04/16/2021

Stylistics: Aesthetics and Linguistics

Mr. Admar D. Lupasi

A Film Analysis
Smaller and smaller Circles by F.H. Batacan

Smaller and smaller Circles, a novel written by journalist and crime fiction writer F.H.
Batacan, was published in 2002 by the University of the Philippines Press. It later
received numerous awards, including the Carlos Palanca Memorial Award, and was
adapted into a film.
Crime, an illegal act; an action prohibited by law; or a failure to act in accordance with
the law. Idyllically, novels have already created genres such as crime and investigation,
particularly thriller and suspense fictions, that can truly capture the attention and
indulgence of readers. The Carlos-Palanca Memorial Awardee in 1999 is Maria Felisa
H. Batacan's Smaller and Smaller Circles, which depicts the search for the true identity
of the killer in a mysterious world where the killings were very inhumane. In other words,
because of the distinct flavor it offers, this Filipino crime novel has piqued the interest
and imagination of many Filipino authors and readers. In this analysis, I will discuss the
film's beauty and aesthetics; thus, this analysis can also focus on the film's linguistics or
the study of language.
According to Hidalgo (2006), a recurring theme was that readers knew the identity of the
criminal, which was an unusual twist on the crime fiction stereotype. The "seeking
justice" and "going through the trial" in this case simply revolved around the characters'
actions and experiences. Gus Saenz and Jerome Lucero, two Jesuit priests, conduct
forensic work to solve the murders of two young boys in Payatas, one of Metro Manila's
most densely populated slums. While dealing with the government's, church's, and
elite's systematic corruption, the two priests use criminal profiling, crime scene
investigation, and forensic analysis to solve the murders and, eventually, find the
murderer.
The casts and characters who appeared in the film are listed below.
 Nonie Buencamino as Father Augusto Saenz, SJ
 Sid Lucero as Father Jerome Lucero, SJ
 Carla Humphries as Joanna Bonifacio
 Gladys Reyes as Hon. Tess Mariano
 Ricky Davao as Cardinal Rafael Meneses
 Bembol Roco as NBI Deputy Director Francisco Lastimosa
 Christopher De Leon as NBI Deputy Director Phillip Mapa
 TJ Trinidad as Deputy Jake Valdez
 Tessie Tomas as Gilda Salceda
  Alex Medina as Carding
“We are powerless when we wait for other people to act on our behalf.”
― F.H. Batacan, Smaller and Smaller Circles

It is mentioned that the story does not depict a typical trial and courthouse setting, but
rather a typical day-to-day set-up in which the major characters are still bound to do
their daily tasks.

Priests as providers of justice

The priest, in my opinion, was the obvious bringer of justice to the victims and their
families. It is clear from the story that the priests play an important role. In terms of
legality, it is possible to seek assistance from priests under religious law. According to
Franco (2011), the church, in addition to the various forces that regulate and mandate
order in a rural society, plays a significant role in maintaining peace and order in a
community alongside customary law. Although it appears that priests are no longer
active in the field of law, this simply means that they are still part of the sectors that can
assist people from rural areas in situations similar to the victims in the story. Woods
stated that the importance of priests may be centered during significant times such as
birth, puberty, marriage, death, times of intense celebration, as well as times of grief
and mourning (Wood,2016)

The fact that the Saenz and Lucero took charge of the said investigations may not
suffice, but it is clear that the director sought assistance from the Saenz due to his
expertise in the field of Anthropology and his innate skill and talent. His forensic
pathology training gave him the authority to perform autopsies on people who died from
natural causes. “Father Robert Reyes jogged out into the clogged Manila street, raising
his hand to the traffic — a small act of disobedience in a life punctuated with them,”
according to a Fox News article published on April 13, 2014. A group of about 40 people
trailed him at a quick pace, waving banners with anti-slum eviction slogans in protest of
the eviction of slum dwellers to make way for a new shopping mall.” We can see that
even priests are pursuing the social justice that rural residents deserve.

As previously stated, people in such areas are afraid to seek justice because they
believe that only a few will be able to access and reach it. This statement will be
expanded upon in the article, Sharing Catholic Social Teaching: Challenges and
Directions: According to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, "the Catholic
tradition teaches that human dignity can be protected and a healthy community can be
achieved only if human rights are protected and responsibilities are met."

Existence of State Law

One could argue that state law is less accessible to the rural poor (Franco, 2011), but it
is still the role of the state to ensure that people living in the community are given the
opportunity to obtain justice with the assistance of those who will carry it out for them.
Lawyers, police officers, priests, health workers, politicians, teachers, and others may
assist the poor in any way they can when they require legal assistance. “The welfare
state is built on a slew of laws, many of which are aimed at protecting the “have-nots”
from the “haves.” (Garth, 1980)
In connection with this, we can imply that anyone tasked with working for the
development of society must be committed to doing so. Aside from the priests, we felt
the presence of health workers, volunteer doctors, and especially the councilor in
providing vital information to assist the priests in solving the problem. The councilor
even stated in the novel that he will not allow any kind of heinous act to continue under
his guidance and reign.

