directed by Gil Portes
It
is said that life is a journey that ends in death. Along the way, we cross
paths with a slew of different people, events and memories that add up to our
experiences. How do we come to terms with this journey, if it somehow leads us
to an unexpected direction? The film, Two
Funerals seeks to answer this question. Brainchild of Director Gil Portes, Two Funerals juxtaposes
the journey of two corpses who get mixed up, and the journey of a mother who
would go to great lengths to track down her daughter’s corpse.
The film starts off with a mother mourning before her daughter’s coffin as it is brought to the family home by her daughter’s fiance. The coffin was brought straight from the funeral parlor. The rest of the family mourn with her but alas, as the coffin is opened, it turns out that it is a body of a middle aged man! The grieving mother storms to the funeral parlor and pressures the management to track down her daughter’s corpse. It turns out that there was a mix-up, and her daughter’s corpse was sent to the family of the man in the coffin because both corpses have similar family names. It is discovered that the daughter’s corpse is in Matnog, Sorsogon- literally poles apart from Tuguegarao, Cagayan, where the mother and the rest of the family is based. Meanwhile, in Matnog, the brother of the middle aged male corpse rejoices after he finds out that his brother is dead. When he was still alive, the middle aged corpse brought shame to his family by raping the Barangay Chairman’s old mother. He also was a notorious hitman. But as the coffin is opened, it is discovered that the corpse inside is a young woman. The middle aged corpse’s brother and his friend come up with a plan: to seal the coffin, tell everyone that the corpse is charred beyond recognition and get the Barangay Chairman to pay for the funeral. Everything goes according to plan, and they even manage to make money out of the funeral by putting up videoke booths and tables for gambling. Towards the end, their foul play is discovered, and the grieving mother finally tracks down her daughter, after a long drive crossing paths with a wounded politician and a woman in love with a priest. Secrets are exposed, and it is revealed that the daughter, Charm, was in a relationship with the town Congressman before she died. Issues are resolved and the two families reflect and pray for their deceased, in the spirit of peace and a Holy Week backdrop.
The film starts off with a mother mourning before her daughter’s coffin as it is brought to the family home by her daughter’s fiance. The coffin was brought straight from the funeral parlor. The rest of the family mourn with her but alas, as the coffin is opened, it turns out that it is a body of a middle aged man! The grieving mother storms to the funeral parlor and pressures the management to track down her daughter’s corpse. It turns out that there was a mix-up, and her daughter’s corpse was sent to the family of the man in the coffin because both corpses have similar family names. It is discovered that the daughter’s corpse is in Matnog, Sorsogon- literally poles apart from Tuguegarao, Cagayan, where the mother and the rest of the family is based. Meanwhile, in Matnog, the brother of the middle aged male corpse rejoices after he finds out that his brother is dead. When he was still alive, the middle aged corpse brought shame to his family by raping the Barangay Chairman’s old mother. He also was a notorious hitman. But as the coffin is opened, it is discovered that the corpse inside is a young woman. The middle aged corpse’s brother and his friend come up with a plan: to seal the coffin, tell everyone that the corpse is charred beyond recognition and get the Barangay Chairman to pay for the funeral. Everything goes according to plan, and they even manage to make money out of the funeral by putting up videoke booths and tables for gambling. Towards the end, their foul play is discovered, and the grieving mother finally tracks down her daughter, after a long drive crossing paths with a wounded politician and a woman in love with a priest. Secrets are exposed, and it is revealed that the daughter, Charm, was in a relationship with the town Congressman before she died. Issues are resolved and the two families reflect and pray for their deceased, in the spirit of peace and a Holy Week backdrop.
Personally, I liked the treatment of
Two Funerals. It was many things
rolled into one. It was a journey film, a film that criticizes Philippine
politics and represents institutions like family and religion. All of these are
done in a satiric mood, while offering comic relief. I shall go into these
points one by one. Its journey film aspect was also multi-purpose. It showed
how the female corpse’s mother and fiancé dealt with the situation. Throughout
the journey to Matnog, they consoled each other and revealed to each other the
unsaid about the daughter and fiance’s relationship. The fiancé apologized to
his would-be mother-in law and revealed that he once dated another girl during
Valentine’s day and feels guilty about it. Towards the end, the `mother reveals
to the fiancé that her daughter was the Congressman’s mistress- a secret she
hoped that her daughter would take to the grave. Besides the journey from
Tuguegarao being an emotional one, it also vouched for something that could be a
tourism booster of some sort, as key places like local churches from Tuguegarao
to Matnog were shown. Its criticism of politics in the Philippnes was reflected
through the portrayal of the Congressman who is a corrupt womanizer. There’s
also that Mayor who is seemingly tough and honorable while speaking before the
townspeople, but is actually a flambuoyant gay. There’s also that politician
who hitches a ride with the mom and fiancé after having been wounded at a
political brawl with the rival party. The concept of a Filipino family was
portrayed through the different families in the film. It was shown to be
close-knit. Parents are really protective of their children, as shown in the
mother’s character and the Barangay Chairman’s character. The brother of the
middle aged corpse, who initially wanted to make money out of his notorious
brother’s demise repented in the end, following his wife’s advice to respect
the dead and immerse oneself into prayer and reflection during the Holy Week. The
portrayal of religion in this film was an expose of taboos, but was done in a
comedic way. It showed the immorality of some clergymen through the priest and
his lover who hitched a ride with the mom and fiancé. This is truly a reality,
though I would not say that it is confined to just our country.
