Thy Womb

"Thy Womb", directed by Brillante Mendoza and starring the legendary Nora Aunor, already gained international acclaim before being showcased during the Metro Manila Filmfest. I had planned on watching it earlier but apparently, lack of moviegoers drove cinemas to pull it out of the theaters. Thankfully, a few cinemas in Metro Manila were still showing it so before its theatrical release officially ended, I headed over to Megamall to catch the last full show. To be honest, while I was fully expecting to see a well-made movie and appreciate its value, I wasn't really expecting to like it. I was wrong. I was truly blown away.

photo courtesy of wikipedia

Spoiler alert: please stop reading if you don't want to know how this movie turns out, especially since there's a pretty big moment towards the end that you may not want to know about.

Set in the beautiful islands of Tawi-Tawi, the film tells the story of a woman, Shaleha (played by Nora) who is unable to conceive a child. That she is a midwife who regularly helps other women give birth, and knowing that her husband, Bangas-an (played by Bembol Roco), has been wanting to have a child in the house, makes this situation even more difficult and painful for her. Because of her intense desire to make Bangas-an happy, Shaleha suggests that he find a second wife. It is in this journey to find a second partner that we get to see life through the eyes of Shaleha and understand and feel her struggle and how strong the bond is between her and her husband. They eventually find Mersila (played by Lovi Poe) who agrees to marry Bangas-an. However, on top of the very expensive dowry that Shaleha and Bangas-an had to raise, Mersila has one more condition for the marriage to happen: that Bangas-an leave Shaleha once Mersila bears him a child.

This "revelation", which happens in the last 10 minutes of the film, was so jarring that I was shaken up in the remainder of the movie. Especially because most of the film puts on display the difficulties and challenges that Shaleha and Bangas-an go through on a daily basis as well as in the journey they took to find a second wife. You could clearly see, understand and feel Shaleha's devotion and sacrifice to make her husband happy. So when you realize that all her efforts will result in her losing the one person in the world to whom she has given her whole life, it shocks, moves and even disturbs you.

That scene when Bangas-an tears up while assisting Shaleha in weaving a banig, and that other scene with Shaleha looking up at the moon at night with eyes that conveyed an understanding that she was soon to be alone, gave me goosebumps. Bembol Roco gives a stirring performance as Bangas-an (I feel cheated that he lost to Dingdong Dantes as best actor in the MMFF!) but there is no doubt this movie belongs to Nora.

The original superstar of Philippine cinema is an acting genius who has won dozens of acting awards both locally and internationally. Her uncanny ability to convey emotion and thoughts through her eyes are unparalleled. Those eyes were front and center in the last few scenes of the movie as they had very little dialogue, allowing audiences to see Nora at her glorious best. While the story and scenes are powerful already, it is Nora's brilliant performance that takes the film to another level, making it haunting and staying with you even after you leave the cinema.

I can understand though why this movie did not draw any crowds during its theatrical release here. It's not a feel-good film or one that carries with it good-looking or currently popular celebrities. And it is open-ended, leaving viewers with a lot of questions or making them wish that things happened differently. Also, it was shown during the Christmas season, a time when most people are more interested in watching things that liven them up and make them happy. With movie tickets being quite expensive now (I can't believe it costs P210 to watch a movie in Megamall now!), people are more reluctant to spend, especially after watching 2-3 other entries in the film fest.

I can also understand how some - most? - can find the film dragging or too long. However, it was this detailed and "immersive" depiction of the lives of Shaleha and Bangas-an that allow audiences to connect deeply and emotionally with the lead characters, making that final "revelation" significantly more impactful and effective. The cinematography was spectacular and I know want to go to Tawi-Tawi and visit this village on stilts. The camera work, with a kind of shaky, rocking motion, made you feel like you were actually on the water or in a boat with the characters, making the viewing experience even more authentic. While I thought the film could have done without the specter of daily NPA threat (it's hard to tell whether this is accurate and realistic or if it is an exaggeration), it was in its documentary-like presentation that one gets a beautiful glimpse of Philippine Muslim culture in Tawi-Tawi and thus gains a better understanding and appreciation of a part of our country's heritage that we don't normally get to see and experience.

I hope this movie gets released on DVD soon so I can watch it again. It is now one of my favorite Filipino films of all time.