Independencia (film)
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Film poster
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| Directed by | Raya Martin |
| Produced by | Arleen Cuevas |
| Written by | Raya Martin Ramon Sarmiento |
| Starring |
Tetchie Agbayani Sid Lucero Alessandra de Rossi Mika Aguilos |
| Music by | Lutgardo Labad |
| Cinematography | Jeanne Lapoirie |
| Edited by | Jay Halili |
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Release date
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Running time
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77 minutes |
| Country | Philippines |
| Language | Tagalog |
Independencia is a 2009 Filipino drama film directed by Raya Martin. Set in the Philippines during the start of the American Occupation in the early 1900s, the film revolves around three generations of a family who flees the impending conflict in the city and tries to survive in the jungle. The grainy, black and white quality, primitive editing techniques and painted backdrops evoke the mode of filmmaking pervasive during that era. It was the first Filipino film to be screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival when it was shown at the 2009 festival.
The film starts in a street scene. The people are in jovial spirits and are eager to celebrate the Philippines' newfound independence from Spain. The music and festivities then stop abruptly and they look up to the horizon. In few whispered words, the townspeople remark that "they are coming," referring to the American forces. Wary of the terror the soldiers might bring upon them, a mother (Tetchie Agbayani) decides to flee to the mountain jungles with her son (Sid Lucero). Deep in the jungle, they find an abandoned wooden hut and decide to settle there away from civilization and the perceived oppression that could come from the Americans. One day, the son finds a young woman (Alessandra de Rossi), exhausted and lying on the road after an American soldier rapes her. He tends to her, much to the reluctance of his mother. However, his mother eventually falls ill, then dies; he buries her in the middle of the forest. Afterwards, the woman gives birth to her child from the rape.
At this point, the film's narrative is interrupted. The celluloid reel is removed and replaced. This time, it is a newsreel narrated by an American broadcaster at first describing the Philippines in general, then proceeding to an event that occurred in a marketplace in an unnamed town. A young boy is shot by an American soldier, who thought he was stealing, although the vendor said that the boy was just being playful. However, the other passersby said that the boy was indeed about to commit a crime, justifying the soldier's action. The soldier then poses beside the dead body for the camera. The newsreel ends with a warning to all people who do questionable things: "Our brave troops are everywhere, ensuring that the streets are safe in this time of crisis."
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