thy womb: marveling at magnificence

12/17/12

marveling at magnificence

"THY WOMB may not cater to the popular audience but it is a stunning film mainly because of Nora Aunor's benchmark performance. Here it is evident---her finesse and refinement as an actress of the cinema. I pray that many people catch an otherwise non-commercial movie as this Brillante Mendoza piece if only to give due respect and honor to the artistry of the director and its superb lead actress." -- Jose Javier Reyes, award-winning scriptwriter/director, elaborates on his endorsement for ‘Thy Womb’ in one of his recent Facebook status post:

Reyes's comment concurs with an earlier Facebook post by two of the country's noted film critics:

“A quiet but richly-textured, substantial film acted with restraint and sensitivity by all the actors, led by La Aunor. Mendoza still in top form. The Superstar, too… Ronald K. Constantino calls Nora Aunor the ‘greatest actress of all time.’ Her new film lends credence to that accolade.”—Mario Hernando, member of the Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino

"Nora Aunor is the story and the storyteller is Brillante Mendoza. Great reputation precedes the film. Aunor, the ultimate thespian, comes back to honor the festival that was once her dominion."-- Tito Valiente, chairperson of the Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino, in his recent column reflecting on the Metro Manila Film Festival. (Click here to read the full article.)

Such affirmative assessment of the Aunor-Mendoza collaboration has proven to be a worthy consequence of the care for excellence devoted during the process of conceiving and birthing the film. For instance, exemplifying authenticity of artistry for her role as a Bajau midwife ironically cursed with her own infertility, Ms. Nora Aunor learns in this raw unedited footage how to do real-time delivery of a baby. Her performance has been the heart and soul of the year's most internationally acclaimed film that won awards for her and director Brillante Mendoza at the 69th Venice International Film Festival and the 6th Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA) in Brisbane, Australia.

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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