The divide between the gutless but glossy epics and the braver but more intimate independent productions is so immense. As a result, movie-going masses are fed with didactic rubbish that are designed primarily to treat viewers like kids who prefer their stories visualized like soap operas than read from a textbook, oblivious of the fact that there exists another vein of historical cinema that dares to ask more questions than provide the same answers over and over again.

Jerrold Tarog’s provides that essential middle ground. It is a film that is crafted with just enough meticulousness a reasonable budget can afford but does not pander to common but erroneous nowledgek and wisdom. Instead, it goes straight to the point of unravelling those details in history that were left out by those who hanged the heroes. Tarog’s film is an immense risk, one that is probably fueled not by quick profit butby a profound desire to unmask demons of idols.

As ferocious leader of a seemingly hopeless army, he is rabid and stern. As a pal to his trusted lieutenants, he is unpredictably hilarious. As son to a devoted mother, he is heartbreakingly dear, echoing the same sentiments he has for his family as if it were for his motherland.

-

- Amidst pacing problems, Heneral Luna manages to tell a compelling story – allegorical and timely to present day – supported by a fantastic script, an impassioned score, and inspired cinematography.

- At first glance, one might mistake Heneral Luna as your run-of- the-mill historical biopic that showcases a hero of yore whose bravery and passion unite his people in the face of dastardly foreign invaders. Well, this is only partly correct. There are invaders, Heneral Luna () is indeed fiercely brave and madly passionate, but there is no unity to be found amongst country men – only infighting, personal interests, and politicking.

- Directed by and with a script co-written by him, Henry Hunt Francia, and E.A. Rocha;Heneral Luna takes a different approach in telling the story of how we lost the attleb and got occupied by the Americans. Taking cues from Oro, Plata, Mata; the movie deliberately puts the colonialists in the periphery, making them merely a backdrop whose presence stirred the pot. The real focus here is the tension, the inner turmoil, that brewed in the ranks of our so-called Filipino founding fathers. Heneral Luna is a tale of how a dissenting voice can get swept away and ultimately perish under a wave of egos and personal interest.

- Carrying the weight of the story is the above stellar performance of John Arcilla in the title role of General . Arcilla plays with the whole spectrum of emotions in his portrayal of the larger-than-life general. He is able to showcase the fierce, boisterous, and volatile man the general has been historically known to be, yet he is also able to flip the coin and show the passionate, sympathetic, and battle-weary softer side of the character. Here’s a man who rides head first screaming into battle just to rile up his troops’ morale, but at the same time he is a one who can share warm moments and some banter with his mother. He is an antihero – the Wolverine of the Filipino insurrection.

- Film Police Review

- One prime example of just how dynamic Arcilla’s portrayal can be is during this one scene involving a chicken vendor. Delivering virtually the same line of dialogue on two separate moments, Arcilla is able to convey anger bordering on madness at first and compassion nuanced with frustration soon after. It is truly his performance that propels Heneral Luna (and, sadly, his alone).

- There isn’t much to be said about the rest of the cast of movie, which is a pity given that Heneral Lunaassembles quite an ensemble. You’ve got names like Joem Bascon, , Mon Confiado, , Mylene Dizon, and even ; but sadly none of the other performances stand out. Not that there are any weak performances, it’s just that none are able to keep up with the gravitas of John Arcilla’s Luna. Mon Confiado’s seems more like a spineless weakling who hides behind his cohorts rather than a respected political foil; while Ketchup Eusebio’s Capt. Janolino, the leader of Luna’s killers, feels too forced as a villain scorned by the titular general. The closest character who can keep up with Luna’s onscreen presence is his equally proud contemporary, Heneral Mascardo (Lorenz Martinez) – whose refusal to give in to Luna provides a tension- filled back-and-forth sequence in the middle of the film. Unfortunately, because of some jagged pacing, tension such as is this is not consistent throughout the movie.

- This erratic pacing is felt most during the first act ofHeneral Luna – where things play out very much like an oral history. Used as plot device to serve as the audience’s perspective, Arron Villaflor portrays journalist, Joven Hernando, who is tasked to interview the general. This frame narrative leads to various snippets that feature Luna’s patriotism: from an expertly-shot rowdy meeting with Aguinaldo’s cabinet to earlier battles against the Americans. Oddly, these scenes just feel lacking in connective tissue. Its pacing is too quick to really tie the storytelling together and it doesn’t help either that some set pieces looked too clean and glossed over – lacking the grit and weariness you’d expect from a war movie. Couple this with efforts to add humor atsome odd moments throughout the film, and you’ve got a trifecta that hinders the movie from fully immersing you. -

- Heneral Luna more than makes for these flaws though through its artistic components – such as its beautiful score, well-crafted cinematography, and, most especially, its fantastic rhythmic script.

