Letters Archives - Page 2 of 13

Aug282020 No Comments

Dahling Nick: Beyond the Pages

By ISABELL ANDREA M. PINE PEOPLE ARE more than what meets the eye and sometimes, it takes a collection of different lenses to truly see someone. In the case of renowned author Nick Joaquin, it is through the memories of others that the audience is given the chance to recognize the man behind the works. To those who knew him, Joaquin is an avid fan of Don Quixote, loves San Miguel beer, and has the habit of waving his snot-covered handkerchief in a proclamation of surrender in an argument. Directed by Sari Dalena and produced by Keith Sicat, Dahling Nick is a documentary-drama screened in Cinema One Originals Film Festival 2015. It explores the life and works of National Artist for Literature Nick Joaquin through a series of interviews with the prominent figures in his life, as w

Aug172020 No Comments

The Kingmaker: A Consort of Corruption

Letters

By PATRICK V. MIGUEL photo taken from The Projector BESIDE THE paintings of Michaelangelo and Picasso, a woman poses. With poofy hair big enough to hide secrets and a smile that belies sinister intention, the epitome of her being lies in a closet full of shoes, jewelries hidden in diapers, and bundles of cash inside a donut paper bag. With this kind of lavishness, the woman's name is Imelda Marcos. Ever since the Marcos regime and up until now, the Filipinos are divided by their opposing views of Imelda and her husband. With the Marcoses locally homed in Ilocos Norte, most Ilocanos are illusioned with the image of Ferdinand Marcos as a hero who brought peace and fortune to the country. However, Director Lauren Greenfield’s The Kingmaker shows that the truth lies within the eyes o

Aug122020 No Comments

Doki-Doki Literature Club: Behind First Impressions

Letters

By DENISSE P. TABOR THE STANDARD for a good horror fiction lies in its ability to deviate from the reader’s expectations and heighten their wariness. Through an immersive yet unsettling atmosphere, readers are prompted to be on the lookout from start to finish because anything can go wrong at any time. However grotesque the characters look or how many the jumpscares are, the scare factor substantially relies on the storyline and the suspense it delivers. That is exactly where the charms of Doki-Doki Literature Club (DDLC) lie. With its vibrant setting and delightful characters, it is hard to imagine the dark and sinister themes the story will descend into. Despite its start menu bursting with colors, the content warning is to be taken seriously as the game vividly displays graphi

Jul152020 No Comments

Aswang: The Face of a Monster

Letters

By MHERYLL GIFFEN L. ALFORTE AS NIGHTTIME comes, old wives' tales and superstitions about malevolent shape-shifting creatures come to mind. Children whisper fearfully and flee into the safety of their homes out of fear for these shadowy beings haunting the street. But as they grow older, it becomes apparent that these monsters do not take the shape of gnarly figures. Rather, monsters are human and they take the form of a power-hungry tyrant and his vicious trigger-happy minions. Directed by Alyx Ayn Arumpac, Aswang is a documentary film that bagged the International Film Critics’ FIPRECSI award in Amsterdam in 2019. It chronicles the first two years of the aggressive and controversial “war on drugs” executed by President Duterte, exposing how lives have been lost and casualties h

Mar62020 No Comments

A Message of Regret

Letters

By MARIA PAMELA S. REYE EDITOR’S NOTE: This piece is one of the works in a seven-part series in line with the Dapitan 2020 theme Ina. All works that are part of the series are written by the Flame’s Letters staffers. DEATH came into my life through a text message. It had a few simple words: “Wala na si mama.” Despite hearing the news, I went on with my daily life. As always, I woke up before the sun peeked through the horizon. I ran past other commuters piling around the streets, in hopes of catching a ride before anyone else. I needed to get to work on time. The ridiculous amount of bills being sent to my apartment was enough to distract me from the event. My mother could wait; I needed to survive. Once I got home, I grabbed the growing pile of letters from the table and

Feb62020 No Comments

Kalel, 15: Sins of Society

Letters

By MHERYLL GIFFEN L. ALFORTE IN A society stricken with judgmental eyes and constricting stigmas, diseased people are forced to keep things under wraps. With no one else to rely on but themselves, they are driven into a corner. In their attempt to find solace, they resort to things that ultimately led to their tragedy. Soon, it becomes apparent that their fate is not of their own making; rather, it is the unlistening ears of the society that should be blamed. Kalel, 15 opens in a droning hospital hallway filled with people going about with their day. The camera then shifts to an unperturbed Kalel (Elijah Canlas) who is told by a doctor that he has contracted a virus. Next to him is his mother, Edith (Jaclyn Jose), who adopts an alarmed expression. The exact nature of Kalel's cond

Feb42020 No Comments

Parasite: Exterminating Class Distinctions

Letters

By DENISSE P. TABOR SOCIAL CLASS has been a recurring element of countless films and dramas — the rich-boy-poor girl trope, which, no matter how recycled, still manages to make the audiences’ hearts flutter; the rags-to-riches cliche where the lead character rises to power and takes his revenge on the people who mistreated him; or the storylines where a poor adolescent struggles to fit into a social group in a prestigious school as all the students come from wealthy families. One of the films which adopts this element is Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite as it tackles the disparity between the rich and the poor; its plot exhaustively juxtaposing the lives of two families from these respective classes. However, unlike other kinds of films, Parasite is more of a social commentary that delves

Jan242020 No Comments

Mama’s Jealousy

Letters

By MHERYLL GIFFEN L. ALFORTE EDITOR’S NOTE: This piece is one of the works in a seven-part series in line with the Dapitan 2020 theme Ina. All works that are part of the series are written by the Flame’s Letters staffers. FOR as long as I can remember, I have never had a definite inkling of what I look like. Mama had always forbade me to look at myself in the mirror; she said I must never indulge myself with vanity. It was only through stolen glimpses of my reflection that I had the chance to look at the face I should have memorized like the back of my hand. Here I am, almost desperate for a longer peek even at the risk of getting caught. I stared at my reflection. The television’s screen mirrored my face in a faint manner, but it was enough to discern my features: I had the s

Jan172020 No Comments

The Potter

Letters

By ANA MURIEL R. VERON EDITOR’S NOTE: This piece is one of the works in a seven-part series in line with the Dapitan 2020 theme Ina. All works that are part of the series are written by the Flame’s Letters staffers. When she chose the clay, She perhaps desired the Kaolinite That would have resulted in pristine, white porcelain. She knew this medium would limit her And her creation But it does not bother her. She would be content in the results Of her skill and the love She would instill in her craft. To create was a heavy task to take on— She would labor For the rest of her life. She worked alone. In an orderly workshop With occasional visitors and seldom assistance. She did not need it. She m

Jan122020 No Comments

In a War-Torn Motherland

Letters

By DENISSE P. TABOR EDITOR’S NOTE: This piece is one of the works in a seven-part series in line with the Dapitan 2020 theme Ina. All works that are part of the series are written by the Flame’s Letters staffers. AS Generosa stepped out of their family home, the sight was not far from what she imagined. The streets were bestrewed with random firearms and empty cartridges. Lifeless bodies, mostly those of the Japanese soldiers, lay on blood-spattered pavements. Makeshift garrisons were completely deserted; their porch lights flickering ominously. What was once a harmonious country was now devoured by smoke gray and crimson red — a telltale sign of the war. True to their promise, the Americans came back to the archipelago after three years. But what the locals did not anti