POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES

COLLEGE OF HUMAN KINETICS

DEPARTMENT OF SERVICE PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Name: Rose Mae D. Cales Date: March 28, 2022

Course & Section: ICT 11 – 1

“Eskrimadors”
Film Review

The ‘Eskrimadors’ is a documentary film incorporated with a little storyline, about

a martial art that originated from the Philippines; Eskrima also known as Arnis. Written
and directed by Kerwin Go, a director/cinematographer based in Manila, together with
Pointsource Films, produced the film in 2010 and has earned a nomination for Best
Documentary at the Gawa Urian Film Awards 2010. It tackled the history and current
situation of the sport and featured well-known eskrima masters namely Ciriaco “Cacoy”
Cañete, Dionisio “Diony” Cañete, and Undo Caburnay which increases the audience’s
interest.

The ‘Eskrimadors’ is a documentary that gives us a glance at the martial art

starting from its roots, which started way before the Spaniard’s colonization. This
documentary arguably followed the development of our fighting craft from its
fundamental roots in our ancestors' combat to its globalization into a sport in more than
30 nations around the world. The great-known hero, Lapu-Lapu won the battle against
Magellan using eskrima It is fascinating to know how a Filipino-originated sport existed
way back hundreds or even thousands of years ago. Even though eskrima is more
popular in other nations, our ancestors tried to reach out to us through this
documentary. To continue the legacy of Filipino martial arts; Eskrima.

The film started with a story that got me thinking that it is an action movie, at first.
It has a powerful intro that hooked me into further watching the film. The eskrima
masters’ approach to telling the history and their experience in Eskrima was very casual
which made listening to the film not uninterested. Although the sudden insertion of the
‘story’ made it a little confusing, it added an extra-flavour to the film. The intensity of the
background music was just right for what the scene needed. It is a well-made
documentary to show Eskrima to the next generations.

Talking about the ‘Eskimadors’ cinematography, the lighting and framing were
good but I felt like it wasn’t really utilized. As most scenes were filmed in broad daylight,
I am assuming that it had enough natural light to show the subject clearly. The camera
angle and focus were able to highlight the skills and demonstration of the Eskrimador
masters. The effect and filter used in the storyline were helpful for me/the audience to
distinguish it from real-life happenings and it was able to justify that it happened a long
time ago. Long before guns and other advanced technology, Filipino only had bolo,
arnis, and other hand-hand-like combat to defend themselves, and until now. Learning
this cultural sport is practical for every Filipino around the world.

As I see it, the eskrimadors themselves, whom he films in action and highlights
their skill and speed in using their wooden sticks, are the film's biggest asset. The
Eskimadors had a clear goal which is to continue the eskrima legacy and they put action
to their goal. From being a deadly sport to a martial art that had rules and limitations for
the safety of the athlete. Creating this documentary is one way of keeping the sport
unforgotten from the country where it originated. I would actually love it if every sport
have a documentary film showing its history. Definitely a worthy film to watch as it’s not
just for self-defense but will also learn more about our country’s history in combat sport.