“Awit Kay Ana” is an adaptation of a William Somerset Maugham short story set in France amidst the death and destruction brought about by World War II. “Awit Kay Ana”, the setting shifts to the Philippines wherein a family’s idyllic existence is disrupted when the country found itself caught in the war set off by Japanese occupation.
Originally entitled “Digmaan!” (War), the play won for its playwright, Diosdado Sa. Anzures, the prestigious Palanca Award in the 70s. In its original title, the play had been successfully staged in Metro Manila and key cities around the country, with more than 100 performances to date. Aside from the Filipinization of the characters, the playwright has added other scenes and characters to further enrich the local color and underline the actual Filipino experience in the Japan’s failed attempt for imperialist expansion all over Asia.
plays ANA in the award-winning play "Awit kay Ana"
“Awit Kay Ana” is an adaptation of a William Somerset Maugham short story set in France amidst the death and destruction brought about by World War II. “Awit Kay Ana”, the setting shifts to the Philippines wherein a family’s idyllic existence is disrupted when the country found itself caught in the war set off by Japanese occupation.
Originally entitled “Digmaan!” (War), the play won for its playwright, Diosdado Sa. Anzures, the prestigious Palanca Award in the 70s. In its original title, the play had been successfully staged in Metro Manila, with more than 100 performances to date. Aside from the Filipinization of the characters, the playwright has added other scenes and characters to further enrich the local color and underline the actual Filipino experience in the Japan’s failed attempt for imperialist expansion all over Asia.
Ana, the lead character, is raped by a drunken Japanese officer and consequently gets pregnant. The story takes a sudden turn when the Japanese officer finds himself falling in love with his victim and proposes to marry her. He woos her parents and eventually wins their consent. Nevertheless, Ana’s hatred of his attacker lingered and her conviction never to accept the man who caused her dishonor remained unyielding. The play ends at Ana’s exacting vengeance to her oppressor.
A sequence-long argument between Ana and the Japanese officer Tomo delves into the historical background why the Japanese, through its imperial army, had to invade the Philippines. Ana’s teenage brother Berting, an added character, very well represents the young Filipinos of the period who were suddenly and forcibly shoved to adulthood after having been castrated by Japanese soldiers.
Ana’s mother Tinay is a mirror image of Filipinos who have opted to collaborate with foreign invaders with an eye for personal gains, and so is Ana’s father Horacio who vacillates at first but eventually capitulates to the wishes of his alien masters for practical reasons.
The rape of Ana could be a metaphor to the pillaging of the Philippines during the Japanese invasion and, taking it to the personal level, Ana’s dilemma poses a greater question in that she is a teacher by profession. Would she keep the baby inside her womb? How would her townsfolk take it? How would her students react to it? How would she create self-reinvention vis-à-vis the moral and cultural background of the times?
Armed with nothing but hatred for an enemy, Ana had remained steadfast with her conviction, until she came across an idea of the most painful vengeance she can exact against her aggressor: killing the child. The thought put her in another juncture of painful decision, juxtaposed to social morality standards already ravaged by the horrors of war.
Almost a year ago after the movie Haw-Ang (Before Harvest) was shown at the SM Cinemas nationwide, I came across a blog called "From the Boondocks". This site posted a review on the film and I can't help but smile after reading what it said. Just to quote a few lines, it stated:
"We are now going to open our big mouths because we watched the movie. Our verdict: We didn't expect to like it but we ended up liking it a lot. It is better than Daan Patungong Kalimugtong (which we also like but we like Haw-ang more) and much much better than Batad sa Paang Palay (which we partly liked and partly disliked).
There are many things to like in this movie such as:
Adorable kids?Check
Use of local language?Check. In some portions.
Movie twists and turns?Check
Good acting?Check
Nice music?Check
Great cinematography?Check. It would be poor film making indeed if one shoots in Ifugao and still comes up with a bad cinematography.
Ifugao rituals? Check. At least dito, they are integral to the story. Unlike in Batad sa Paang Palay where indigenous rituals are shown without any apparent reason.
The film is nominated in the following categories in the upcoming 5th Golden Screen Awards:
Best Motion Picture Best Performance by an Actress Breakthrough Performance an Actress Best Director Best Screenplay Best Cinematography Best Editing Best Original Song Best Musical Score
Please visit the following links for the complete list of nominees:
This is my first attempt at blogging and i want this to be worthwhile. My friends say that it's addictive in here and I want to be addicted. I'll be here everyday to find out what's new...