- Technically marvellous is the only way to describe the movie’s sound design – from Luna’s table banging overpowering the raucous in a cabinet meeting, to a guitar mini-concert midway the film, to the overall masterful score. You have to give it to effort put in by Jerrold Tarog, who not only directed the movie but also provided its music.

- All sorts of appealing too is Heneral Luna‘s cinematography. One scene you have to look out for is the flashback sequence to the general’s youth. This particular scene employs one long take, seamlessly moving from different sets that pass of as a childhood home, Europe, and other settings from different timelines. It isa visual spectacle, innovative and masterful in its execution.

- Most notable though among the movie’s artistry is its script. Poetic yet conversational, Heneral Luna‘s script is filled to the brim with flowery lines of dialogue as if lifted froma sonata. It’s not everyday that you get to hear lines as beautifully crafted as “kailangan mong tumalon sa kawalan,” “digmaan ang iyong asawa, ako lamang ay iyong querida,” and “para kayong mga birhen na naniniwala sa pag-ibig ng puta.” Here is a script so elegant that it can even make curse words sound so cultured, so tasteful.

- Overall, Heneral Luna is not just a film but a wake up call driving the ever reminder that some things never change. Its message – we are our own worse enemies, lacking in resolve and torn by self-interests. It is a story representative of not just our current and still chaotic political landscape but of who we are and what we can do but don’t. Though it may not be perfect in its execution, the film does its duty in leaving us with the question lingering “Bayan o sarili?

- You might be uncomfortable with the word “Hero.” I know I am. It is such a loaded word normally when I think of it in a political context. Who makes national heroes? Well, politicians. Why? Normally because they have an agenda that they want to push, and they single out people who they see fit the ideology they want to back. The Filipino national heroes then, are people who push forward an idea of nationhood for which they have sacrificed much. eingB someone raised between two cultures (I am Filipino-British), I find this idea uneasy. I see the nation as an organizational construct, not something particularly worth dying for or espousing violence for in order to protect. But if I look at the hero from a particularly artistic perspective, I am more at ease. A hero is a main character who pushes the plot of a story forward. In a sense, national heroes do the same —they are movers of our national narrative, one that is not as simple and straightforward as our high school history books would suggest. Antonio Luna, then, is one such person in our history, and the DAKILA Collective, an organization that seeks to inspire heroism in the country’s youth, did a great job by screening this for young Cebuanos before its official September 15 release date.

- Plot: the Philippine’s Forgotten War

- The film begins at the start of the Philippine-American war as the Spanish flee the and the Americans start to take over. The local government of Emilio Aguinaldo (Mon Confiado) is unsure whether to compromise on Filipino sovereigntywith American protection or to begin another war to assert the independence of the young Republic. During the deliberations in the Aguinaldo Cabinet, Luna (John Arcilla) convinces the President to fight and remain true to patriotic ideals. Luna, being the Filipinos’ best tactician, leads the defense against the Americans, and, well, you should know the story as the rest is history.

- History as Action Movie

- Heneral Luna is history as filmmaking in the Mel Gibson mode. It is quite light on historical accuracy (the script is written in modern language), but it did take the most juicy parts of the Luna story and dramatized it entertainingly. Like Gibson’s historical movies, the baddies are really bad (the Americans, those genocidal bastards!), and Luna is a flawed but macho hero, admirably characterful. I am glad that the director, Jerrold Tarog, portrayed Luna’s craziness with some emphasis, as it lifted the film above thenormal Filipino historical/hagiographical movie. Luna still comes out as quirkily lovable, however, as it is clear that the film creators love their hero.

- Hero Vs. Politician - Special mention has to go to Nonie Buencamino, who was the most watchable performer in the movie, despite having a despicable role as the traitorous politician Felipe Buencamino (no relation, I think). His character was not written very sympathetically, but the humanity in Nonie’s acting made me really question if he was such a bad guy. The problem with the hero vs. politician struggle is that to be a good hero is very different from being a good politician. A hero stands up for their beliefs against all odds, while politicians are compromisers. They have to be the pragmatic ones who are less ideologically minded and think about what would really be the best move for the people.

