Finally! A Filipino movie full of drama but without hysteria.
Broken Blooms tells a story of how poverty chips away at the love of a young newly married couple. It has no jarring, grimy incident that overwhelms the senses; only quiet, everyday scenes that tug at the heart. An example is the scene where the couple are in bed, with the wife giving the husband the cold shoulder because he pawned her wedding ring to be able to pay the amortization for the motorcycle he uses for work. She eventually gives in to his amorous initiatives after he brings out the ring which he had obviously redeemed. More than carnal thoughts or anything else, this scene evokes pity for the couple straddling between mutual affection & financial burden.
The biggest draw of this movie is the subdued but superb acting. Watching it is like being transported to the couple’s home and community, bearing witness to the residents’ day-to-day struggles. It is easy to see why Jeric Gonzales won a string of international acting awards. As Jeremy, he shows the inner turmoil of a college undergraduate on the fringes of criminality and immorality as he hustles for a living. Therese Malvar, as Jeremy’s wife Cynthia, effectively portrays a carefree BTS Army who now has to deal with the drudgery of household work and the onus of motherhood.
But for all their talent, the two lead actors don’t stand out because the entire cast delivers great acting. This is, of course, expected from the likes of Jacklyn Jose and Lou Veloso. But no less impressive are the other supporting stars not exactly known as serious thespians. The biggest surprise is Boobay, who is given credit in this movie for his real name, Norman Balbuena. Sans the drag-queen outfit, he portrays a kind-hearted gay man in staid man’s clothing with credibility - from being harmlessly flirtatious with the object of his unrequited love, to being wistful for a who son who had been taken away from him.
One can imagine that when Broken Blooms was shown in international festivals, the foreign audience couldn’t tell who among the actors were award winning, and who were heretofore known only as comedians. Kudos to Luisito Lagdameo Ignacio for his direction of this movie that brings out the acting talent of all the stars without one overshadowing another.
Considering that this was shown in international film festivals, I also like how Direk Louie injects positive Filipino nuances in such a global theme as poverty. Hard up neighbors still having a blast on New Year’s eve. Family members still helping out despite not having enough for themselves and despite calling out their relatives for poor life-altering decisions.
The neighborhood wake is also a good showcase of how Filipinos take time to condole with those in grief. But the nitpicker in me says that while this is scene typical, wake for the dead was not allowed at the height of the pandemic. Yet this contextual lapse may be forgiven because I’m sure the muted crying of Jeremy in this scene helped Jeric Gonzales win four best-actor awards from international film festivals – and hopefully more from local award giving bodies.
We should also commend the neophyte producer, Benjie Austria of Bentria Productions. It’s not everyday that a licensed civil engineer would choose to invest his savings in such a creative project. While the project has earned international recognition abroad, nothing would beat the patronage of the Filipino people to encourage investors to bankroll quality projects put together by a pool of great talents – from the actors to the director to the technical people. Patronage of one’s own is a good enough reason to watch Broken Blooms. But a far better reason is that it is an excellent movie that pinches the heart without being melodramatic and hysterical.
- Contributed by Arden Meden
AWARDS won by BROKEN BLOOMS
Harlem International Film Festival, New York
Best Actor JERIC GONZALES
Mokho International Film Festival, India
Best Actor in an Indie film JERIC GONZALES
Best Actress in an Indie film THERESE MALVAR
Special Jury for Director LUISITO LAGDAMEO IGNACIO
Best Narrative Feature Film.
Tagore International Film Festival, India
Outstanding Achievements for Best Actor JERIC GONZALES
Best Actress JACLYN JOSE
Best Narrative Feature, Critics’ Choice for Best Director LUISITO LAGDAMEO IGNACIO
Best Cinematography TM MALONES
Montelupo Fiorentino International Independent Film Festival, Italy
Best Actor JERIC GONZALES
8th Brasilia International Film Festival, Brazil
Special Jury Award
2nd Saskatchewan Internationa Film Festival, Canada
Best Feature Fiction
Best Director LUISITO LAGDAMEO IGNACIO
Best Actor JERIC GONZALES
Best Actress THERESE MALVAR
Best Supporting Actor NORMAN BOOBAY BALBUENA
Best Supporting Actress JACLYN JOSE
Best Musical Score JAKE ABELLA