Nowadays, politics can be just a form of entertainment. Picking out the best choice is subjective. Even if we pick someone to help the country, history plays a huge role in reminding us of where the nation's decisions can lead to. For us to get the message, two directors have created films to retell stories about a certain family: The Marcoses.
Maid in Malacañang
“Maid in Malacañang” is a film directed by Darryl Yap - the man behind “VinCentiments,” a video creator known for KPL or their hugot segments. The film is about the untold story of the Marcoses, especially when Martial Law was coming to an end and Cory Aquino was about to make it as the new President. The movie was from Sen. Imee Marcos’ perspective on what happened three days before her family escaped the country and went to America to hide from their captivators.
The story was divided into ten chapters and wasn’t all drama; the maids in Malacañang gave humor to the movie. It revolves around the Marcoses planning to escape and how Imee handled the problem, plus Bongbong changing into a grown man amidst the situation. Overall, the actors’ portrayals were good, specifically Cesar Montano as Ferdinand Marcos and Christine Reyes as Imee Marcos. There were times that their acting was a bit over the top, but their performance was above average. The cinematography was creative in hiding subliminal messages such as the size of the screen to portray how it felt to watch films in the 80s. Also, there was a specific part where Bongbong told Imelda that they'd go back to the Philippines one day, and the screen showed one of her shoes with a written code 2022 that acted as a symbol that the Marcos administration would come back in that same year. Obviously, the film was made to tell as if Cory Aquino was the villain and the Marcoses were the victims. This movie is only for a specific audience, specifically, those who voted for Marcos. Thus, if you are not a fan or supporter of the Marcoses, this movie is not for you.
Katips
“Katips” was released to oppose the Maid in Malacañang, directed by Vince Tañada, who is known to be the son of a martial law victim. The movie was based on a musical with the same title, tackling the story of victims amidst the horrors of the Marcos administration. It was not based on the lives of the Aquinos as everyone would have expected because its focus was solely on the survivors.
Katips is a musical in a film. So just like Maid in Malacañang, its audience can only cater to fewer viewers since musicals aren’t popular in the Philippine cinema. The story revolves around the characters of Vince Tañada and Jerome Ponce, both living in the martial law era. Given that some of the actors here are both from theater plays and movie screens, the acting (and singing) was superb. Since it’s an independent film, the cinematography and graphics were simple, but the color used in the movie reflected the mood of Katips. It is also good that there is a disclaimer for specific viewers because when it indicated that this movie told the story of martial law victims: blood, gore, and even rape were shown on screen. Although it is perceived as the counterpart of the one made by Darryl Yap, it can’t be described as a movie that supports the liberal party as one would have, again, expected because Maid in Malacañang told the story of the Marcoses. Katips is more of a movie about activists and those who tried to fight against martial law. This is, indeed, a must-watch, but if you’re not a fan of theatrical plays, it might seem less entertaining to you.
In general, Maid in Malacañang and Katips are two different perspectives of what happened in the martial law era. The beauty of both movies was that it was told by the children of two main characters in real life. One tells the story of one portrayed as a demon who was actually the victim, and the other who plays the victim yet is seen as the demon. After all, no one can tell whose truth we should believe.
Now that the two sides are revealed, which one do you think is the real story?
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