The Politics of Art & Authenticity

The film Bwakaw, directed by newcomer Jun Robles Lana, tells the story of an old man, Rene, basically living each day as if he’s preparing to die.  He is distant from people, and his only companion is his dog, Bwakaw.  It is not until Rene faces situations of death that he learns how withdrawn he’s been from his life.  Jun Robles Lana illustrates the important lesson of living life to the fullest by creating his own, unique style of filmmaking.

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Bwakaw opens with Rene getting ready for the day ahead.  Lana gives an insight into Rene’s simple life by having camera shots of objects in his home.  I noticed how all his possessions were packed away in boxes, which he would give to people in his will, once he died.  From the start we see that Rene is living his life waiting to die, and doesn’t even care when his neighbor, Nitang, greets him with food in the morning.

There are also other people in his life who care about him, including the workers at the postal office and his two flamboyant friends, Zaldy and Tracy, but it’s as if Rene finds them to be a nuisance in his life.  The only creature he actually cares about is his dog, Bwakaw.  Bwakaw symbolizes the small amount of will power that Rene has to continue to live.  Without Bwakaw, Rene would have no other companion in his life and would basically have no reason to live.

Throughout the film, Lana conveys the idea of Rene’s epiphany through moments of death.  One of them being when he good friend, Minda,  from the post office dies of a heart attack.  He didn’t think that she would die before him, and it makes Rene see that your life can be taken away from you in a split second.  Also, when Bwakaw begins to get ill Rene finally starts to care.  He sees how he doesn’t always have enough time to be with the people he really cares about.  It is at these moments of his hard times that Rene transforms his life into something more.  He begins to reach out to people he might not have before, such as the cab driver who he later befriends.  Rene is able to express his homosexuality and love himself for who he truly is.  *Spoiler Alert* After Bwakaw’s death, Rene realizes that he cannot go on being alone for the rest of his life, and he starts to finally live.  He takes everything out of his boxes, and once again we see the camera shots of objects in his home.  It helps to illustrate this new life for Rene.

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With each scene of the film, Jun Robles Lana style is seen through the simplicity of the camerawork, which adds to the simple life that Rene lives.  Lana makes the plot very basic, but is still able to capture the audience’s attention through his cross-genre approach to the film.

My critique might make it seem as though this movie was very depressing, but it was quite the contrary.  Every moment of sadness had some sort of comical relief, whether it was Zaldy and Tracy acting as their crazy selves or the weird face Minda was making while she died.  Lana was very successful at making the two opposites cohesive.  He used the irony of Rene sleeping in a coffin basically waiting for his death hysterical, by having his neighbors and loved ones crying over his body.  At moments in the film, I couldn’t tell if I was crying from laughter or from the upsetting event that occurred.

Besides the fantastic work of the director, the actors were very authentic.  Eddie Garcia, the actor who played the role of Rene, is very well known in the Philippines and was able to take on a role that he never has before and execute it perfectly.  I especially loved Tracy and Zaldy.  Their performances were hilarious and made me laugh every time they were in a scene.

For Jun Robles Lana’s first film, I would definitely say it was a success.  He was able to show how people can find reason to live after experiencing death.  It makes me think of what my friend once told me; when we hit our lowest point, we are open to the greatest change.  Rene was able to change the way he lived his life after he faced the death of his one companion, Bwakaw.  Overall the film was amazing and I can’t wait to see what Lana creates in the future.

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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.

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Jun Robles Lana’s film, Bwakaw, can be considered a “dramedy” as it makes what could be very serious material light and comical, yet adds weight and honesty when appropriate. As a result of Bwakaw’s “dramedy-nature,” Lana at times loses balance between these two elements. The film requires consistency and balance in order to be successful. And in losing command of tone, he loses likability and believability in his main character.

   Early on, Lana illustrates what a curmudgeon, old man Rene, played by Eddie Garcia, is. He avoids speaking to neighbors at all costs, physically assaults the drag-wearing hair stylists who he is friendly with, and finds excuses to make rude remarks to people he meets on the street. In one scene a lady asks if Rene’s dog, whose name is Bwakaw, bites. And Rene replies with, “No, but I do!” This isn’t to say Rene is one-dimensional; he is much more than that. Lana shows us how Rene cares for his dog, and how he takes time to see an old friend who has fallen ill. In addition to being sensitive, Lana reveals that Rene is tormented; he has not come to grips with his sexual orientation, and is in a sense waiting for death.

