Dementia

I'm ashamed to admit I've never seen a Nora Aunor film.  I saw snippets of Bona on cable, but have never really sat down to watch an entire movie of the superstar.  I remember watching Imortal with my mom in the theater when I was younger, and more recently Ekstra with Ches last year.  It's not like I favor Vilma Santos over Nora (altho I like making fun of the fact that the Star for All Season is our Governor), it's just that I've never had a chance nor the inclination to watch a Nora movie. 

Those two have to go together:  you might want to catch the film but don't have the time, or you might have all the time but have zero desire to watch.  I did want to see Hustisya at this year's Cinemalaya but gave that up in favor of the smaller films, bcoz I figured a Nora Aunor/Joel Lamangan movie has got to be picked up for a commercial run even after the limited Cinemalaya one-week showing, whereas that lone week was likely my only chance of ever seeing the lesser-known entries.   

Well, Hustisya has not been shown elsewhere locally after Cinemalaya, so too bad for me.  I was thus excited when I heard about Dementia.  Not only did it star Nora Aunor, it is also 1. set in Batanes and 2.  is the first film of Perci Intalan.  Batanes is Number 1 in my travel bucket list for the Philippines. Perci Intalan got married to Jun Lana in Central Park, New York (I guess bcoz same-sex marriages will never be allowed in our country in our lifetime).  Jun Lana is only the man/gay person behind Bwakaw and Barber's Tales, only two of my favorite indies of all time. 

It did not disappoint.  Batanes is probably the most beauteous place in the entire country.  It boasts of two lighthouses, too.  (Yes, it had me at the first lighthouse.)  I'm glad the movie showed all the good parts of Batanes, so that at least foreigners who see it in international film festivals will realize there is more to the Philippines than the slums which are the usual setting for our indie films. 

It's not the best local horror film I've seen (I personally think Ouija and The Road are far creepier), but I appreciate that it's intelligent.  It's the kind of slow, quiet film where you have think on your own feet bcoz not everything is spelled out for you.  Also, the little girl who played Nora's character was dark-skinned, as is Althea Vega as the middle-aged Nora.  Jasmine Curtis' mother is Bing Loyzaga, and they are both mestizas.  At least there's an effort to be consistent and believable, unlike in most other movies or shows where someone cute but not altogether exquisite like Ryzza Mae will suddenly grow up to be the beautiful Angel Locsin.  Aaargh.  I hate when they do that.  It's just so friggin insulting. 

Nora Aunor is, of course, the heart and soul of the movie.  As she plays an aging woman who's slowly losing her grip on reality, she hardly has any lines.  Her eyes have to express all her thoughts and emotions - and my, do they ever nail it.  Watching her is like seeing Vilma Santos in Ekstra last year - they are such good actors and have this great, luminous presence on the screen that you tend to fixate only on them, everyone and everything else around them become merely scenery.