INIT O' LAMIG... Sonata In Three Movements

Init O' Lamig

Like a sonata, Eddie Rodriguez's Init O' Lamig (Cinex Films, Inc And F. Puzon Films Enterprises, Inc.) can be divided into three major movements. An allegro or first movement that sets the tone, introduces the opposing values and gives a sense of the forthcoming conflicts with vivacity. An andante, a slow movement, where the material is broken down into its constituent fragments, combined and analyzed and a rondo, the finale, a fast ending movement where the tension of the opposites in the first two movements are reconciled, not so much relaxed, as brought into balance. A minuet is inserted between the second and third movements, an asalto, to provide a light diversion before the story goes into its final resolution. As the melodrama unfolds, a single theme binds each movement together, a romantic symphony with contrasts in key and tone united in one thought. The exposition or largo, begins with the contrast between the lives of two women. Tita Pacing (Charito Solis), enjoys an affectionate life, while her niece Melissa (Gina Alajar), a concert pianist lives in opulence but bereft of soul. The story then builds up its development, the slow movement which goes from macro, large strokes to micro, very small strokes showing little details that tug the heart, before it goes back to the large, macro strokes. Like a dedicated painter, Rodriguez fashions the characters of the people in the story, not through words or dialogue alone but even more through small but meaningful movements, camera angles and evocative scenes. There are memorable shots, done without words but clearly rendered with steady strokes.

Here, one senses the storyteller at work, making us see the events through his eyes, keeping control over the story line so that nothing is lost and making the listener wait for what will happen next. Thank goodness for the neat editing and the remarkable cinematography, the rondo was how it should be, thorough without being heavy, down to earth without being mundane, recognizable without being  clichéd. The relief between the second and third movements gives a harmless pose as Melissa moves to Tala Leprosarium after contracting leprosy and does a few pirouettes on her relationship with other residents, Pina (Elizabeth Oropesa) and Linda (Chanda Romero). These minuets are not too long and not to short, giving a breather before the storyteller grabs us by the hand and takes them into the last movement, the rondo. The final round is a test of filial ties around Melissa who has given up her very own faculties as an offering in return for inner peace. The subplot of Melissa and Pete's (Dindo Fernando) confrontation and reconciliation represents the reconciliation of everyone else. A moment of faith as shown by the earthly mothers in the Mother of Mothers and the threat to happiness and life itself is gone. The counterbalance is not too saccharine, reconciliation is staged with utmost delicacy, the camera standing well back from the embraces being thrown around. Rodriguez has a story to tell and he uses all the ingredients of melodrama he can muster to tell it his way.

Directed By: Eddie Rodriguez
Screenplay: Baby R. Nebrida
Cinematography: Ricardo Remias
Musical Director: Rey Valera
Film Editor: Edgardo "Boy" Vinarao
Art Direction: Bobby Bautista
Produced By: Cinex Films, Inc. And F. Puzon Films Enterprises, Inc.
Release Date: December 25, 1981