Magic of movies
“That Abigail’s abilities to fish and make fire turn her into a leader in this microcosm demonstrates that authority can take many forms, De Leon said
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“That Abigail’s abilities to fish and make fire turn her into a leader in this microcosm demonstrates that authority can take many forms, De Leon said
The phrase "See you at the movies," which used to appear every day in the entertainment section of newspapers, seems like a lifetime ago. It totally disappeared in the internet age, especially these days when people watch movies on their mobile phones and laptops. It's not even proper to call them films, since today's motion pictures are shot with digital cinema cameras.
But on the night of 17 November, the experience of watching a movie on a wide, giant screen in a cold, dark hall was magical. The movie itself was remarkable: 2022 Cannes Festival Palme d'Or (highest prize) winner Triangle of Sadness, directed by Swedish filmmaker Ruben Östlund, featuring an international cast including Woody Harrelson, and shot in Sweden and Greece. Most of all, its most important character is played by Filipino actor Dolly de Leon.
De Leon, 53, has earned critical praise in the New York Times, Variety, and The Guardian, among other foreign publications.
In the movie, De Leon is Abigail, a crew member in charge of cleaning the toilets of a luxury cruise yacht. When the yacht encounters a storm and is attacked by pirates, Abigail transforms into a leader of the survivors.
From Östlund's social satire approach that pokes fun at the wealthy class, Triangle of Sadness progresses into a biting commentary on human frailties and survival.
A New York Times feature captured its relevance to Philippine realities: "De Leon embraced the task of dignifying a character who essentially represents the millions of Filipinos working abroad to support their families back home."
De Leon said: "To a lot of Filipinos, they're heroes because they bring dollars into our country and boost the economy."
The movie has other layers to discover.
Said the NYT article: "For De Leon, Triangle of Sadness isn't only about financial inequality but also about physical attractiveness as currency, illustrated by Abigail's transactional affair with a model, Carl (Harris Dickinson). Their encounters were De Leon's first-ever onscreen love scenes.
"That Abigail's abilities to fish and make fire turn her into a leader in this microcosm demonstrates, De Leon said, that authority can take many forms.
"'We often feel so powerless in this world because we're surrounded by beauty, fame and money,' she explained. 'We forget that no matter how less privileged you are, you still hold a certain power in the world that we can harness to our advantage.'
"By putting someone unexpected in a position of power, however, Östlund wanted to examine whether abuses would occur. 'There's a possibility that it really corrupts her,' he said of Abigail."
True enough, Abigail consciously wields her power on the island — to the point of treating Carl as a casual sex partner while his model colleague/girlfriend Yaya (Charlbi Dean) is mentally tortured by the infidelity.
The ending will push the audience to the edge of their seats. While it's purely fiction, it's not a far-fetched reality in that kind of situation.
Such is the magic of movies.
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