   As the film progresses and we learn more about Rene, Lana allows the plot to become more and more serious, ending with an enlightened Rene who becomes self-respecting and open to life (a very dynamic change in the character). But as successful as Lana is in appropriately balancing his cross-genre script in the first two-thirds of his film, he precipitously allows seriousness to envelop the storyline. Towards the beginning of the film there is a scene where Rene gives a eulogy at a friend’s funeral and says, “She will be remembered as a great cook first, and a loving mother second.” This is hilarious and is such a typical Rene moment. But towards the end of the film, when Bwakaw dies, there is no humor. Though this is the death of the one thing Rene consistently showed compassion for, and no irreverence should have been shown towards the dog, I felt Lana could have provided some comic relief through Rene. After all, that was the trend he set in the film up to that point. Have Rene yell at the two drag stylists who are crying off to the side! Give the audience something (something that’s not the two sobbing idiots)!

   Where was the edge I liked about Renee that existed early on in the movie? Even if Lana was trying to illustrate a change in his character, would the change realistically be so dramatic? Instead of drawing me into and through the climax, I was gradually losing my connection with the character. I didn’t like him so much anymore. Heroes without flaws are boring and unlikable, even after they are “enlightened.” Rene was no longer a curmudgeon, funny, yet compassionate old man. He was just… an old man. And in allowing this shift in tone, Lana lost what made this film, his film– great balance between comedy and drama.

   Even with its shortcomings, Lana’s film is successful. It’s for the most part funny, very sincere, and surprising to say the least. Through the antics of Renee, Lana teaches us what it means to be happy and develops an emotionally powerful story. Though I believe this to be Lana’s first major directing voyage, it’s not likely to be his last. Bwakaw is worth seeing.

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Companionship. Do any of us truly enjoy being alone ALL the time? Sure, sometimes we need some time for reflection, or perhaps some of us enjoy spending time in solitude more frequently, but we all need that “someone to lean on.” Throughout the film Bwakaw represents how important companionship is.

At the thought of losing the one friend he has, Rene takes action. He leaves his hatred for society aside and asks for help. He reaches out to the person he taunted throughout the film and that person ends up becoming not only crucial in demonstrating to the audience the complexity of Rene’s character, but also the importance of companionship. Sol, the previously taunted cab driver becomes his go to man. His only other friend. As soon as Sol suggests that perhaps Bwakaw is sick because Rene’s house is so run down, Rene immediately begins to renovate his home.

Jun Robles Lana’s focus on action to convey emotions is one style that he may use in future films. He doesn’t have to tell us that he loves his dog for us to come to this conclusion. He doesn’t have to state that the reason he begins to seek companionship with Sol is because he fears losing his beloved dog.

Thematically, he might focus on this idea of companionship, loneliness, death, and sexuality. These were all themes exposed in Bwakaw that may resurface in future films. They are all very realistic and relatable topics that can speak to many different people.

Returning to the idea of companionship, Bwakaw is both a comedy and a drama. The film shifts from a comedic beginning to dramatic end. Lana plays around with the idea that perhaps people don’t need companionship. In one scene, Rene hits his hair dresser with a blow dryer on the nose and makes (him/her? I’m still not sure) bleed. It was almost as if Lana was saying, “Hey, it’s okay to be alone, who cares if I’m making people angry, all I need is my dog.” At this point he really doesn’t need anyone in his life. Towards the end however when Bwakaw is diagnosed with cancer, the entire mood of the film shifts into a more serious and somber one. It develops the complexity of Rene as an individual and shows us what measures Rene is willing to take in order to keep his best friend alive.

Bwakaw in the beginning of the film represents exactly what it was meant to convey. An old man’s best friend. She symbolized the lack of need for contact with the outside world. Bwakaw was the center of Rene’s life and as long as she was trotting along by his side, everything and everyone else was irrelevant. As the film progressed, she grew to represent the complete opposite. “If she dies, whom will I turn to? Will I die alone?” seemed to be the unspoken questions echoing through Rene’s thoughts.  Bwakaw turns into a symbol for the need for support. A dog isn’t enough. Reaching out to others for help is okay. Interacting with society is crucial. Waiting to die is not what life if about. He seeks Sol’s help to renovate his home in the hopes of curing Bwakaw, he finally allows his neighbor to touch his Santo Entierro to cure her grandchild, those hairdressers he so fervently pushed away, become a support system in his time of need. The very last time we see Rene, he has unpacked the boxes full of things to give away after he died and decorates his room instead. Rene experiences an epiphany by the end of the film, and it wouldn’t have been possible without the development of Bwakaw’s symbolism.

This was an entertaining and heart wrenching film. Many things were incredibly predictable, and the acting wasn’t amazing but Lana successfully made his point through his focus on action rather than dialogue. He made me laugh, he made me want to cry, but most importantly he made me want to run home, hug my puppy, and make sure he didn’t have any bumps on his stomach.