Ang Larawan - the Artist and His Conscience
5:51 AM
Today is Christmas.
We we went to the Cinema. Just like our family always do. It's a tradition.
Last year, we had a blast. The indie movies were given a chance to be showcased. We almost watched all of the movies last year. Too bad, all of them pale in comparison to the formulaic movies when it comes to sales.
This paved the way for bringing back the overly commercialized but lacking content and depth movies. But there are one to three movies worth watching this year.
One of the movies that is worth your money is Ang Larawan - an adaptation from the most popular play of our National Artists for Literature, Nick Joaquin. The play is "Portrait of the Artist as Filipino".
Before anything else, this is not a literary critique. I am not an expert. I know just wanted to share my two cents about the movie.
The movie was a musical. A great presentation. It brought me back to the Old Manila. Shots are mostly done I inside Intramuros near Casa Manila and San Agustin Church. I should know, I studied in Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM). I walked the cobblestone streets of Real and General Luna everyday.
To be honest, I have not read "Portrait of the Artist as Filipino", but the movie is sufficient to convey the message - Contra Mundum, the Old Manila Against the World.
The Marasigan House is the symbol of the Old Manila resisting and standing strong against the rush of the new world ideas Americans are bringing to the country before World War II hits.
I don't know if this will strike a chord to Millennials but my Daughter and two of my Sons enjoyed the movie.
For me the lesson of Ang Larawan is still timely. The lesson of giving value to your beliefs and principles against materialism.
Nowadays, it is a hard thing to do.
Materialism is widespread. The values and culture that we hold dear that belong to our great past is eroded. Most of them, gone in the trash bin of History.
Still, I believe that as a Nation, collectively we can still preserve or revive some of the values that are dear to us and at the core of our being a Filipino.
Let me end by saying, you have to watch Ang Larawan - a movie that presents a social commentary on a great part of our history.
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