ALIPATO AT MUOG (2024) Review
Directed by JL Burgos
For someone who has a short attention span for documentaries, JL Burgos’ ‘Alipato at Muog’ really hit me hard. I was in disbelief of everything I’m seeing. But it’s these types of real stories that need the attention the most, and I was on the edge of my seat from start to finish.
You can’t compare ‘Alipato at Muog’ to horror stories. They can’t give you this level of terror even after the credits start rolling. I’m not sure if what was presented in the film was detailed enough regarding its case but it was detailed enough to bring you to the emotional journey of the documentarian. It’s packed with details and visuals nightmares are made of.
Fear rouses as reality hits that even leaving the four corners of the cinema, their story isn’t made up. People still are missing and more people are will go missing. One can only hope for the safety of everybody but evil can dress themselves as our protectors and that’s way more terrifying than made-up supernatural horror stories.
Alipato at Muog won’t give you rainbows and butterflies, it won’t promise you something good. It will present you these injustices that can span up to more than two decades and make you question why are we okay with these? And make you think what can we do as citizens to make a difference.
5 OUT OF 5 STARS
AN ERRAND (2024) Review
Directed by Dominic Bekaert
When injustices become a routine, life itself becomes a trap.
Visually stunning and thought-provoking, Dominic Bekaert’s ‘An Errand’ takes you to the insides of what personal drivers do and the secrets they know. Sid Lucero does his character naturally as Moroy, a personal driver that tends to the needs of his employer. But the thing is, his work doesn’t just ends at being a chauffer, he also tends to other commands of his boss.
Through his work, he invites the audience to notice the things that are overlooked in the most authentic way possible. From long drives to picking up and dropping off someone, to getting something from Baguio to Manila back and forth, being on call for all of these. You also get to eavesdrop on private conversations that might danger your life, on secrets that you’ll be keeping to yourself for the rest of your life. Being in danger is one thing but doing injustices over and over again, the routine of being abused becomes a trap.
These and other mundane activities keep Moroy busy but it gets to be repetitive and at times exhausting. That’s why one way to release all these is through making things up, imagining things, creating a fictional character or life. But that’s the thing about ‘An Errand,’ it’s up to you if everything is real or not, at least that’s how it felt for me while watching. Because the framing, the mood of the film gives a dreamlike feeling.
‘An Errand’ wants to present a lot of things but some aren’t as obvious and it tends to be a bit confusing. You’re at times wondering if something is happening or the gorgeously shot visuals are just that. How you take it in depends on the viewers’ mood and preference.
3.5 OUT OF 5 STARS
‘Alipato at Muog’ and ‘An Errand’ is now showing at Ayala Malls Manila Bay, Greenbelt 3, Market! Market!, UP Town Center and TriNoma cinemas until August 11 as part of the 20th Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival.