MY HEART WAS FILLED WITH a lot of emotions, the moment the credits rolled in Pepe Diokno's GomBurZa.
It was clear that the film evoked a powerful message that would leave fans reflecting on our past.
'Are we really a nation that was cursed?' That question remains to be one of the central themes of the film and this was showcased and tackled in numerous scenes.
And this question could even apply once we connect it to the current times.
But besides the themes of the film, Diokno manages to enlighten the viewers regarding our history and with the help of the Jesuit Communications, the film even debunks some of the things we may have learned in the past.
Combined that with how the film summarizes the struggles we endured under the Spanish-rule, from the secularization in the Philippines, Hermano Pule's narrative, to the iron fist from Governer-General Rafael Izquierdo, and GomBurZa manages to further enlighten the viewer.
Indeed there's no denying that the film's message is one of it strongest points, but the other aspects of the film were also worth applauding.
GomBurZa's Cinematography stands out
That one scene where Padre Jose Burgos was in a trial, with the camera zoomed in on his face, with sun's ray of light behind him was a beautiful scene that perfectly captured everything.
One thing stood out in that scene, namely Cedrick Juan's facial expressions and not even the blinding lights could overwhelm the emotional depth he displayed. Truly a masterpiece from the film's cinematographer Carlo Canlas Mendoza.
However this wasn't the only time when the cameras were directly pointed at him to further highlight his facial expressions. The arguement with Governor-General Carlos Maria de la Torre was another example of Mendoza's brilliance as the scene pointed out the helplessness from Padre Burgos and the authoritative power from the Spanish Empire.
And this was further brought to the next level with the execution scene in the end. The warm yet gloomy atmosphere combined with the emphasis on the body language of the characters would leave the viewers in a state of despair from the cruelty displayed by the oppressors, heightened by that moment when Padre Burgos raised his tied arms.
Superb acting
While the cinematography and camera work have indeed made Gomburza into a beautifully crafted historical film, the acting would further heighten the film's prestige.
Take for instance Enchong Dee who may not have the most number of scenes in the film, yet his body language and acting chops have indeed stoodout, especially the tail-end moments, where he was overwhelmed with dread.
At the end of the day, the emotions depicted by Dee would make us sympathize for Padre Jacinto Zamora, for the level of injustice he faced.
Meanwhile Dante Rivero as Padre Mariano Gomez also had his moments and this was highlighted with his interactions with Padre Pedro Pelaez and Padre Burgos.
Rivero's depiction of the calm and honorable Padre Gomez may have warmed our hearts especially during that moment when conversed with Padre Burgos about the Philippines being a 'cursed nation.'
While these two individuals delivered their best, there's no denying that Cedrick Juan was the star of the show, and his Best Actor award in the MMFF 2023 was no surprise.
From his interactions with the various characters, from Padre Pelaez, his students, Governer-General de la Torre, and so on, Juan manages to express the struggles Padre Burgos endured.
Hopefully his performance could push him to bigger heights.
Plus there were also other notable performances from Piolo Pascual, Elijah Canlas, and Jaime Fabregas.
CONCLUSION
Overall Diokno manages to capture the historical significance of GomBurZa in his latest film, and he masterfully crafted a film that provided a plethora of insights and emotions for the viewer to comprehend.
His overall direction is worth applauding as he doesn't go over-the-top to the point where he glorified GomBurZa. Instead he grounded the martyrs to reality and he managed to open Pandora's box of curiosities, to the point where the viewer could be inclined to do more research on GomBurZa.
Even the film's script deserves a lot of praise as there were so many noteworthy quotes to mention. Some of the quotes were mentioned by the supporting casts, which gives an important lesson that even the actions of a handful of individuals could snowball into something bigger.
In the end, GomBurZa manages to leave a lasting impression to the viewer to the point where they could scream 'Viva Los Filipinos!' when the curtain closes.
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