22nd of October, 2010 “Hindi na puwede ang tradisyonal. Hindi lang basta bago. Higit pa sa bago, dapat bagong bago.”
I’m not sure if those were the exact words, but I’m pretty sure that’s what the short film Aliwan Paradise meant. To be honest, I thought it was similar to Ekachai Uekrongtham’s Pleasure Factory, something about prostitutes and poverty. I was wrong. This film by Mike De Leon is like a series of images appearing inside the crystal ball of a high-class fortune teller. It predicted exactly what was going to happen to the media after more than ten years. How they were able to do that, I do not know. It was certainly high-class fortune telling to me.
The film definitely had a Martial Law theme of the government controlling…well, basically everything. I loved the rawness of the film, how with its dazzling façade still emits hard cold truth on a fly-infested platter. I also loved how it was about Philippine entertainment, how the different stakeholders in the society reacted to the auditions held by the Ministry of Entertainment. I was also in awe of the fact that despite what everyone in the panel of judges thinks, it is still the media, in the form of Johnny Delgado, who has the final say. And of course, the center of entertainment MUST be the poor! It is the reality of realities, and their poor unfortunate souls are very marketable to investors. Is this not why Willie Revillame earns his daily ration of millions, in the first place? Was it not Wowowee, and now Willing Willie, the perfect epitomes of this film?
Not to mention the adaptations of Manila sa Kuko ng Liwanag ‘s star-crossed lovers. Clearly, everything about the film speaks 21st century Philippines. And again, I will say, how they were able to do that, I do not know. I never knew ‘futuristic’ would even hover upon Philippine media. It was as if during those times, the film gave Philippine media a foreshadowing of the future. And even if it is really in a dire, intensive care unit state, the media is still here. And I think it’s not too late.
The film also reminded me of A Clockwork Orange. It affects me the same strange and curious way as Clockwork did. Which means I will never forget this film. Oh gosh I wish I had internet connection right now. I want to look this film up.
And I am still amazed that Sir Doy wrote the screenplay for this.
Photo from http://sari-saringsinengpinoy.blogspot.com/2007_07_01_archive.html
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