just finished watching the digital film Ang Anak Ni Brocka by first time director Siegfried Barros-Sanchez. the film had an intersting premise, what if the late National Artist Lino Brocka had a son? this was the question that plagued the main characters in this fascinating first feature. the film of course was not perfect. Nonie Buencamino in the male lead did the best he could with his role even if his character wasn't entirely fleshed out. one could understand his dilemma but there wasn't enough scenes to sympathize with the plight of Tony, his character. the best scenes in the movie were the interviews with Brocka's friends and colleagues in showbiz. interestingly though some key characters in the movie were played by some of Brocka's regular stable of actors like Gina Alajar, Phillip Salvador, Bembol Roco & Jaclyn Jose. too bad they weren't able to include Hilda Koronel & Christopher de Leon but even without them the film stood on its own. one thing i noticed is the lack of footage from Lino's early films. although there were some clips from Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang, Insiang, Bona, Tatlo Dalawa Isa, Ang Tatay Kong Nanay, Ano Ang Kulay Ng Mukha Ng Diyos, Maynila Sa Mga Kuko Ng Liwanag & Macho Dancer. still photos form Santiago, Wanted Perfect Mother & Stardoom were also included. inspite of the poor quality of the videos shown in the movie, they still added life to the story. it would've had more impact if they included his other noteworthy films due to lack of resources or even copyright laws. that aside Ang Anak Ni Brocka still managed to keep my interest for almost three hours! did the film answer the question? does Lino Brocka have a son? you have to watch the movie to find out.
i remember when i would go the theaters to watch a Lino Brocka film and i always looked forward to seeing not just a movie with a social message but a film that had great acting in it. unfortunately the acting in this movie leaves so much to be desired, aside form Nonie Buencamino, nobody else really stood out. even Gina, Phillip, Bembol & Jaclyn who displayed such brilliance in Brocka movies didn't give the performances expected of them in this film. the film's most moving performance if i could call it one was the archived interview of William Lorenzo at the hospital after the accident. it was probably his best and surpasses even the ones he essayed on screen in the movies he did with Brocka. he was sincere and the emotions were real, it was affecting. nevertheless this movie still deserves to be seen not just by regular moviegoers but Filipino film enthusiasts as well. it saddened me when they asked 20 year olds if they knew who Lino Brocka was and most of them said no, what a pity. i think now is the perfect time for a Lino Brocka Film Retrospective.
