EMIR.

EMIR – The rebirth of a Filipino musical

I had always been a Chito Rono fan, eversince I saw Eskapo and Dahas on the big screen.
These two aren’t all that brilliant if you compare it to an Eddie Romero classic or even with a Bernal or a Brocka film, but they stand on its own merits. And after more than a decade, Rono proves that he is indeed one of the best directors we have around on the mainstream.

Last year, Hollywood awarded its top prize to a musical that was directed by a British filmmaker with Indian actors with good story. This year, direk Chito tries the genre with ample help from the Film council and CCP, and the result was brilliant.

Few years ago, Rono tackled a life of an OFW mother who went to London on a starcinema venture. While the reception to that movie was lukewarm as it never reached box-office success in the same league as Anak (another starcinema movie about OFW) generated income, he once again tackles the lives of OFW in this musical drama, this time a whole bunch of OFW women and their lives.

The film opens with the lead character asks why was she in this land, a land where life can be simple but needing. The scene dissolves in three musical ensembles and it became clear to me that the film has quality up on its sleeve.

In the 80s, musical ensembles were bastardized by so many Regal comedies that most of the filmmakers lost track to what a quality musical is. Over the last few years, we attempted to stand on our feet again but most of our filmmakers lacked vision as to how Hollywood do their musicals which had been the standard of filmmaking in this side of the earth.

With Emir, Rono adapts to that standard and he fuses Pinoy music and it is fantastic.

The number wherein the barrio folks chase the rats on the corn fields on moonlight is a clear manifestation that the filmmaker has its own style to boot. The light and the movements and the sound of that particular scene is my most favorite.

As the movie unfolds with its contemporary elements of pinoy OFW lives, there are injections on how we, as Filipinos, adapts to the different culture that we get mixed into because of our jobs. Yet again, we will always remain Pinoy at heart because of the quirky situations and familial bonds that we have which are not always present on different cultures and traditions.

The story climaxes to the dawning of a Turkey war and how lives are changed by this. The scene is quite brutal, and I have never seen a musical that interjects massive death to show that there is hope in the end, and I loved that climax because it projected realistically onscreen.

The film ends in a light tone wherein the ward gets reunited to the kid she has helped to raise as a nanny on the Turkish land, and at that point I was still astounded as to this evolution of pinoy musical that I have seen.

CCP must have played a big part in getting this wonderful story and I have to commend the Film Council and perhaps Malacanang for sharing the budget and making this film possible. If there is one good thing that Arroyo has done as a president of this land, then this must be it – giving budget to make this wonderful film and to revolutionize the Filipino musical genre.

The performances are magnificent. Dulce played the mayordoma role to a T. Beverly Salviejo and another (whose name I did not get) gave good comic relief. Julia Clarete fits her role and I loved her quick character transition in two scenes. Francheska Farr is indeed a revelation by the end of the film. On the first few scenes I was asking myself if Chito Rono had another actor to play that part but towards the end of the film, Farr did not disappoint me. It became clear that the young actress could deliver and that she tried to get into her character.

In one particular scene, I have felt Farr’s emotion and the film’s undertone. This was the scene where Farr’s character and another OFW character chants on the beautiful moon. Watch out for that scene for its haunting song and a wonderful message about relationship.

If you are in the mall and have two hours to spare and would like to see a good film of international standard, then EMIR is for you. See how Rono shows to us Filipinos the distinctive color, music, performances and story that we only get to see on most Hollywood films that are released on this land.

The rebirth of Pinoy musical on celluloid.

...with Emir, Chito Rono makes us all proud to be filipinos...not just as caring OFWs to their wards but even moreso as a filipino film enthusiast watching a beautiful film unfold right before my very own eyes that was crafted by a talented pinoy.
...the film proves that with enough government funding and ccp support, our pinoy filmmakers will be able to show the world that you do not have to be hollywood educated to make hollywood quality...its colorful cinematography, heartfelt music, interesting storyline and skilled direction marks a true rebirth of the pinoy film musical that adapts to international standards with a crisp showcase of eclectic pinoy sound and vocal performances that befits the landmark...bravo to the one of the many filmmaking geniuses of our time....Chito S. Rono.