MIGUELITO,BATANG REBELDE
Lino Brocka, 1985
Saw this movie again after so many years, and it was quite a rewarding experience. Maybe not in the same league as Brocka's undisputed masterpieces (Maynila Sa Mga Kuko Ng Liwanag,Insiang,to name a few) but this one is still worth watching, and bears the director's trademarks: excellent perfomances from a superb ensemble cast (notably Nida Blanca,Eddie Garcia,and Aga Muhlach),the familiar theme of quest for justice, gripping and/or tense scenes of emotional conflicts (Nida Blanca's reunion with Aga Muhlach, Liza Lorena's anguished confession,the climactic shoot-out in the end), certain quasi-documentary scenes (a sequence showing Holy Week flagellants). Released during the dying years of the Marcos dictatorship, today it is still socially-relevant, especially as it's an election year. Butch Dalisay's use of matatas na Tagalog in his script was quite a pleasant treat: somehow appropriate and gave the film a sense of timelessness.