I was surprised by this film! Thank you to everyone who made this possible-- for sharing your talent and working so so hard. May this continue to spread to Filipinos who are oblivious of the reality of our country.

"RESPETO" 2017 Cinemalaya Film Festival Entry

Starring: Abra, Dido de la Paz, Nor Domingo Screenplay: Treb Monteras II, Njel de Mesa Directed by: Treb Monteras II Produced by : Arkeo Films

As I was scrolling online the schedule of movies showing about two weeks ago, I figured that "Respeto" was still showing in a few Metro Manila theaters so instead of doing nothing at home one lazy Sunday afternoon, I went to Market Market to catch up with the 4:50 pm scheduled screening. Another Filipino film, Star Cinema's "Last Night" (starring Piolo Pascual and Toni Gonzaga) was still showing but I opted to watch "Respeto" instead.

"Respeto" won the Best Picture award in the recent Cinemalaya Film Festival. I actually watched 2 festival entries, these were "Nabubulok" and "Bagahe." I missed to watch "Respeto" or let's just put it this way, I actually overlooked it and one thing, I could only watch 2 films that day.

"Ano ang mas mahalaga sa iyo? Pera o panalo? panalo o respeto? This is just one of the catchy lines from the movie.

Initially, I was given the impression that "Respeto" was all about hard core fliptop battles and hip-hop culture but it's more than just that. It also tackled real life issues that is prevalent in our present society vis-à-vis drug trafficking, poverty, police brutality, demolitions and political inclinations (depending on which side of the fence you are).

Abra plays the role of Hendrix, an aspiring young rapper and an orphan entangled by poverty, forced by circumstances to work as drug courier. He engaged himself on the side, participating in underworld fliptop battles but always end up heckled and loses in the process. Frustrated to impress and gain respect, he tried to steal ideas of an old man (played by Dido de la Paz), a reclusive poet and owner of a run-down second hand book store. At one point, the old man confronted him for stealing his ideas but one thing lead to another, he eventually became Hendrix's mentor. The old man is suffering from mild schizophrenia and had unsettled issues with his son who is a corrupt policeman moonlighting as a drug trafficker. Hendix's sister and her boyfriend work for him as drug pushers; both stays at home most the time and uses Hendrix as their errand boy selling prohibited drugs to their customers. As the drug business slowed down due to looming threat from the authorities, the cop found himself under pressure; he eventually killed the couple in order to silence them from exposing his involvement in drug trafficking. His next target was Hendrix who hid in the house of the cop's father. The movie ends in a violent but well executed scene with the furious Hendrix killing the corrupt policeman as the latter tried to leave the scene after his father stopped him for attempting to kill Hendrix.

It is interesting to note that this is Treb Montera's debut film and given the limited budget provided by Cinemalaya, he came up with a realistic and engaging film that's all worth your money and time. A high level of acting ensemble (including participation of real life rappers) contributed to the success of the film. The role of Hendrix fits Abra perfectly and in many instances, he was just like acting himself throughout the film being a rapper who grew up in the streets. The movie is not perfect but it certainly gave the audience a breather amidst the series of romcom movies that is dominating the local cinema scene.

Besides the special jury award for best film, "Respeto" also yielded additional awards including best supporting actor for Dido de la Paz and technical awards (best editing, Best Cinematography and best sound).

A fair warning. If you're going to watch Respeto thinking it's all about hiphop and fliptop, please reset your expectation (so people comparing it to 8Mile, just stop). It's first and foremost a political movie, and depending on which side of history you stand, you'd either love it or get offended. I've already read some negative reviews, and believe me it's not about the photography or the quality of production (because both are outstanding given the tight budget used. Cinemalaya hello?!). I think it's definitely because of the theme. It attempted to be neutral, but its partiality is obvious, and that's good because the movie has bayagbag (double balls. You'll get it when you watch it). The theme is very timely as it bravely exposes the culture of violence in our country, how it's cyclic and embedded in our nation's psyche. It's also about poetry. And the poetry is beautiful. The script is excellent. Abra is a revelation. I really loved his performance considering that he had no previous acting experience. He was raw and natural. The supporting cast is just as good. Chai Fonacier is ❤️.