For a movie that depicts a theme of faith, Pedro Calungsod: Ang Batang Martir brought a dissatisfying appeal to its audience. It became a battle of faith vs. obsession due to a lot of plot mistakes, unpolished acting and inconsistent sequence and scriptwriting.
It was definitely something everyone anticipated for, and when you watch the film – it’s a total letdown. Written, directed and produced by Francis Villacorta, Pedro Calungsod is a movie about the short life of a Visayan saint. It was supposed to be a learning venture for the audience as the saint was recently canonized being the second Filipino saint following San Lorenzo Ruiz.
It was such a shame that somebody with great historical significance, such as Pedro Calungsod, would be depicted unjustly in a film. The narrative went on and on with its nagging sermons without bringing in a solid bit of plot in the movie. There’s no character progression as Calungsod faced an untimely death on the beach.
What we could give props for this movie is its faithfulness to the historical events surrounding his Marianas missionary work in an effort to evangelize and baptize native Chamorros. The movie ended abruptly in what you’ll feel like a series of random episodes of someone’s life.
The Cast
As much as everyone in the movie would want to be believable, no one is deserving of any nomination. In the entirety of the film, Pedro Calungsod, as played by Rocco Nacino, is overshadowed by Jesuit Father Diego Luis de San Vitores as played by Christian Vasquez.
It appeared as though that the point-of-view of the film didn’t revolve on the saint, but rather to the latter. With the stress on the himbeing the personal assistant of the Father Diego, Pedro was portrayed to be someone who seems to lack sense of conviction. This flaw stole the limelight from Calungsod.
The Plot
It would have been better if the film focused on how he developed his faith, how his father ‘Tatang’ had been instrumental to it and how his brother’s, ‘Esteban’, rebellion affect his relationship with God. But nothing of that was stressed but just some snippets of his blissful childhood years and preaching to native Chamorro children in often incomprehensible and vague lectures.
The Missing Angle
The amazing plot about the battle of Chamorro and the Spanish, as well as the church vs state viewpoint was significantly trampled with lapses and incoherent standpoints. There was no justice in making the Chamorro natives looking bad (if it is, in the eye of the makers of the film) and the potential of them being seen as evils by the audience.
The biggest mistake of the film is that Calungsod’s issues tend to be petty in a movie that tackled big issues about the Spanish-Chamorro conflict.
Another missing angle is Calungsod’s lack of challenge of faith. Not a single part of the film had him put his own devotion to the test. Or there were a lot of angles that could have developed to a brilliant moment, but was never taken advantage of by the director.
The Acting
While Rocco Nacino is one great actor, he definitely lacked the innocence and immersion to portray the role of Pedro Calungsod. The film, with JM de Guzman, could have been way better, with the latter’s acting prowess in dramatic role.
There were some spectacular scenes that could have highlighted Rocco’s acting prominence but the wide-eyed and overly naïve portrayal of the actor turned it into a big joke. What Rocco lacked is the connection with the role he is playing; he failed in attempting to be devoted and passionate.
And, that wig is hideous – in many different levels.
The Bad
There is no point for realization about the movie. As much as Calungsod’s blind acceptance of the teachings, nothing of it can challenge one’s belief and even boggle any mind. It’s the kind of movie that spoonfeeds its audience and failed to make a mark in the end.
I will have to salute the production for making a film with good intention. However, the lack of research and lopsided film-making decisions truly abandoned its potential to become a significant MMFF entry. It is expected to be a lot more significant than it actually showed.
The production team failed to go far and dig the church cliché’s. While there’s a bit of interlacing church and religion at one point, it wasn’t given a sturdy foundation to develop something that would actually rock someone’s mind.
The movie stayed true with the portrayal of natives as barbarians and priests as soft-spoken, holy individuals. In the end, one faithful Catholic would say, it would have been better if he had attended worship instead and donated his Php370 worth of ticket to the church. It was that boring and incoherent.
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