- Personally, I have more admiration for the good politician as opposed to the good military man. Give me a non-violent Ghandi or Mandela any day over any glorification of bloodshed. However, diplomatic talks are less diverting than explosive battlefields. Heneral Luna does do what the director in his introduction to the film in the Dakila Collective showing said he wanted, to open up a discussion about Filipino heroism. The fact that he introduces this question in such a theatrical and bombastic way in this film isvery admirable. For bringing out the inherent fun in our history, Luna and Tarog, I salute you!

The Philippines has countless films about national hero, Jose Rizal, and in recent years, movies about Andres Bonifacio have also started catching up in number.

The problem with films, however, is that they tend to leave viewers confused on whether the scenes showed on film happened in real life. Some directors also tend to focus too much on artistic license, rather than on historical truth.

Enter Jerold Tarog and his film, "Heneral Luna." If Tarog's name sounds familiar, it's because he was named Best Director in Cinemalaya Directors Showcase in 2013 for his film, "Sana Dati." He is also known for two other films, "Confessional" and "Mangatyanan," which, together with Sana Dati, completes his Camera Trilogy.

The film focuses on General Antonio Luna, the brother of the famous artist . The younger Luna is known for his bad temper, an aspect of his personality that was beautifully captured in "Heneral Luna."

Set during the Philippine-American war, "Heneral Luna" showed different aspects of the country's history that is rarely shown in other local films in this genre. Tarog did not hesitate to show the flaws in Luna's personality. Luna can be heard spewing curse words all throughout the film as he tried to win against the Americans. Interspersed with Luna's tough personality is his determination to take back the country's independence, to the point of pushing almost everyone against him.

Although it is common knowledge that Luna died in the hands of fellow Filipinos, seeing it in action and in the big screen will make the viewers feel bad for Luna.

Of course, any film will not be as successful without the acting prowess of its actors. John Arcilla is perfect for his role as the short-tempered Luna. His acting is complemented by Mon Confiado's superb portrayal as Emilio Aguinaldo.

Arcila and Confiado are joined by Epy Quizon, Joem Bascon, Archie Alemania, Aaron Villaflor, Nonie Buencamino, Ronnie Lazaro, Ketchup Eusebio, Paolo Avelino and Mylene Dizon, among others.

As soon as the film starts, Tarog warns viewers that he used his artistic license to alter series of events depicted in the film. Despite this, the film stuck as close as possible to historical facts, as seen in the details in the film.

One of the most unforgettable scenes in the film is Luna's death, which was depicted as close to the actual event as possible. Watching what happened to Luna may make one lose his or her faith in humanity, or in his or her fellow Filipinos, at the least.

Aside from his death, the film was also able to depict Luna as normal as possible. He is a man who curses, a man who loses his temper over small things, a man who loves, a brother, a son, a musician, and most importantly, a great leader who was not afraid to use violence to get what he wants.

Arcilla's acting is also a big factor, enough to make one think that the film may not be as effective had a different actor played the role. But then again, most of the actors were trained in independent films where they are asked to go out of their comfort zones.

Brutal and tragic, yet eye-opening, "Heneral Luna" may well be one of the few films that was able to combine both history and art, without sacrificing anything.

The film does not aim to change one's view on heroes, or to replace Rizal and Bonifacio in the Filipino consciousness. Rather, its simple goal is to share a lesser known hero's story, and to make Filipinos realize that heroes are human, too.

First, a confession: I learned more about Philippine history in two hours inside the theater than I did in one semester inside the classroom.

We finally found the time to watch Heneral Luna at Cinema 3 of Gateway Mall in City last Sunday and we were not at all surprised why “all seats were taken” (ask Tempo columnist Robert Roque who was there with his family) because more and more people (50 percent discount for students, two of them with us) have been trooping to the theaters, thanks to the glowing reviews (and word-of-mouth endorsements) the movie has been reaping.

In fact, Luna opened in only a number of theaters on Sept. 9 and it’s now drawing big crowds in more than 100 theaters, hooray! Now we know why the movie has been selected as “official submission” to the Best Foreign Language Film category of next year’s Oscars. I don’t quite agree with the opinion of some friends that the 5,000 voting Academy members will frown on Luna because, according to my friends, it is “anti-American,” set as it is during the Philippine-American War in the 1890s when Luna and his trusted men led a Philippine Revolutionary Army.

