Farewell to morality
Review of Zig Madamba Dulay's "Bagahe."
"Bagahe" is a heavy film to sit through, which is perhaps an allusion to its main character's ordeal. For such a controversial and divisive choice of topic, there are a lot of missed opportunities here, yet "Bagahe" remains afloat thanks to the inspired performances of its cast, particularly Angeli Bayani, who treads carefully between fear, rage and regret.
The film begins as a baby is found in the trash bin of an airplane. The authorities' investigation leads them to Mercy (Bayani), an OFW who lives in Benguet. Suspected to be the mother of the aborted baby, Mercy gets subjected to a medical exam and passed around from one government agency to another. Meanwhile, Mercy's family is completely in the dark, with her husband Awing (Arnold Reyes) fuming mad, mostly because he doesn't understand what is happening.
Writer and director Zig Dulay heavily emphasizes the endless cycle of abuse by means of repetition. We follow Mercy as she is taken to a hospital for a medical exam, questioned in the office of the National Bureau of Investigation, and eventually taken to a women's shelter. In each stage, Dulay focuses on the minutest details of every procedure, and while this may have been a stab at our labyrinthine justice system, it takes the story off Mercy's perspective. Yes, we can see her trying to be patient with what she's been subjected to. Yes, we can see the condescension of government workers who try to help her. Yet in focusing almost exclusively on the travesty of both the media and the government in handling such a sensitive and sensational case as Mercy's, we lose track of who Mercy is, of what she's feeling, and what she has become.
The film limps through its heavy-handed first and second acts before it reaches the emotional payoff in the third, where Mercy's humanity can finally be seen. There is a shot at redemption, but the film never gives definite closure. The final two scenes are especially painful, and for them alone the film is worth watching.
Bayani is such a master at attacking characters with inner struggles, and "Bagahe" gives her the platform to explore the tortured Mercy, a woman trapped within a system that preys on the poor and the marginalized. From a confused, humble woman, she turns into a fed-up victim, all the while never losing her kindheartedness. As a character, Mercy is fully-formed. Dulay makes sure that his main character will not be relegated to a caricature.
"Bagahe" also portrays a society where it seems that women are against women. The NBI investigator (Shamaine Buencamino) is by-the-book, and only understands that morality equals righteousness. The senator (Bing Pimentel) has her own agenda for meddling in Mercy's case. The doctor (Raquel Villavicencio) is dismissive of Mercy, seeming to forget that she is also a woman. Even the social worker (Sue Prado) is limited by what her job description is. Summed up, this is such a sublimely hostile society for a woman. There is no clear demarcation line between kindness and persecution.
In fact, when the film's figures of authority shake hands, it's almost as if they are passing Mercy around like a guinea pig. To this end, the criticism on media's intrusion into the private lives of case studies gains its validity, yet tonally, the film feels disjointed. Whatever attempts at humor fall flat on the floor, and I really don't see any reason to treat domestic abuse as a punchline.
Mercy is already weighed down with guilt and trauma, made even worse when society preyed upon her. The film seems intent on disrobing Mercy of privacy when the filmmakers decided to take on a voyeuristic approach, which doesn't help her case and the thousands of women that she represent. I wished the story was told from Mercy's point-of-view instead, given that this was her tale after all.
