A Movie Review: The Point of Departure

September 29, 2008

“Itim” by Mike de  (1976) has a cliche plot: a ghost with unfinished business comes back to haunt the living for her tragic death which creates complications for the people involved. This particular story arc has appeared in myriad other films and television shows here in the Philippines as well as the rest of the world. There is nothing particularly unique about it, except the context of when it was conceived—”Itim” was released in the 70’s, when stories like it were not popularly explored. In other words, it was original during its prime, plot-wise.

Consequently, the treatment of the plot was particularly sophisticated even if we compare it to the horror films of today. Mike de Leon and of course, the scriptwriter, has a very acute sense of suspense and horror; they both know how to use them harmoniously without going overboard. There is also an extensive use of symbolism in the film, mostly religious. There is that eerie meeting of wooden saints, the Virgin Mary’s decapitated head staring blankly ahead, and the old shriveled man who appears in blahs dream repeatedly are some examples. There is also a copious amount of silence in the movie, which heightens the suspense more than an eerie instrumental would have. All these devices make “Itim” sophisticated way before its time and has spawned the bastards of this genre up to the present.

One such bastard is “Signos” by Aloy Adlawan (2007). Several similarities in the plot as well as the treatment of both films are prevalent. For one, both films feature a successful son from the city who rarely visits his father in the province. There is also the simple but beautiful country lass who becomes the love interest. The setting is in the province, which is depicted as quiet, slow, and backward. Also, both films are successful in using silence and music to create suspense, even when nothing particularly horrifying is happening.

The films do not scare with blood and gore. They delve into our more deeply inherent fears rather than the obvious. This was done by using heavy symbolism; in “Itim”, the background was the Catholic faith and folk beliefs, while “Signos” was more subtle in using  images such as a dead crow, chicken’s blood, and a pile of stones, among other things.

The acting is also very good in both films. Luis Alandy could well have been Louie—they both exude the same polished and educated, but still humble, persona. Tommy Abuel could have been Jun, as they both seem to have the indie spirit, to be loners. Of course, how can we not mention Charo Santos’s introductory role as Teresa! You can see palpable fear or sadness on her face when she cranks it up.

The point where “Signos” departs from “Itim” is the use of special effects. “Itim” relied moderately on special effects, which were primitive, but we can cut it some slack since it’s an old film. In “Signos”, they didn’t even use special effects; they just used a lot of “mud” which is apparently only Milo splashed all over the place.

Finally, the main difference between the two horror films is the emotional involvement between the characters. In “Signos”, one can feel the family ties and love among the characters. In “Itim”, the relationships appeared hollow—acting was great, but the relationships were not explored.