QUEZON (2025) Review
Directed by Jerrold Tarog
The film is like its titular role’s personalities; you can’t pinpoint one that can describe it as a whole. Quezon, played wonderfully by Jericho Rosales, takes you on his journey as a politician in an entertaining way that feels as if he is multitasking as the writer, director, and actor of his story. But that’s the thing: the film wants you to see what and when it wants you to see. But the bigger picture is being written carefully without the audience actually seeing it. Does that make sense?
That’s the thing, the goal of the movie is to question what we see, what we believe, and most of all, who we believe. The very reason why ‘Quezon’ is relevant today. Even after almost a century had passed, people, not just Filipinos, tend to be easily persuaded by false heroes, false leaders, and false stories. All these, wrapped in an entertaining story, are a difficult feat to pull off, but director Jerrold Tarog successfully did it smoothly.
The film looks expensive and gorgeous. I was in awe that even the little scenes, the montages, where people need to be in costumes, the set needed to be designed, but would only be shot and shown in seconds, are part of the film. The dedication to make ‘Quezon’ look and feel authentic is there.
Jericho Rosales. Years ago, I would have accepted TJ Trinidad as the titular role, but fate brought us here, in this reality where Jericho Rosales would go out of his way doing something he hasn’t done before, something we haven’t seen him do before, and probably wouldn’t have imagined him doing. The commitment he has to portray the second President of the Philippines is beyond commendable. His nuances are there, might seem studied at first, but as the story progresses, his portrayal grows on you. You’ll be questioning yourself about how you should feel about his decisions made in the story and if this is indeed who he truly is.
Mon Confiado as Aguinaldo, Romnick Sarmenta as Osmena, and Cris Villanueva as Joven gave the film the excitement, the tension, and the needed additional emotions the story needed. It felt like a game wherein you question where you should put your sympathies because of how well the story is stirred for the audience to interpret.
‘Quezon’ isn’t like any of its predecessors. It doesn’t try to create a hero for the audience to root for. It dissects how a politician survives being a politician, how he toys with people visually and emotionally to get what he wants, whatever it takes. It’s not something you would expect from the Bayaniverse, but it is something that makes sense after Heneral Luna and Goyo. From constructing the image of a hero, to making a hero human who has weaknesses, to deconstructing all of that by showing that everything is not always what it looks like. ‘Quezon’ will leave you thinking, not just with its story, but how it reflects our perception from then until now.
4 OUT OF 5 STARS
‘Quezon’ is now showing in cinemas nationwide from TBA Studios. Rated PG by the MTRCB. #Quezon