The Politics of Art & Authenticity

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Death, death and more death is the one thing that is constant throughout this film. Renee,the main character, played by Eddie Garcia is faced with death at every turn in this film. Yet Jun Robles Lana finds a way too add humor and wit that help lighten the mood and has several scenes that provide comic relief for the audience. Even though the film is filled with death it is not overly depressing or solemn. Lana neither portrays death as an extremely grim or an overly humorous occurrence. It is simply inevitable and a fact of life. I loved that this was easily accepted by the main character and that Lana did not use death in order to create a sob fest. Rather the death of a character was reflected upon and actually impacted Renee in a positive manner as he learned from those deaths.

Strangely enough, the appeal of this film is not due to its plot. If this film were being judged solely on its plot it would be a lousy production. However it is not the plot that is important in this film but rather who the plot revolves around. That would be Renee. Renee is a bitter, homosexual, elderly man that is filled with regret and who looks forward to death’s sweet embrace. His character is eerily reminiscent of Clint Eastwood’s character in Gran Tarino, with one obvious difference. Renee is a homosexual. As the film progresses we are given an insight as to why Renee is so bitter.We learn that he came out of “the closet” at sixty years old. Sadly, by then it was too little too late and he fell into despair as he accepted the fact that he would always be alone. Bwakaw, his dog, being his only true companion.

Lana paints a pretty bleak picture of Renee’s life. Renee lives in a broken down house with all his possessions placed neatly in boxes so that they can be distributed with ease after he dies. He pretty much gave up hope on living a happy life. He is even forced to leave his will with the priest because he has no family or friends left. Renee is neurotic about preparing for death and he changes his will so many times throughout the movie its actually funny.

This is where Lana truly shines as an auteur as he creates scenes that are horrific yet comedic. He is capable of creating a scene that is so tragic and yet so funny that you are unsure as to wether you should laugh or cry. For example in the film Renee was forced to take his casket because the funeral home was going out of business and so he decides to sleep in the casket. The sight of him in the casket surrounded by his boxed possessions is creepy, horrific and depressing yet strangely hilarious. Especially when the neighbors find him asleep in the casket and believe that he is dead.

Another signature style of Lana’s in this film was the lack of music and over dramatization. There was no music in the death scenes nor was there music when he announced he was homosexual to the priest. Instead Eddie Garcia was responsible for evoking emotion in the audience without the help of any theatrics. Personally I was thrilled by this technique. It was the first time I was able to truly relate to a death scene in film. There were no ominous tones or depressing songs playing in the background. There was no cheesy eulogy playing in the background. There was just death, plain and simple. I thought that was a brilliant tactic because for most people death of a loved one is not usually followed by a montage with a song by The Fray playing in the background.  I also liked the fact that Renee actually reflected on these deaths and decided to unpack his belongings and move on with his life rather than wallowing into a fit of depression.

Overall this film was a masterpiece. The combination of Lana’s directing and Garcia’s stellar acting made this film a pleasure to watch. Lana’s realistic portrayal of death without music and his ability to do so with humor distinguishes him as an auteur. I have no doubt he will be a fixture in the film community for years to come.