Dekada ’70 by Chito S. Roño
Amanda Bartolome (Vilma Santos) sits and listens to one of her sons.
Dekada ’70
Directed by Chito S. Roño. Written by Lualhati Bautista (movie is based on her book Dekada ’70)
Starring Christopher de Leon, Vilma Santos, and Piolo Pascual.
Baluts: 
Cast: Marvin Agustin, Carlos Agassi, Danilo Barrios, Ana Capri, John Wayne Sace, and Dimples Romana
Dekada ’70, released in Philippine theaters in 2002, tells the story of a family not only living during the time of martial law in the Philippines during the 70′s, but also finding itself entangled in it.
Christopher de Leon, Vilma Santos, & Piolo Pascual among others help paint a diverse set of perspectives with their characters. And under the direction of Chito S. Roño, who also directed another movie that I enjoyed, the Filipino musical “Emir“, Dekada ’70 to me has become an illustrative introduction to this seemingly elusive yet highly-relevant decade of martial law in the Philippines.
Paano mo palalakihin nag iyong mga anak sa pantheon ng walling katiyakan? Translation: How do you raise your children during a time of uncertainty?
On Sept. 21, 1972, 39 years ago this week, then President Ferdinand Marcos appeared on television screens all across the Philippines, informing the Filipino people that he had “signed proclamation number 1081 placing the entire Philippines under martial law.” Martial Law is “the imposition of military rule” removing power from all other branches in government (wiki). Martial law in the Philippines lasted from September 22, 1972 to January 17, 1981 but Marcos remained in power up until February 25, 1986 (wiki).
Marcos Declaring Martial Law on September 21, 1972 (photo credit: http://pcyjourneyhome.wordpress.com)
Many different sources can tell us the story of this decade in the 70′s in the form of facts, figures, opinionated articles, dates, and timelines. However under the direction of director Chito S. Roño, the family we follow in this movie would be themselves our sources to martial law. With a talented cast of convincing actors and actresses, their home would become to the viewer a microcosm of the country as a whole. In fact it is in the home of the Bartolome family where most of the movie actually takes place. And it is in this home viewers are taken for a brief ride through this tumultuous time in Philippine history.
The characters of brothers Jules (Piolo Pascual) and Eman (Marvin Augustin) share similar anti-Marcos perspectives in the movie (photo credit: sribats75)
A movie that attempts to add a more familiar and human touch to a real event isn’t without its melodrama. The overt use of music to drive emotion home and unnecessarily lengthy shots distract a bit from what otherwise could have been short and sweet takes of awesome performances. The pace of the film seems to slow down mid-way through the film. Yet these faults are minute enough that they probably didn’t even deserve a mention.
This movie makes for a satisfying introduction to this decade in Philippine history. I shouldn’t forget to mention how faithful the movie remains to the styles of dress, the models of cars, and the music of the time to strongly present the age and era the movie takes place. Most importantly Dekada ’70 presents to us the emotional aspect, an aspect you cannot obtain through school textbooks, snapshots, and soundbites of Martial Law under Marcos. This is communicated successfully through its collection of talents seen through the eye of a veteran director.
‘Til next review, ingat. Take care.
Performance by John Wayne Sace where he plays the youngest son, Bingo, making a confession to his mother Amanda played by Vilma Santos (no subtitles)
President Ferdinand Marcos declares martial law
Amigo by John Sayles Lola by Brillante Mendoza
[...] Related Reading: Dekada ’70 by Chito S. Roño [...]
[...] “…The characters of brothers Jules (Piolo Pascual) and Eman (Marvin Augustin) share similar anti-Marcos perspectives in the movie. A movie that attempts to add a more familiar and human touch to a real event isn’t without its melodrama. The overt use of music to drive emotion home and unnecessarily lengthy shots distract a bit from what otherwise could have been short and sweet takes of awesome performances. The pace of the film seems to slow down mid-way through the film. Yet these faults are minute enough that they probably didn’t even deserve a mention…This movie makes for a satisfying introduction to this decade in Philippine history. I shouldn’t forget to mention how faithful the movie remains to the styles of dress, the models of cars, and the music of the time to strongly present the age and era the movie takes place. Most importantly Dekada ’70 presents to us the emotional aspect, an aspect you cannot obtain through school textbooks, snapshots, and soundbites of Martial Law under Marcos. This is communicated successfully through its collection of talents seen through the eye of a veteran director…” – Pinoy Movie Reviews (READ MORE) [...]