Having their government-dictated mission to crush the so-called rebellion, does it fully

justify the soldiers' "right to kill", as a way to put a halt to the insurgency? On the other hand,

having suffered from the atrocities brought about by such a "war", does it give the indigenous

people the "right to kill", as a way to bring to justice the aggressors? Does the title in some way

reference the ongoing debate in the country regarding the re-imposition of the capital punishment?

Such is the depth and power of "Tu Pug Imatuy" (which, as of this writing, was honored as best

film of the festival). We need not look into the state of such countries as Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan

and Israel to be aware of the destructiveness of war. It's because it's happening right in our own

country as well, however different its scale might be.

Ubonay, however, proved that despite of the lack of education she got, she is a woman not

to be underestimated and her eagerness to be reunited with her family has become her tool and

advantage to win over the abusive military forces.

Yet, the atrocities must still come to an end. In conjunction with the divine laws of nature,

karmic retribution is still laid upon the perpetrators of such inhumanities. This is illustrated in the

film by way of a wince-inducing comeuppance that makes the soldiers no different from the

trapped boar that the couple served as a meal for their family. The film's subtle shifts from darkness

to light or from sunshine to rain indicate glimmers of hope amid the strokes of tragedy. Symbols

abound in the film that highlight both the ominous and redemptive attributes of nature, from an

ant crawling on a leaf to mongo seeds sprouting anew. It's a testament to these Mindanaoan

filmmakers' (Barbarona, Mardoquio, Dayoc) gift as storytellers that they are able to situate the

broad issues of war, insurgency and the clash of ideologies within the intimate confines of familial

ties and interactions.

 As a debut film, "Tu Pug Imatuy" still has some rough edges which, fortunately enough,

don't diminish its over-all polish. It's one of those films that possess a distinctive power to disturb

and to enlighten, to break our hearts and to stir our souls. Likewise, it's one of those films from

Mindanao that further solidify the region's reputation as a rich source of cinematic storytelling.

The Manobo natives, their ancestral lands and their traditional way of life have long been

ravaged by unscrupulous miners and loggers and senseless violence between the military and

rebels. An indigenous woman Obunay and her husband Dawin were abducted, molested and

coerced by a sadistic group of soldiers to serve as their guide to the camp of communist rebels.

Interest and pace only picks up when the soldiers led by Lt. Olivares (Luis Georlin Banaag

III) and Sgt. Villamor (Jamee Rivera) come into the scene to disturb the peace of the natives'

blissful existence. From there, we will witness scene after scene of disturbing military brutality

against the Lumad couple. Obunay, in particular, was subjected to unsettling inhuman humiliation.

Lumad women, their infant children and their female volunteer teacher in a makeshift school were

not spared from the soldiers' barbarism.

You cannot miss that this film seems to say that all the soldiers had no redeeming value to

them whatsoever. At first, you'd think this dashing young officer Lt. Olivares would be a voice of

reason among them since the guy showed compassion to his captives. However, in later scenes,

even he was also shown condoning and actually doing certain unforgivable acts of oppression as

well.

Barbaronas skilled storytelling somehow redeems the paper-thin, one-dimensional

personalities of the antagonists. The soldiers may be caricatures, but their actions still inflict a
sense of threat, making you worry for Dawin and Obunay. This is because Barbarona knows how

to move a story along; his pacing is near perfect. He allows the emotions to simmer, keeps the

lumads drama subtle and the suspense restrained.

But what makes the movie truly captivating is its deep sense of place. The mountain is very

much alive in the movie, both sinister and stunning. Poetic and barbaric. Barbarona takes us deep

in the thick of the forest, in the dead of the night, or in the faint light of a dying sun, conjuring

beauty, mystery, and horror.

The Manobo title refers to the notion that the act of killing is justified because the

deprivation of life is in the circumstance, not in the moral object. Implicit within the debate on

morality is the juxtaposition of violence within the history of social divisions and class struggle.

Through the moving picture, the director conveys that the terrain for the people without equal

opportunities will eventually be fertile for different forms of conflict and explode with aggression.

The film ends in a powerful angle where we find Ibunay on her knees looking down at her

trap she intended for large game. She finds resolve closer to the clouds after fighting for her dignity.

Overall Tu Pug Imatuy is captivating and wonderfully unpretentious. It may have some

technical flaws, poor performances, and the general quality is still amateurish, but there is raw

beauty in it, resonating and moving.