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Init O' Lamig |
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