by Mike De Leon

POSTED ON OCTOBER15 2022

Directed in 1981, at the end of President Marcos' dictatorship in the Philippines, ‘Kisapmata’ is a family drama that takes a metaphorical stand against the regime of the time, and, by extension, against patriarchy. Obviously, it is still relevant to see it from both perspectives, but it is also pertinent to discover this work for what it is: an authentic and powerful example of auteur cinema. What is it about? When an only daughter tells her father, a former cop, that she is pregnant, he allows her to get married, but soon does not let her leave his house…

The first thing that stands out is the eeriness of this film, which gradually plunges into horror with an unhealthy yet enraptured charm. The bewitching music, the dull and seductive sounds of the objects being manipulated, the movement inside the house, coloured an increasingly acidic green, and the female protagonist’s nightmares, form an ensemble that emanates from the determined imagination of a true artist. The increasingly unhinged actors follow the story's trajectory as if in a hypnotic spiral. De Leon manages to sustain his paradoxes, notably with the central character of the father, seemingly agreeable and even, depending on the moment, warm, never chilling, and yet... As terrifying as a news story reported with no emotion, and as sophisticated as a richly illustrated image, ‘Kisapmata’ is a spell-binding work.

Virginie Apiou

Kisapmata by Mike De Leon (1981)

> Monday, October 17 at 5:15pm at Pathé Bellecour

> Wednesday, October 19 at 4:30pm a the UGC Ciné Cité Confluence