HOTSPOT
Would a triple heart bypass stop a director from finishing a film he has long wanted to make?
If you’re Joel Lamangan, it won’t. The 12 days of prep, procedure and recovery from the heart operation in early December didn’t deter him.
Chatting with him this week, on the day before “Oras de Peligro” opened in cinemas, Lamangan didn’t look like he just survived a bypass. He spoke strongly about disinformation, historical distortions and the restoration of a family deposed by an uprising with the clarity, courage and creativity we have grown accustomed to.
If the heart operation did anything, it only appeared to energize and recharge the veteran street parliamentarian and film director for a battle he has joined.
“They know that Filipinos always fall for a good melodrama, which is why they have these movies that paint them as the victims,” said Lamangan. “Of course, that’s not true.”
“Oras de Peligro” opened this week, going toe-to-toe with another movie that many say was careless or oblivious to facts and to history.
In his latest work, Lamangan presents the story of a poor family caught in the death throes of the dictatorship. Both seasoned and aspiring actors took part in “Oras de Peligro,” which further makes it a most compelling film. A reviewer went so far as to dub it the “most powerful” for the decade.
Props to the cast members: Cherry Pie Picache, Allen Dizon, Therese Malvar, Dave Bornea, Nanding Josef, Mae Paner, Allan Paule, Jim Pebanco, Apollo Abraham, Marcus Madrigal, Gerald Santos, Elora Espano, Rico Barrera, and Timothy Castillo.
Perhaps the power of Lamangan’s film lies in its principled refusal to make another movie about politicians.
While its competitor seeks to rehabilitate a politically-restored family, “Oras de Peligro” is about a representation of Filipinos in a fairly-recent history that’s being disputed, challenged or tampered with for the past few years. He’s not out to make any politician happy. He wants his people to be enlightened on their own political record as fighters for life and freedom.
The theme is so different that it took a pair of first-time producers Howard Calleja and Alvi Sionco to help turn Lamangan’s vision into reality.
Lamangan says there are many directors and actors who are able and ready to make such movies today.
“But there are few opportunities,” Lamangan laments, adding that “there’s also a sense of fear among others that needs to be overcome.”
What Lamangan has done and how the public would appreciate “Oras de Peligro” could inspire more producers – established or new ones – to invest.
If a third or even only a fourth of those who rallied and campaigned in the last elections would go and watch the film – as an expression of their continued commitment to truth – it would give “Oras de Peligro” the patronage it needs and inspire our film community to make more.
Lamangan is concerned that ticket prices have gone up to levels that are beyond the reach of ordinary people. At ₱300 to ₱400 a ticket, it would mean a huge sacrifice for a worker or farmer should they choose to watch. Meantime, there have been reports of business organizations buying his competitor’s tickets in bulk for free distribution to employees and customers.
What the middle classes could perhaps consider or do is to organize sponsored screenings so “Oras de Peligro” could reach more people. Making it a box office success could be a new objective of the movement for truth.
What’s certain now is that Lamangan is here for the long haul, as he had been since joining the distinguished company of future National Artists Lino Brocka, Ishmael Bernal and other stalwarts of free expression in the 1970s to the 1980s. He knows the challenges and perils of championing art, truth, and democracy.
It is not that well known but Lamangan was born on Sept. 21, 1952. Twenty years later, that date became a dark day in Philippine history. Lamangan would choose to be part of the people’s resistance.
Now 70, Lamangan’s heart still beats for the Filipino people he loves as filmmaker. Courageous, creative, concerned, committed – even after a bypass, even at this perilous time.