It’s easy to be playful with the title of this review, given that Green Bones is a prison drama like The Green Mile and has to do with the relationship between a prison guard and one of the prisoners. But in truth, that is where the narrative similarities end. Where the similarities between the two films continue is from the perspective of how the two fully deserve the awards they’ve received.

In the ongoing MMFF, Green Bones picked up the major awards of Best Picture, Best Actor (for Dennis Trillo), Best Supporting Actor (for Ruru Madrid), Best Screenplay (Ricky Lee and Angeli Atienza), and Best Child Performer (Sienna Stevens). If you’re still deciding on which MMFF film to watch, or for some reason, have not watched Zig Dulay’s Green Bones (GMA Films), I urge you to prioritize this one! Its brisk storytelling and a variant of the unreliable narrator are great to watch.

And I especially liked its version of the Rashomon effect - where the same events and actions are shown to mean different things, because of a change in perspective and/or full knowledge of the facts. The suspense builds up beautifully, with the reveals held back until the right time. This even allows us to be lulled into thinking at first that this film is being carried by the prison guard Gonzaga (Ruru Madrid). So when Dom (Dennis Trillo) takes over the narration, we’re well primed to be knocked off our seats, and be rudely awakened.

No spoilers here, Gonzaga is a new recruit of a prison guard, sent to the island penal colony of San Fabian. He’s highly principled and of a firm mindset regarding justice, because his well-loved sister was the victim of a heinous crime, and no one has been charged for her murder. He’s especially vigilant around the convict Dom, as Dom may be due for release, and Gonzaga firmly believes that criminals such as Dom, who’s been convicted of murdering his sister and niece and has become mute since entering prison, are not capable of rehabilitation. Dom's suspicious behavior, as observed by Gonzaga, only exacerbates the situation.

The ensemble cast of Dom’s fellow convicts and those running the prison are highly commended. Dulay has them underplay their roles, never giving in to histrionics and over-dramatizing. For a Filipino film, it’s refreshing to see such restraint and ‘under’-acting. The storytelling and narrative flow are excellent, as they create their internal set of plot twists and turns that genuinely surprise.

In short, there’s so much to like and admire in filmmaking — a salute to Zig, Dennis and Ruru, Ricky Lee, and Angeli Atienza. GMA Films has a real winner in Green Bones, and it should be a hit when it’s in Los Angeles for the International iteration of the Festival.