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Today, I watched a biopic movie entitled “Heneral Luna”, a film about one of the not-so-popular Filipino heroes and the Supreme Chief of the Revolutionary Army during the Philippine-American War, General Antonio Luna. He is not as famous as the Philippines’ National Hero, Dr. Jose “Pepe” Rizal, or the Father of National Revolution, Andres Bonifacio; however, this does not make his contributions any less significant, nor can his sacrifices be undermined. Jerrold Tarog’s interpretation and re-telling of this man’s life is worth mentioning. Indeed, a remarkable addition to the Pinoy’s latest quality movies.

Who is Heneral Luna?

Antonio Luna was born on October 29^th, 1866, in Urbiztondo, Binondo. He was the youngest of seven children to parents Joaquín Luna de San Pedro, a salesman who later became a merchant from Ilocos Norte, and Laureana Novicio Ancheta, a Spanish mestiza from La Union.

He started learning how to read and write at the age of six. After completing his education under his first teacher Maestro Intong, he completed the Bachelor of Arts degree at the Ateneo Municipal de Manila in 1881. He also studied Literature and Chemistry at the University of Santo Tomas. Furthermore, he also learned pharmacy, swordsmanship, fencing, military tactics, and sharpshooting.

Antonio went to Spain because of his brother’s invitation, the famous painter and political activist, Juan Luna. In Spain, he became one of the Filipino expatriates who actively joined the Propaganda movement. He wrote for La Solidaridad, hence commencing his many struggles and challenges until he became a General and the Supreme Chief of the Revolutionary Army under Aguinaldo’s presidency.

Heneral Luna Movie Synopsis

To save face since they are already losing the war, Spain sold the Philippines to America. The Americans then started colonizing the country. Their hostile forces took over one province after another to annex the whole country and officially make it a part of the American territory.

Aside from the clash with the colonizers, a massive conflict arose between Filipinos who were divided into two sides. The first side is those in favor of “befriending the enemies” and preferring peace. These were mostly businessmen who had something to gain. The second side is those standing and fighting for the Philippine Republic. Those believing that the Filipino people deserved to be free, with the Revolutionary Army being led by General Antonio Luna.

The indecisiveness of then-President of the Republic, Emilio Aguinaldo, with the influence and persuasion of his treacherous advisers and the pro-American businessmen, worsened the conflict.

Read: Review: SM East Ortigas Director’s Club Cinema

Heneral Luna Movie: The Clamor for a Biopic

The movie Heneral Luna got my attention after its first week of release when several friends on social media had expressed their approval of the film. It got me curious, but when I finally got the time to watch, to my disappointment, I found out it already been pulled out of most of the theaters to make way for some international releases. Good thing social media rallied and requested the film to be shown again, or I might have missed something really awesome. In my opinion, this film does not just depict the life of a so-called unpopular hero. Here are my thoughts on why “Heneral Luna” is worth watching and why I think this film is just the beginning of biographical films’ rise in the Philippines:

1. It can help revive the production of historical films.

I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen a historical film like Heneral Luna, and if there was one, I was usually not too eager to watch it either. I understand it’s really significant for us to learn and look back at our roots through this genre. However, historical films tend to be boring, dragging, and dull. And it may be due to low demand that there’s not much of it being produced and released in the theaters.

Heneral Luna is no different at first, and it’s one of those films that also started slow in the box office. However, it slowly trended on social media and through word of mouth because the first few batches of viewers thought it was awesome for a variety of reasons. This goes to show that quality historical films can still thrive in these modern times, especially with the help of social media. Maybe this is the push the producers and filmmakers need to move forward. I really hope so.

2. Though a historical film, the overall theme is so current.

Gen. Antonio Luna’s struggles and battles were in the late 1800s, and a lot of things have already happened since then. We’ve progressed so much that we might think his struggles were a thing of the past, but really, it’s not. He fought against colonizers for our freedom and struggled against the disloyal group slowly consuming and corrupting the country’s leadership. Nowadays, we struggle against greed, corruption, and self-service in the government. We continue to fight for our country to be free from these so-called “anay ng lipunan”. The theme of Patriotism will never go out of style.

3. The protagonist was depicted as a hero with flaws and imperfections.

One of the things I like about this movie is Heneral Luna’s humanity. Our hero is far from perfect. Antonio Luna, in history, is known for his pride and temper, and this movie showcases just that. He was portrayed as an obnoxious and ill-tempered general who was always cursing. The cursing was noted to be the director’s personal touch to appeal to its target viewers, and I personally think it was a brilliant idea. It made our protagonist more relatable and human.

4. The cinematography was remarkable.

I want to commend Heneral Luna’s team for this film’s cinematography. Firstly, it’s brilliant and truly worth mentioning. Secondly, the settings were realistic and not over-the-top. And thirdly, the camera shots, movements, and color quality used were appropriate, absolutely complemented the theme and genre. General Luna’s death and the battle scenes were too real to watch, a bit too morbid for my taste, but really, what can I expect in a war scene? Furthermore, adding the cryptic messages throughout the movie was genius, made me smile and nod my head in recognition in some instances.

The movie Heneral Luna was chosen as the Philippines’ official entry to the Best Foreign Language Film category of the Academy Awards 2016.

5. The dialogues pierced like an arrow to the heart.

Finally, whoever wrote the script for this movie should suffer the consequence of leaving its mark on its viewers’ hearts. Here are some of my favorite quotes from the movie, with English translations.

• “Negosyo or kalayaan? Bayan o sarili? Pumili ka!” (Business or freedom? Motherland or yourself? Choose!)
• “May mas malaki tayong kalaban sa mga Amerikano; ang ating sarili.” (We have a bigger enemy than the Americans; ourselves.”)
• “Para kayong mga birheng naniniwala sa pag-ibig ng isang p*ta!” (You’re all like virgins believing the love of a whore!)
• “Ganito ba talaga ang tadhana natin? Kalaban ng kalaban. Kalaban ng kakampi. Nakakapagod.” (Is this really our fate? Enemy of our enemy. Enemy of our allies. It’s exhausting.)
• “Walang naka-aangat sa batas… kahit pa presidente.” (Nobody is above the law… even the president.)
• “Ang taong may damdamin ay hindi alipin.” (The human who feels is not a slave.)
• “Nasubukan mo na bang hulihin ang hangin?” (Have you tried catching the wind?)

Watch the Heneral Luna Movie Trailer.