(Editor's note: "Across the Crescent Moon" won Best Global Feature Film and Best Ensemble Acting awards at the International Film Festival Manhattan (IFFM) last Oct. 18 in New York. The following is the English version of the review in Pilipino CINEMA published in this blog last January). DIRECTOR: Baby Nebrida LEAD CAST: Matteo
Guidicelli, Alex Godinez, Dina Bonnevie, Christopher de Leon, Sandy Andolong,
Gabby Concepcion SCREENWRITER: Baby
Nebrida PRODUCER: Baby
Nebrida LINE PRODUCER: Christina
Nebrida EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS:
Ana Clemena, Amado Tan GENRE: Drama, Action MUSIC: Von de Guzman CINEMATOGRAPHER: Topel Lee PRODUCTION DESIGNER: Erwin Sanchez PRODUCTION COMPANY: Gold Barn Media INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTOR: Silver Line Multimedia COUNTRY: Philippines
LOCATIONS: Tawi Tawi, Simunul Island, Tanay, Clark, Subic,
Zambales RUNNING TIME: 130
minutes
Technical
assessment: 3.5
Moral
assessment: 3.5
CINEMA
rating: V14
MTRCB
rating: PG13
“Across the Crescent Moon,” opens
with a bitter fight between mother Mita Garcia (Dina Bonnevie) and daughter
Emma (Alex Godinez). Devout Catholics,
Emma’s parents are strongly against the love relationship between Emma and her
boyfriend Abbas Misani (Matteo Guidicelli) but they will fail to stop the union
of the two. To their dismay, Emma and
Abbas get married in Muslim rites, and stay in Mindanao. Abbas is a soldier in the Special Action
Forces (SAF) tasked to deal with the drug and human trafficking problem in
Mindanao. After their wedding the young
couple reside in Mindanao with Abbas’ parents Karim (Christopher de Leon) and
Sitti (Sandy Andolong) who warmly welcome the Emma to the family. When Emma becomes pregnant, she pleads with
Abbas to return to Manila until she gives birth; fortunately, Abbas is granted
his request at work to be transferred to the SAF contingent in Luzon. Missing her parents very much, Emma pays them
a surprise visit. She finds her mother
home, but Mita cruelly disowns her. In
spite of Emma’s delicate condition, Mita’s heart remains hard and cold, without
a whiff of mercy for the pregnant daughter.
Local film critics have contrasting reactions to “Across
the Crescent Moon”. There are those
who praise it to high heavens, suggesting that the film be seen by every
Filipino; others see nothing but the perceived shortcomings of the film, from
camera angles to the story flow. Some
say watching the movie is a big waste of time and money; while others aver that
one stands to miss much by not seeing it because “it is so special”, being a
unique film that courageously tackles and portrays situations that no Filipino
movie in the past had ever done.
It is easy to see why critics differ in their view of “Across the Crescent Moon”—a fact that
does not augur well for the fate of the film at the box office. Like average Filipino moviegoers, many
critics merely look for entertainment, or amazement at the technical perfection
of a movie, to the extent that they become oblivious to the film’s substance
and its potential to open doors leading to a society’s redemption. The theme of “Across the Crescent Moon” is hardly entertaining, but what
is amazing about it is that it was produced at all—a film that owes its
existence to people who gambled their talents, treasure, and conviction in
their desire to contribute towards peace and reconciliation in the land.
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| Actors de Leon, Guidicelli, Godinez and Andolong. |
Interviewed by CINEMA, its director and screenwriter Baby
Nebrida said her intention was to bridge the gap between Christians and Muslims
by focusing on correct information and right knowledge of the situation—thus
she deemed it best to highlight the goodness and benevolence of a Muslim family
in this film. With this purpose in mind,
Nebrida persuaded veteran actors (Bonnevie, de Leon, Andolong) to play
alongside neophytes (Guidicelli, Godinez) in this trailblazing movie.
The excellent performances the actors delivered are thus
rooted not in acting techniques but in the sincere belief that participation in
the film is infusing new meaning in their art. At a press conference prior to
the launch of Across the Crescent Moon last January, the actors—both the
seasoned ones and the newbies alike, all Christians from Luzon—admitted that in
studying their respective roles, and in mingling with the Muslims while on location
shooting in Mindanao, their eyes were opened to the beauty of the customs and
prayer life of the Muslims. For the
actors, being in the film was not “just a job” but also a “learning
moment”—their exposure to a different cultural environment enriched their lives
and imbued their performance with freshness and intensity. The result: whatever technical flaws the film
had were overshadowed by the heartfelt performances of the cast.
The core of the plot is the love between two young persons
coming from different backgrounds, and its message is the hope of a people’s
healing springing from the understanding that love brings. The role of Bonnevie—Mita, the narrow-minded
mother who is complacent in her comfort zone, and has good intentions but lacks
genuine understanding of her daughter or her fellow Filipinos—serves as the
heart of the movie, for she reflects the transformation that Filipinos need to
go through to liberate the predominantly Catholic nation from prejudice against
their long neglected Muslim brothers.
CINEMA won’t wonder if “Across the Crescent Moon” does not become a box office hit in the
country, because as surveys made by the film industry itself reveal, the
average Filipino goes to the movies to laugh, to get tickled or terrified, to
be entertained and wowed by fantastic CGI (computer generated images)—never to
meditate upon the future of their country.
The film may not rake in millions at the tills, but as CINEMA views it,
a deep regard for its message can heal millions of wounded hearts in the country. Showing and discussing the film in schools
and parishes, particularly in key cities, may help broaden the horizons of the
young who are in danger of being engulfed in mediocrity prevalent in the
entertainment media, the internet, and society as a whole.
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| Director Baby Nebrida (in white) and crew receive the trophies at the IFFM. |
