CINEKATIPUNAN : TRIBU

TRIBU

Jim Libiran, 2007

Think of shades of City of God (but not quite) transplanted in the underbelly of Manila that is Tondo and you have a forceful film by Jim Libiran that would make anyone who cares about good movies take notice. But this is not your usual poverty film that has been showcased since Lino Brocka et al made their political commentary and has made it a trademark of the Philippines. It is about the often hushed and not so seen underworld that Tondo is portrayed to be, often associated to be, often heard to be but not quite seen to be. It is just powerful, moving and raw.

The juvenile hiphop gangs in the old and historic district of Tondo have a world of their own. Their territories marked with invisible boundaries that only become apparent with the descent of darkness. Unfortunately, despite a veneer of calmness during the day, where people, despite their poverty still enjoy life their own way, come night and the rabid rivalry between gangs just ensures that a member’s life is not assured of longevity.

Booze mixes easily with hiphop and rap. Drugs and sex are standard. Violence is trademark. Despite pleadings of a father, always fearful that his son might not live long enough to be his age, all these are thrown into the wind for the sake of the gang. And Tribu takes you into these kind of world. Into this kind of blind loyalty and commitment to the brotherhood, all unfortunate hallmarks of a sophomoric sense of belongingness with their tribe.

The film is well developed and you get to know and empathize with the characters until you are slapped in the face to bring you back to reality and realize that this indeed is happening. Despite the rather dark story, it does has the proverbial silver lining. Real gang members from 6 competing groups were miraculously gathered to play themselves in the film. Despite the initial difficulty, and oh, it was really hard based from news articles early in the production phase, the director and his team made it. From previously rival groups, they have gelled well and sort of become role models in other areas that have these juvenile gang problems. As the director said during his talk after the premiere in Cinemalaya where it is competing, he got calls from other areas, e.g. Pasig, to replicate what he had done in Tondo.

And that is maybe, the greatest achievement of this film. A must see.

http://estanli.net/blog/2007/07/25/tribu-jim-libiran-2007/