Daily TribuneHighly commendable, ‘Sisa’ is a censorious interpretation of historic events based on research, the understanding of human behavior and the collective power to achieve a particular goal.
THE main cast of ‘Sisa.’
Photograph courtesy of the Ideafirst Company
From the onset until the end, Jun Robles Lana’s Sisa (produced by The IdeaFirst Company) did not disappoint and lived up to high expectations set prior to its release.
Set in an indigenous reserves-patterned concentration camp, the film is a micro interpretation of a much larger political environment of the very late 19th to early 20th centuries, the events and scenes of which spill over to this day.
The movie is cunning not only through the transplantation of Jose Rizal’s character Sisa from the Spanish to American periods, but also in ambiguously presenting colonial control and the power to subdue.
It is also straightforward particularly in the opening lines that what happened during the Philippine-American War was not consequential but outright, systematic cleansing.
Lead actress Hilda Coronel’s character of being a “lunatic” Filipino spy is superb, giving justice to the duality of her character. She fought for the ideals and values of the Filipino revolutionaries through undercover work but was left to act and lead when these ideals failed.
Impressive, too, are the innocent, compromised character of Leonor (Jenica Garcia), the very naïve, exploited role of Nena (Angeli Nicole Sanoy), and the stiff upper lipped-disposition of Delia (Eugene Domingo).
These characters, plus the antagonists, present an era when there was uncertainty as well as internal, societal and national tribulations. This period in Philippine history continues to provoke the country long after independence was achieved.
Highly commendable, Sisa is a censorious interpretation of historic events based on research, the understanding of human behavior and the collective power to achieve a particular goal.
It likewise puts women at the forefront of struggle which, in a way, empowers “Inang Bayan” (Motherland) in general.
Overall, the movie is a masterpiece of struggle, resistance, cunningness and patriotism. It is a mirror to the Philippine nationhood that is both fragmented and continuously challenged.
It calls on everyone to be highly critical and address issues head on to attain a mutual aim of having a just and humane society as enshrined in the constitution.Highly commendable,
‘Sisa’ is a censorious interpretation
of historic events based on research, the understanding of human behavior and the collective power to achieve
a particular goal.
