thy womb: FILM REVIEW: Nora's finest hour

12/8/12

FILM REVIEW: Nora's finest hour

‘T hy Womb,’ by all accounts, is a powerful force of cinema, destined to go down as one of the greatest films the Philippines has ever produced.

Recent box-office fares portray married people as unhappy prisoners in a contract they regret will be for life. A couple is tormented by distractions-- a mistress, a vice, a longing to be free-- all the while trying to save their marriage which somehow has turned into a jail term. But as all commercial movies must end in a sunshine note, the couple endure the temptations, they saved the marriage, the family is together again.

‘Thy Womb’ bravely debunks this current stereotype of shaky marriages by telling the story of a simple Bajau couple Shaleha (Nora Aunor) and Bangas-an (Bembol Roco), who fishes for a living. They are partners in crime in everything they do-- from fishing to weaving mats and even during birth delivery sessions where Shaleha is the midwife, Bangas-an the assistant midwife. They are aging, poor and Shaleha cannot give her husband a child because she is barren. Director Brillante Mendoza--instead of exploiting this line-up of travails enough to fill an entire season of a hit teleserye – insists that this couple is indeed contented and yes, happy. (For a change, critics can now take a break from labelling Brillante as a purveyor of the dark and the gloomy. The famed director of the violent 'Kinatay' and the grimy 'Serbis' is presenting a very simple love story.)

Even when they set out to find a fertile wife for Bangas-an, the film successfully managed to present it as just one of the things the united couple must accomplish together. In an exciting action scene at the middle of the sea, Bangas-an was confronted with the realities of life and death, and the desires of a having his own child– even through a second wife became more urgent. In between showing the Bajau culture and the breathtaking beauty of the waterworld of Tawi-tawi, the film is populated by the images of Shaleha and Bangas-an persevering to accomplish their search for a second wife while tediously working overtime.

Nora and Bembol were delightful in lighthearted scenes where husband and wife go along their daily routines. If I have neighbors like this couple, simply watching them would bring me a lot of joy. “Bakit nga ba ang mga mag-asawa ngayon parang laging harassed at malungkot sa isa’t-isa? Hindi nila gayahin itong dalawang ito,” I told myself. (You will be touched by the rain scene--full of tenderness and devotion).

Nora Aunor, in particular, had won several international awards for her role as the barren midwife and deservingly so. During moments of deep contemplations, you will find the joy and sadness, the celebrations and the longings in Shaleha’s heart through Nora’s eyes. Intense. Triumphant. Make no mistake, 'Thy Womb' is Nora’s finest hour.

Brillante Mendoza has long been accused of being ambivalent in his films. His endings unsure, message not clear. Not with 'Thy Womb.' Without resorting to tearjerking techniques, Brillante was able to hold the viewer’s full attention to the heroine's plight. In a fantastic finale reminiscent of great endings from films like 'Driving Miss Daisy' and 'Shawshank Redemption', he brings the audience to a standstill. The emotions longing to explode in pain. But soon enough, lamentations are muted by the realization that this woman's journey is a cause for celebration. (JONATHAN CATUNAO)

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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