The second film from this month’s BFI release Two Films By Lino Brocka is the revenge drama Insiang. The film has the distinction of being the first Filipino film to be screened at the Cannes Film festival and went a long way to cementing Lino Brock’s reputation as a director of note.
Set in the slums of Manila the story centres on the life of the title character Insiang (Hilda Koronel). She lives in a house with her mother Tonya (Mona Lisa) and her extended family on her father’s side. Tensions are high in the house as Tonya and her husband are no longer together. He ran off with another (younger) woman some time before and Tonya is now bitter and always looking for an argument. When Insiang’s cousin is the cause of an incident with a local girl Tonya takes her chance to get rid of the troublesome relatives. Her other motivation is to move her boyfriend, Dado (Ruel Vernal), into the house and have a bit of private time with him. Dado is younger than Tonya and his motivations for being with an older woman is to get closer to Insiang. When he forces himself on her it leads to Insiang plotting revenge on those who wronged her.
The audience get an idea of the tone of the film from the opening sequence. We are treated to the sight of pigs being slaughtered in an abattoir. Nothing is held back from the camera as Dado slits the pigs throat and watches as it bleeds out in front of him. The film is filled with the high pitched squeal of the doomed animal as it thrashes about, spraying blood onto Dado’s torso. The film states that life is brutal and cruel, with the one holding the knife holds the power.
From there it moves more into a melodrama. Insiang is the focus. Of all the characters that are introduced in the opening half she is the nicest. She works hard and never complains about her lot. It seems that everyone around her does just that. Her in-laws don’t contribute, her mother constantly complains and her boyfriend says one thing but actually wants another. She seems contented with her life as it is. She wants a future and is willing to work for it. It is only when this is threatened does she change. When she seeks her mother’s help after Dado assaults her she finds she is being blamed for being a tease. When she looks to her boyfriend for a way out he uses her for his own carnal ends before dropping her. It is no wonder she eventually snaps.
Hilda Koronel is superb in the lead role. She is convincing as the mild mannered girl who has a trusting nature. The way she conveys the terror if the situation she finds herself in really draws the audience onto her side. As the only pleasant character she naturally has the audience’s attention but her performance is at the heart of the film. As the film progresses we see Insiang changing. The people around her and their negative and exploitive ways affect her attitude.
As with Manila In The Claws Of Light (also on the BFI Blu-Ray release) the background to the film is the daily struggle for survival in the slums of Manila. It presents a dark image of the city and the corruption that was rife there at the time. Most of the film is shot in enclosed spaces. Tonya’s home is the main focus of attention with the lack of privacy always to the fore. It is used as a laundry during the day. At night there is nowhere to be alone with the kitchen are right beside the bedrooms and toilet. everything is done in public. In order to mask the noises from her love making with Dado, Tonya insists that the laundry tap is on. That only alerts anyone nearby to what is going on, so it is hardly worth the effort.
Overall, a film that pulls you in with a memorable central performance.
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