BUALE, Hafidah M.

2nd Year BA Sociology

GEC 109 A7-3

Film Analysis: Bayaning 3rd World

Bayaning 3rd World or the 3rd World Hero is a 1999 Philippine

mockumentary, part-investigative film directed by Mike de Leon and also
written by him along with Clodualo del Mundo Jr. The film follows two
filmmakers who were planning to create a film about Dr. Jose Rizal but
throughout the filmmakers planning journey they struggled making the film
fit for the screen. These two filmmakers venture the National Hero’s life,
investigating the said retraction of the hero, the truth behind the marriage
of Rizal and Josephine Bracken, and they interviewed Rizal’s family
namely Donya Teodora, Narcissa, Trinidad and Paciano, as well as Father
Balaguer who witnessed Rizal’s said retraction.

The film is a “film inside a film”, it somehow breaks the fourth wall
but at some point, it doesn’t. The style of this film is different compared to
typical Filipino historical film because it questions Filipino’s perspective of
heroism. The film is based on Rizal but at some point, it’s not a Rizal film.
Not only that I noticed the flow of the film, the first 20 minutes or so is
comical but then the flow changes then became more serious especially
on the climax of the film. The film brought up some of the interesting and
important people of Rizal’s life and as we get to witness these people’s
point of view, question piles up. What is Rizal thinking? Did he retract, if he
did then why? Did he give up his mission and returned to Catholicism so
he could marry Josephine Bracken? What else is our national hero hiding?
Those questions where left at the back of my mind after watching the film.
The film is more of a piling of questions rather than answers. The people
behind this film gave these characters their narrative, they gave them a
chance to defend themselves from questions and accusations. Josephine
Bracken for example, who one way and another defended her rights and
love for Rizal despite being accused by the filmmakers. And to top that the
issues that was announced dead centuries ago was also brought back to
life and once again has been questioned by the mass. Bayaning 3rd World
showcases how twisted and complicated our national psyche is which is a
very cunning move of the geniuses behind this masterpiece. Knowing that
this film is created way back 1996, the style and the cinematography used,
as well as the story, is truly unique and rare for a Filipino film.

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 Bayaning 3rd World shows how we gave so much praise to our
national hero, the so-called Filipino’s “Rizal mania”. To support the
argument of de Leon of this “Rizal mania” which is first showed on the
Philippine Peso scene, where it showcases Rizal’s iconic side-view in a
peso. The filmmaker stated, during in that scene, that even after a peso
being devalued over the time, Rizal is always in the number 1. Another
scene that intrigued me as a viewer, was the scene when the filmmaker
said that even after centuries of his death, he has been with us from our
birth ‘til our deaths, this scene alone is funny but the filmmaker and the
writers of this film does have a point and that’s how great the love we had
for our national hero. To top that, he is everywhere, from our homes,
streets and even public places. Filipino’s frenzy with Rizal even came to
the point where he is even titled as a saint in his own cult, without him
even knowing that he had one. Filipino truly does have an obsession with
Rizal.

Bayaning 3rd World is a unique, well-planned and executed film.

Mike de Leon, the director, and writer of the film had made this film that
made sense, carries arguments and points, and it’s shapeless but it has
depth. He along with a fellow writer Clodualdo del Mundo Jr. made such a
masterpiece which questions Filipino’s hero obsession and our
perspective with heroism, a masterpiece that interrogates the religious-
political power play in Rizal’s 19th century colonial settings, as well as
reliving the retraction issue of Jose Rizal. Mike de Leon is a film director,
cinematographer, producer, and scriptwriter, he’s one of the most
significant filmmakers in the Philippines, to be honest, I’m not familiar with
all his works but according to information that I found on the internet is that
most of his films were criticized because they often tackle class
differences and political absurdities 1. Despite criticism, de Leon even
dares to venture unusual themes such as incest, fraternity violence, and
the workers’ cause2. Not only that his achievements were outstanding that
it even reached internationally.

It took three years for Mike de Leon to complete such master piece,
he started working Bayaning 3rd World on 1996, which also under this time
of making the film undergoes issues and the filmmaking process is kept in
secrecy, no one knows what happens and whatnot in this film. An article
by Antonio D. Sison, which he states that de Leon’s cinematography or his

1 https://iffr.com/en/persons/mike-de-leon
2 https://www.quinzaine-realisateurs.com/en/realisateur/mike-de-leon-en/

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 “stylistic strategies” on Bayaning 3 rd World is similar to Third Cinema.
According to him Third Cinema is “where ideology and style are mutually
imbricated to portray a Third World emancipative vision.” 3 I, as a viewer is
fascinated of how de Leon created this film, which made sense that it took
3 years to complete and as I believe is worth it. Most of the article reviews
of Bayaning 3rd World are positive, saying how brilliant the film was, and
that they as well emphasize symbols and gave meaning to it, some even
compared it to other competing Jose Rizal movies. If seen outside the
culture this film for others, would have been interesting, some might say
offensive, but I believe most would say that it is a fascinating, well-written
and planned masterpiece.

Mike de Leon bannered the Bayaning 3rd World as “This is not Rizal
movie.”, and after some thinking what makes this film not entirely a Rizal
film at the end of the day, I end up agreeing that the film is truly not a Rizal
movie. Why? I notice that the film somehow centers on the Filipinos or the
Philippines’ perspective which I believe is symbolized by the two
filmmakers, I would like to add on this the Filipino’s undying obsession
with Rizal, as well as the ending of the film, the banter between the
filmmakers and Rizal. Thinking about it now, what made Rizal a national
hero? Is it because of his 2 famous novels that triggers the colonizers
when in fact some of our heroes fought for the freedom whereas him as
Paciano calls “had been hiding”. The exhilarating banters between the
filmmakers and Rizal shows we don’t really know much about him and that
in the end de Leon and Del Mundo had left us an ending of our own
interpretation of Rizal as the filmmaker said "sari-sariling Rizal", we have
our own interpretation of Rizal, thus the film centers on us, the Filipino.

In conclusion Bayaning 3rd World is a 1999 mockumentary, part-

investigative film directed by Mike de Leon, which took him 3 years to
complete. Although this film is shapeless, this film truly is a masterpiece,
going beyond the Philippine cinematography. It is I agree to what de Leon
bannered as “This is not Rizal film.” And that I believe centers on us, the
Filipinos.

3 https://www.sensesofcinema.com/2005/feature-articles/3rd_world_hero/

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 Reference:
Bayaning Third World (Third World Hero, Mike De Leon, 2000). 2014,
December 30. Retrieved from
https://criticafterdark.blogspot.com/2011/06/bayaning-third-world-third-
world-hero.html
Mike de Leon at IFFR. (n. d.). Retrieved from
https://iffr.com/en/persons/mike-de-leon
MIKE DE LEON. (n. d.). Retrieved from https://www.quinzaine-
realisateurs.com/en/realisateur/mike-de-leon-en/
Sison, Antonio D. 2015 July. 3rd World Hero: Rizal and Colonial Clerical
Power Through the Lens of Philippine Third Cinema. Retrieved from
https://www.sensesofcinema.com/2005/feature-articles/3rd_world_hero/

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