Senator Imee Marcos, the real maid in Malacañán in the reel, claims the newest Marcos hagiography as ‘art of truth’ in their last 72 hours inside the palace during the political siege in 1986 dubbed as the ‘people power revolution’ by two warring political elite families in the Philippines.
A disclaim in the film when Cesar Montano’s (who played Marcos Sr.) dialogue utters that the Marcos family hails from the province (Ilocos Norte) and are not perceived as elitista (elites). Same as true with the Aquinos are probinsyanos (from Tarlac), though landed unlike the Marcoses.
The movie’s baffling artistic license, often shot in dizzying 360 degrees in most dramatic scenes pied in awkward altered genres not on equal footing with Hongkong production of the ‘Soong Sisters’ that also tells the story of modern China’s warring families.
Daryl Yap’s (the director of controversial one-angle films on social media) unconventional visual narration pursues a chopsuey of camera tricks to infuse comedy executed perfectly by the maids, a tearjerker family drama to showcase the ‘Filipinoness’ of familial connection, a little bit of horror with baby Aimee clad in white beautiful dress inside the eerie palace (a footnote on how urban legend affirms the palace is haunted), original clips from documentaries to augment historicity on their side, and real interwiew with the alive assassin.
The pandemic affected the breath of acting skills of popular actors in the movie for lack of genuine acting lessons to astutely interpret their main roles when they deliver storylines on screen (some historical figures played are dead or recently died but the rest are still living).
While the material succumbs to anti-thesis on current sophism of political truth inked in history books and essayed in social narratives, the other side of the coin presents new thesis to be synthesized and not to be monopolized by historians and social scientists alone but also vloggers and opinion writers (adopting to the multi-truth era) to fathom the wholeness of our own Filipino accounts.
In the post-truth epoch on narrative-making, the objectivity of story lies in amalgamation of voluminous tales―formed through chinwags, lies, or truths.
If the flick falls under the helm of Jerold Tarog (director of recently acclaimed historical films ‘Heneral Luna’ and ‘Goyo’), the strong portrayal of Cristine Reyes (acting on behalf of the movie’s creative consultant and producer Imee Marcos), it could garner natural intensity anchored on the charismatic portrayal of John Arcilla as General Antonio Luna or the inner struggle of Paolo Avelino as General Gregorio del Pilar.
As zoomed in and out from start to end of the movie, Cristine’s angst and wrath visibly resound to audiences as a pivotal plot of betrayal of allies and downfall of the hegemonic family in the contested palace. The grit of her experienced acting as a feisty character could be rooted from her blockbuster movie in ‘No Other Woman’ has unsurprisingly resurfaced, in honour for the protection and love of the undersieged family.
The late national artist for film Marilou Diaz-Abaya (director of multi-awarded biopic of ‘Rizal’) could have honed better her onscreen nymph protagonist Cesar Montano to soulfully play the legendary role of elderly Ferdinand Marcos during his severely-ill age in his tumultuous twilight period.
Other actors playing major characters in the family flop in dealing with their characterization, poised with lacking charismatic depth to navigate their important roles. That motivation should have been guided accordingly by Daryl Yap.
But the impulsiveness of public offering of the narrative on screen certainly compromised the conventional narrative of historical drama that Filipinos are accustomed to in movie watching. The adaptability to the hype of evolving cinema rolled out in catchy tale-telling in more innovative social media style that captures the relevance and irreverence of this new film caught in Tiktok’s pie of multi-truth era.
Finally, the binary likes and loathes of ‘Maid in Malacañán’ on its cinema rival ‘Katips’ hold true to the discordant taste of our choices. That’s how democracy works. Discern to watch it, process it whole-heartedly, and judge the new contents using your critical thinking.
Just like in the movie ‘Chocolat’, a disruptive confection coaxes the town to abandon themselves to temptation. The more you discourage others not to watch the controversial movie that is essential to complete the jigsaw puzzle in our history, the more it fashions a lot of buzz. It’s time that Filipinos listen to their narrative kept in 36 years. Then we judge it as people of a matured nation-state!