But director Gil Portes, who has had three films entered also as “official submission” in the same Oscar category, doesn’t think so because, he said, “most of the Academy members are Jewish.” Let’s keep our fingers crossed for Luna which, if you ask me (with the expected hundreds of other “official submissions” from other countries unseen), deserves a serious attention from some 400 Academy members who vote for the Foreign Film category.

The two students with us were asking if Gen. Antonio Luna was as temperamental, threatening to kill anybody who disobeyed him, as John Arcilla portrays him. Not good in history (whether World, American or Philippine), I told them that I presumed Gen. Luna was and I was discovering it from the movie. I didn’t see John from start to finish. He got under the Luna’s skin so effectively that it was Luna that I saw on the screen from our third-row seats (the only ones unavailable).

Although admittedly older than Luna was (heard that was the first choice but negotiations failed), John fleshes out the character with impunity, consistently brash, aggressive and impulsive until the very end when he is killed in a manner more bloody and more brutal than the slow-motion killing of Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway in Bonnie and Clyde.

Right before the Irish band U2 performed “Helter Skelter” during their live concert recording for their Rattle and Hum album, lead singer Bono told the audience, “This is the song (murderer) Charles Manson stole from the Beatles. Well, we’re stealing it back.”

I am glad that Jerrold Tarog’s film, Heneral Luna was made because it “steals" back something precious from the way history is written by the victorious Americans.

You see, the Philippine-American War has always been viewed as an insurrection by the American government than a genuine war. If we follow that train of thought then theirs too is an insurrection against British rule during their own war of independence. They formed their own Continental Congress and declared themselves free and independent states in July of 1776 (although the war ended in 1783). How different is the Philippines' Declaration of Independence made in , ?

From the jaws of victory, independence was cruelly snatched away from the Filipinos who fought so hard for independence from Spain. And for $20 million, the country was sold by Spain to America. It wasn’t an insurrection. It was a war of independence from two colonial masters and this film pays honor and respect to Antonio Luna, one of the men who boldly stood against imperialism.

Tarog’s film has generated a firestorm of interest and admiration, and it not only puts Luna on the pedestal he deserves but venerates him (and short of vilifies Emilio Aguinaldo who was indirectly or directly involved in the deaths of two strong-willed military leaders of that era — Luna and Andres Bonifacio). Having said that, “Heneral Luna" is a masterpiece and here is why.

First and foremost, it is a historical biopic done the right way. It is as accurate as it can be. There are embellishes here and there but never to the point where it spins the story into something altogether different. The casting is spot on, the production design a marvel to behold, and the cinematography, a pleasure to watch.

A wonderful script that flows

The script is clever and it flows. Scenes do not drag especially in the long exchange between Luna and Tomas Mascardo.

Here’s where Tarog hits it out of the park — the humor in the dialogue, although used sparingly like a well-laid ambush, isn’t contrived and is priceless. Its usage is so totally unexpected like how it was so the Guardians of the Galaxy film that makes it more memorable or even quotable.

And it brings something so Filipino to the film — finding humor in the bleakest of situations. For example, the train station scene was absolutely hilarious! But it never gets out of hand, never trivializes the incident or the story and it quickly veers back on course. They were in the middle of a war after all.

And John Arcilla, in the titular role of Antonio Luna, delivers his lines with aplomb and never in that overacting manner that seems to come with Filipino films.

The manner of how Luna dissects the problems of the nascent republic resonate and touch a chord because they hold true even to this day. Remember that famous quote by Spanish philosopher George Santayana — “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” A lot of the problems that plagued those early patriots still face us today. Whether it is a message or a sermon, it doesn’t come across as preaching. In fact, it is an incredible comparison that should leave you thinking that we have learned nothing.

Now we all know what befell Luna. And throughout, there are subtle reminders. However, the impending doom as imparted by his mother, Laureana (and not his brother, Joaquin, in real life) makes it even more tragic. What parent wants to bury their child? And it was made all the more poignant as Luna’s family life is briefly told in a beautifully executed flashback.

A deadshot of a cast

Remember the scene where Luna asks for a volunteer and a certain “Garcia” stands up and makes his way close to the American lines where he takes some shots just to send a message that they aren’t as safe as they’d like to think? Well, that Lieutenant Garcia in real life commanded Luna’s Black Guard and like the deadshot that he was so is the cast of Heneral Luna.

It’s a large cast and most everyone is given proper time to flesh out their personalities.