Also, the knack of Filipinos for entertainment was shown through the funeral in Matnog. The people at the funeral were having snacks, playing cards, gambling and singing at the videoke. It seemed they were celebrating rather than mourning. I have been to funerals that had similar activities, and I believe that there is a right place and time for these things- certainly not in a funeral; that is why I agree with the filmmaker in criticizing this aspect of Filipino attitude.
Delving into the technical aspects of the film, I find its sequential style of shooting remarkable. It was in a way self-reflexive, as the film crew also went through the journey that the characters went through. Shooting started in Tuguegarao and ended in Matnog, according to Direk Gil Portes during the Q&A portion after the screening in UP Film Center. Not many films are shot in this guerilla manner, but I must say that they were able to pull it off. Acting-wise, I’d say hats off to Tessie Tomas. She totally stole the show. Her portrayal of a grieving mother was convincing, and she managed to make me laugh as well through her side comments. Her acting was very natural. Xian Lim, on the other hand, was quite unconvincing. I found him to be too good looking for his role, especially since the actress who portrayed his fiancé was plain looking. They just don’t have chemistry. There was a lapse in casting. But I’d give him the benefit of the doubt since he’s a newcomer and this is his first film. There’s a lot of room for improvement.
What I did not like about this film is its boxed, one-dimensional portrayal of gays. In the film, gays are either closeted or transsexual. Jeffrey Quizon’s character (Congressman’s staff) was a married man who is totally submissive to his wife. He claims to have been a former homosexual, but it is hinted that he secretly desires Xian Lim’s character, as well as the driver, whom he even peeped at when the latter was taking a shower. The Mayor of the town was also a closeted gay. He was manly in front of his people, but totally gay when talking to friends. In the funeral in Matnog, there were gay performers and they were dressed in drag, complete with ultra thick make-up and flashy clothes. I did not like how gays were portrayed, simply because in this post-modern age, not all gays are flambouyant. I know of people who are openly gay, yet still engage in masculine activities like basketball, boxing, martial arts, and some even play DOTA. I think the portrayal was stereotypical and discriminatory, and I did not like the fact that gays were used for comic relief. Story-wise, I liked the film. It was a good take on death, and I liked how they put a comedic spin on a film that is supposedly about grieving.
Also, the knack of Filipinos for entertainment was shown through the funeral in Matnog. The people at the funeral were having snacks, playing cards, gambling and singing at the videoke. It seemed they were celebrating rather than mourning. I have been to funerals that had similar activities, and I believe that there is a right place and time for these things- certainly not in a funeral; that is why I agree with the filmmaker in criticizing this aspect of Filipino attitude.
Delving into the technical aspects of the film, I find its sequential style of shooting remarkable. It was in a way self-reflexive, as the film crew also went through the journey that the characters went through. Shooting started in Tuguegarao and ended in Matnog, according to Direk Gil Portes during the Q&A portion after the screening in UP Film Center. Not many films are shot in this guerilla manner, but I must say that they were able to pull it off. Acting-wise, I’d say hats off to Tessie Tomas. She totally stole the show. Her portrayal of a grieving mother was convincing, and she managed to make me laugh as well through her side comments. Her acting was very natural. Xian Lim, on the other hand, was quite unconvincing. I found him to be too good looking for his role, especially since the actress who portrayed his fiancé was plain looking. They just don’t have chemistry. There was a lapse in casting. But I’d give him the benefit of the doubt since he’s a newcomer and this is his first film. There’s a lot of room for improvement.
What I did not like about this film is its boxed, one-dimensional portrayal of gays. In the film, gays are either closeted or transsexual. Jeffrey Quizon’s character (Congressman’s staff) was a married man who is totally submissive to his wife. He claims to have been a former homosexual, but it is hinted that he secretly desires Xian Lim’s character, as well as the driver, whom he even peeped at when the latter was taking a shower. The Mayor of the town was also a closeted gay. He was manly in front of his people, but totally gay when talking to friends. In the funeral in Matnog, there were gay performers and they were dressed in drag, complete with ultra thick make-up and flashy clothes. I did not like how gays were portrayed, simply because in this post-modern age, not all gays are flambouyant. I know of people who are openly gay, yet still engage in masculine activities like basketball, boxing, martial arts, and some even play DOTA. I think the portrayal was stereotypical and discriminatory, and I did not like the fact that gays were used for comic relief. Story-wise, I liked the film. It was a good take on death, and I liked how they put a comedic spin on a film that is supposedly about grieving.
In a nutshell, Two Funerals was a soul treat. It tells its viewers to move on and
look forward, whenever an unexpected direction tweaks whatever was planned. Things
may go array, but with a supportive family to back you up, every step of the
way won’t be as tough. In the midst of political and religious turmoil which
might take time in solving, a little smile and positive thinking would not hurt
or get in the journey of life ahead.
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