have nothing to fear. Even my films in the past — I did the film about Abu Sayyaf (Captive) — my resource people were those against the government (and the) military. The films we show, we are interested in the truth. We are not interested in the controversy. First and foremost, as a storyteller, it’s my responsibility to myself, not to the critics. So, in terms of difficulty, I don’t find anything difficult, except funding. Ang funding naman ng mga katulad ko, ng mga indie filmmakers, is always a big challenge,” he said.
Madilim Ang Gabi has made the rounds in international filmfests. From what Alix observed, foreign audiences were “curious in what happened, what’s the situation and why such is the take of the government kasi iba-iba eh, for example, sa Colombia, meron din silang version sa atin. Sa iba naman legal siya. Na-open lang siya. In our screenings, we are often asked if tama ba o mali (if it’s right or wrong). Pero lagi naming pinanggagalingan, it all boils down to when you’re in authority, do you have the capacity or the freedom to do whatever you want because you’re in position? If you analyze it, it’s complicated. It’s like a food chain? You just feed on something because you need it or you benefit from it. So, di siya matatapos. Parang pag nagsisihan, parang mahaba yung proseso, so parang ni-re-research din namin siya at saka naging problema yung police may kasalanan din sila or wala. Sa ibang police, parang bago lang sila, kailangan nilang gawin yun; yung iba naman, parang binibigyan sila ng incentive pag may na Tokhang sila… Saan sila lulugar?”
“It will always go back to the idea na yung mga taong to… kaya nga sabi namin di ka kailangan mag-judge, yung black or white ka. Hindi dun lang natatapos yun, masama ‘to, mabait siya, you have to understand their situation. At the end of the day, you give them the chance to evaluate and to change. For me, we should always give them the chance to come out of that situation so they can straighten out their lives,” Alix added.
Meanwhile, Malacañang spokesperson Harry Roque weighed in on the growing number of cinematic works on the anti-illegal drugs campaign. He told The STAR, “What can you say? The movie is trying to portray the perception of what’s happening and depending on what your perception is, iba yung lumalabas sa movie, di ba?”
On her part, FDCP chair Liza Diño said, “That is exactly what cinema is. It’s a reflection of our society. It’s our response to what’s happening to us. We can’t stop our filmmakers from creating films that mirror what’s happening nowadays.”
If these works participate in prestigious filmfests abroad, they are entitled to government financial support through FDCP’s International Film Festival Assistance Program. During a send-off event last month, BuyBust director Matti, who had online tussles with Duterte supporters for his politically-charged comments on social media, acknowledged FDCP’s support when his Anne Curtis-led actioner was chosen as the closing film of the New York Asian Film Festival.
Diño said, “I mean, whatever the reason is, boses nila yun at gusto nilang marinig. As long as it is not blatantly bringing down the government, it’s not causing havoc on national security, we have to support the voices of these filmmakers. When we start censoring them, we stop creation, we stop creativity.”