thy womb: the best for the British

10/3/12

the best for the British

CineVue, an award-winning film blog from the United Kingdom, attests to “Sinapupunan” (Thy Womb) as one of the best-reviewed films in competition at the 69th Venice International Film Festival. "One of the most poignant and intimate films in the competition," according to one critic. "A moving and visually captivating movie with two commanding yet understated central performances. Mendoza's film deserves an accolade at Venezia 69.” (Click the link for the full review.)

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“The best film to date from Filipino director Brillante Mendoza. As quietly agonising as a De Sica film…it is hard to bear emotionally in an unflinching film rich in human, social and natural detail.” Thus a renowned British film critic emphasizes why "Sinapupunan" (Thy Womb) should have won in the main competition of the 69th Venice International Film Festival on top of romping off with three prizes given by critics' group outside of the festival. (Click link for the full article.)

"The genius of Mendoza’s film is that no sooner has he drawn us into the couple's simple life on the beautiful island of Tawi-Tawi than he unsettles this paradise with cinematic eruptions...these moments quicken the pulse and keep us alive to the possibility of danger. They’re like espresso shots peppered throughout the leisurely humanist love story, adding adrenaline to the heartbreak." (Click link for the fullarticle.)

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A STORY AS DEEP AS THE SEA

“I am making a film about the Bajaus, with the aim to celebrate a nonviolent people amidst a very violent world. It’s an intriguing premise about a particular people of peace living in a place of endemic violence.

One of the most interesting peoples in southern Philippines, the Bajaus are native sea-dwellers that are also found in the neigh-boring Malaysian and Indonesian archipelagos. They are the so-called sea gypsies who are skilled in building various types of boats, and widely known as fishermen, pearl divers and mat weavers.

As a film, Thy Womb examines the opposing natures of two women (Nora Aunor/Shaleha’s sterility against Lovi Poe/ Mersila’s fertility) to reflect the prevailing condition in Tawi-Tawi, a place endowed with natural beauty and rich resources but mired in economic and socio-political crises. A quiet hell of a paradise, Thy Womb’s “birth place” and its environs are constant reminders of yesterday’s conflict that has remained unresolved up to the present.

The Bajaus are considered to be the most primitive and oppressed among several ethnic groups in the region; and they assume a subordinate status in their diverse and divided community, which includes the Samal and the Tausug, among others. But in spite of this, the Bajaus are generally perceived to be non-confrontational, forgiving, seemingly contented and happy people.

When wronged, it is said that the Bajaus would simply move to another place, bringing their houseboats (lepa-lepa), constantly roving, living in harmony with nature. To this day, they are mostly looked down, degraded and much maligned by their ethnic neighbors and others, thus rendering them harmless, helpless and almost powerless.

But in their heart of hearts, are they really so, or is it just another way of life merely misunderstood by those inured to violence? With this thought and theme, and my curiosity further piqued, the narrative voice of the film has emerged loud and clear.

With intensive research and truthful depiction of certain characters and their circumstances, as articulated in the poignant tale of an aging, childless couple who resolve to find the mother of their much-wanted child, I hope Thy Womb would show a slice of life in the best possible light."

– BRILLANTE MENDOZA