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Mario Bautista, has been with the entertainment industry for more than 4 decades. He writes regular columns for People's Journal and Malaya.

Nov 18, 2010

Review of Cinema One Digital Filmfest : Layang Bilanggo

Layang Bilanggo” – Ito ang nagwaging best picture. Ewan namin kung bakit. Again, ang material nito can be done better in an episode of “Maalaala Mo Kaya”. Tungkol ito sa isang matandang bilanggo (Pen Medina) na ginagamit bilang isang killer for hire by the prison boss (Archie Adamos). Tinulungan niya si Adamos na patayin ang rival faction nito headed by Neil Sese then he asks permission para dalawin ang kanyang daughter (Miriam Quiambao), na naglilingkod bilang art teacher in a home for the aged. Inabandona niya ito noong ito ay six years old lamang and he feels guilty about it, pero wala naman siyang lakas ng loob para ipagtapat dito na he’s her long lost dad. Makikilala rin natin ang iba pang matatanda sa nursing home (Ama Quiambao, Jaime Fabregas, Lui Manansala, etc.) Hindi namin magustuhan ang movie dahil its script has many holes in it. Nang magsimula ang pelikula, si Pen ay nasa loob na ng nursing home and from the way the others regard him, he seems to have been there for a very long time, but the flashback scenes tell us he’s supposed to be there for only a limited time. The twists and turns of plot toward the ending that eventually leads to the death of Pen also raise more questions than it can answer. Pero di maitatatwang si Pen does give a solid performance as the flawed hero at deserving siya sa best actor award that he won. He also gets good support from the older members of the cast supposed to be his “classmates” in the nursing home.

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