INDEPENDENCIA ] Raya Martin's The Parent Trap

Think of it in black and white. Sid Lucero and Alessandra de Rossi play taong gubat in Independencia.

Tetchie Agbayani and Sid Lucero play mother-and-son who escapes war by moving to forest and staying there forever. She grows old. He grows up. Discovers joy of masturbation (Sid, not Tetchie.). Boy meets a girl, gets her pregnant, they have child. Child grows up without friends. Choosing between being caught by conquistadores or staying in forest with boring family, child climbs hill and jumps. To his death? I guess.

Filmed in black and white, with fabulous painted-on backdrops, with a touch of folklore and reminiscent of early silent films. Its the age-old theme of people being trapped. Told by a highly independent young mind. Brilliantly conceived and photographed. Fabulous art direction. Not the kind of movie I'd buy a popcorn to see but provocative and stylish.

And important.