The Killer's struggle has come to an end.

Although the setting does not depict a typical location for a trial, the circumstances
made it similar. While reading the story, one might conclude that the murder victims will
receive justice. However, as the book progressed, I realized that the killer was actually
given justice. It is a subtle idea that I wanted to bring up because it necessitates a more
in-depth examination of the character's situation. The fact that Carlos is acting on his
desire to kill other young boys out of hatred and anger caused by the abuse he received
from his PE teacher indicates that he is struggling internally. According to Harvey and
Miller (2000), there are factors that may influence a child's growth and vulnerability,
including "a severe prior traumatic experience, such as victimization, disaster, combat
experience, physical or sexual abuse, may act as vulnerability factors, leading to a
greater likelihood of stress, maladaptive symptoms, and poor adjustments." This simply
means that he has been harmed as a result of the traumatic event that caused his
violent and aggressive behavior. Carlos had been struggling internally and needed
something to make him feel better. Furthermore, it is clear that Carlos was unable to
effectively deal with the situation. As previously stated, this is more likely to be referred
to as Avoidance Coping. According to Harvey and Miller (2000), “While avoidance
coping may reduce short-term distress and may be an effective strategy for dealing with
a short-term stressor, it can lead to more maladaptive functioning in response to more
severe, long-term stressors.” Suls and Fletcher, 1985; Holahan and Moos, 1987) We
can certainly argue that Carlos was severely harmed as a result of the abuse. With all of
the evidence, we can conclude that Carlos is in the midst of his own trial; the struggle
within him. And, as previously defined, the power of the law is to bring someone into
agreement. Carlos revealed in the scene where he was shot by a police officer that he
is in a position that he does not want. “I didn't care for it.” “I wasn't interested in any of
it.” "I didn't. Want. It." “You're right. Return to the shadows now.” “Be quiet.” “Give me
the peace I so richly deserve.” We can infer from this that he accepted that this time
would come, and it also shows that he has finally come to the point where he would like
to have the peace that only death could provide.

Language
“Smaller and Smaller Circles is a one-of-a-kind work in the Philippine literary scene.”
Reading and watching a novel in English written by a Filipino should be encouraged.
That alone could give a strange feeling as you read and watch through the book's
chapters and films. This oddity is exemplified by the fact that the dialogue is in perfect
English, but the setting is in perfect Filipino. The medium and style in which the story is
told are both very Western. The plot, however, reveals and is realistically attuned to the
real Filipino way of life. In other ways, they think it's worth noting when a Payatas kid
scurries around for garbage or a member of the SOCO speaks English fluently. Not to
mention that this work was submitted to the Palanca Awards for Literature in 1999.
Perhaps the reason for the language is purely artistic, and even personal, if Batacan
can express himself more comfortably in English. However, in terms of style, the use of
English can be effective in bringing out the novel's message. If it was done in standard
Tagalog, it might come out "normal." Poverty and our justice system are heavily
publicized on television by fearless anchors who speak Filipino. Nothing has changed.

Literary quotations can be used to support a point. The use of such excerpts focuses on
the fact that the novel imitates and describes a human aspect. Every event and plot in
the novel can be traced back to specific philosophies and schools of thought promoted
by specific men. These excerpts, in my opinion, give the novel an initial "academic" feel.
The novel, on the other hand, creatively distorts that sensation while also connecting
the quotation to its theme. It is as if a link is being established between the theoretical
and the real, the philosophical and the factual. These literary excerpts may have an
"academic" feel to them. Alex's speech reveals his disturbed psychology. Those
quotations may simply coincide with what Alex is saying, but as observations in and of
themselves, I believe they elicit some empathy for the serial killer. Such people's
behavior is simply the result of something bad that happened in their lives.

Conclusion
The legal theme in the novel maybe very limited but it surely brings out what is there for
us to know. It mirrors how the Philippines' current position and stand in the legal world.
The writer has made a great impact by providing the unexpected to her readers.

The novel provides the readers not only an exciting narration but a look in the mind of
the killer itself. Smaller and Smaller Circles is the novel you would never wish to
change. It makes one proud that this Filipino fiction writer can write fiction, and writes it
well. Let us continually be proud of our rich minds and support our writers.

Film Source
TBA Studios (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqNqZJS--Bw )

Additional sources and references

Author Unknown. (May 24, 2010). Smaller and Smaller Circles by F. H. Batacan
Retrieved on October 20, 2012 from
http://tabbedbooks.wordpress.com/2010/05/24/smaller-and-smaller-circles-by-f-
h-batacan/

Arlihama. (May 20, 2012, 4:16:13). French & Forensics: Smaller and Smaller Circle.
Retrieved on October 19, 2012 from
http://arlihama.deviantart.com/journal/French-amp-Forensics-Smaller-and-
Smaller-Circle-303393375