LIBERACION (Adolf Alix, Jr.)
In filmmaker Adolf Alix Jr's oeuvre, there are slow films, and then there are really slow films. LIBERACION belongs to the latter, in the tradition of his earlier film AURORA, starring Rosanna Roces. The thing that fascinates me in terms of Alix's visual style is that either in color or black and white, he gracefully presents his elements onscreen, and there is this unwritten, indescribable visual signature that tells you it is Alix's brainchild. For instance, he favors those long takes of his opening scene to establish either the character, the environment, or the scenario. In LIBERACION, we see a couple of Japanese soldiers tunnel out of a dark cave; since Alix follows an ultrarealist or realist approach to most of his films (if not all), we see what the soldiers see. The screen is dimly-lit, therefore if the soldiers are having a hard time visualizing their exit, then so must we. I held back this review until I've seen Apichatpong Weerasethakul's UNCLE BOONME...