Mendoza: Showing what we may not want to see

MANILA, Philippines – "Yung ayaw natin makita baka yun ang dapat nating makita," Brillante "Dante" Mendoza said of his films, the latest of which is "Kinatay," which won for him the Best Director award at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. That for him is part of what he's been trying to achieve in his films, which according to him usually get criticized for their almost real-time pacing of drawn-out, detailed scenes depicting sex and violence. Some critics think that such scenes – particularly those depicting sex and violence – could be left out, or at least trimmed down. "Kinatay," despite the recognition it brought him, could not dodge the slings and arrows of outraged critics. Here's how Peter Howell reports it on May 25 piece for the Toronto Star Web site:

This reaction [referring to South Korea's Park Chan-Wok] was nothing, though, compared to the gasps of outrage that greeted the awarding of the Best Director prize to Filipino helmer Brillante Mendoza for Kinatay, a horrific drama about a man who rapes, murders and dismembers a young prostitute. Chicago critic Roger Ebert called "Kinatay" the worst movie ever to compete in the festival's 62-year history.

According to other reports, some people in the audience reacted with boos and catcall on his being announced as Best Director – and some even walked out. "They do that all the time – not only on my film," he told GMANews.TV on Thursday shortly after his interview at the GMA Network Center with Jessica Soho, who's featuring him on her show "Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho" on Saturday. He is obviously not bothered by such reactions. Winning, in fact, proved to be "humbling experience" for him. "I felt so small among those giants," he said, referring to directors he beat, like Quentin Tarantino and Ang Lee. Neither is he bothered by the mixed reviews his films usually get. In fact, he welcomes them. "It's OK with me," he said. "That leads to a discussion of different opinions and the film gets talked about. Otherwise, pagkatapos nung film, makakalimutan na [once the film is over it's forgotten]." The negative reactions are triggered by a misunderstanding of his intention as an "ultrarealist." Basically, Mendoza works on narrative structure – that is, he follows a script like most filmmakers. But he presents the story like a documentary. As to material, many of his films are what you might describe as tabloidish – like "Masahista" (2005) and "Tirador" (2007). "Akala mo [You would think it's from a] tabloid, but it really happened," he said, noting how "Kinatay" was based on a true incident related to him by a police academy cadet, who has an equivalent character in the movie. The movie might not be shown in regular theaters here because of its graphic content. But according to Mendoza, it may be shown in July at the University of the Philippines or the Cultural Center. Now wouldn't it be ironic if the film does get shown in regular theaters – but in a form butchered by the censors' scissors. - Alexander T. Magno, GMANews.TV