Norte, hangganan ng kasaysayan (2013) Reviews

• To Live is a Curse

  3xHCCH2014-09-11

  Finally! Today, I can now say that I have seen a Lav Diaz film. Since his multi-awarded "Batang West Side" in 2001, Mr. Diaz has built a name directing artistic opuses that run much much longer than usual feature films, usually more than five hours. His longest was "Evolution of a Filipino Family" in 2004, which clocked at a whopping 11 and a half hours! Running for about 4 hours, "Norte" is fondly referred to as Mr. Diaz's "short" film, and therefore the most accessible of all his films. "Norte" is set in the northern province of Ilocos Norte. Fabian Viduya (Sid Lucero) was a topnotch law student who quit law school because of his highfalutin philosophical ideas of a society beyond existentialism and anarchy. Joaquin (Archie Alemania) and Eliza (Agnes Bayani) were a poor couple whose dreams of building their own eatery business are dashed when Joaquin suffers a leg injury and they fell deep into debt. The fates of these three people intersected when a heinous crime was committed in their small town. Since then, these three lives were thrown into a major maelstrom. These events happened in just in the first hour, the rest of the next three hours follows what happens to each of these three characters following that cruelly fateful day. I will not pretend and say that I did not feel the four hours. I did feel the length of the film with those static shots that seemed to be showing nothing in particular or the very slow telling of events with several details that seemed like they would have been edited out in usual film. However, each of these scenes would usually precede a scene of big importance, building up the suspense very effectively. If we complain that there is no character development in mainstream film, in this film, there is not shortage of that. We will get to see how the events shaped Fabian, Joaquin and Eliza as they were caught in their consequences. However, for a super-complex character like Fabian, the four hours was not even enough to get to know his innermost core that drove him to do the things he did. Fabian is a big question mark up to his very last scene. Sid Lucero got wrung through the wringer for his role as Fabian. You'll admire him. You'll pity him. You'll hate him. This is such a complex role and Lucero was more than up to the task. "Norte" is his film. It was his actions that throw the other characters' lives around. Angeli Bayani has taken over roles that would probably been given to younger Ms. Nora Aunor. Even if her character barely talked, it was her eyes, her face that talked to us. Her scenes with Archie Alemania are tearjerkers without words nor music to build up the moment. Her back was even turned to us. Yet the emotion was so deeply felt. There was also that scene where she was walking with her kids at the crossroads, and following that, a scene with her kids over a ledge -- she can really convey tension that her director requires. Archie Alemania's character development was rather straight-forward and he played the character very sympathetically. Mae Paner was the usurer Magda, such a hateful character you will feel her effect even if she was only seen in the first hour. Soliman Cruz was another hateful character Wakwak seen in the third hour. That scene where he was singing "O Holy Night" was so insidiously sinister. This film is not for everyone. Not everyone will have the patience for it. Not everyone will have the time for it. However, for those who do invest their time with this, you will see that this was a film of artistic excellence. The innovative camera angles make mundane household items and rustic scenes look and feel different. This could be your best chance to watch a Lav Diaz film and immerse yourself in the work of a director whose name is already lined up with National Artists for film Brocka and Bernal.

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• 9-10/10 & added to my "masterpiece collection" list

  d-JCB2015-06-15

  An absolute masterpiece from Philippines, inspired by Fyodor Dostoevsky's "Crime & Punishment" but told through real events & political / social problems of the director's country… This is the first 4 hour movie that didn't even feel that length, perfectly paced, beautifully shot, deep & reflective, gripping & awe inspiring… this is the human condition in it's most naturalistic state… Can't wait to see another one of this brilliant film makers films which have running times up to 11 hours… a masterpiece that will take some time to wipe form your memory… http://samuellbronko.tumblr.com/post/117757930882/norte-the-end-of- history-2013-lav-diaz

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• A Not-To-Be Missed Drama from the Philippines

  georgep532014-09-04

  A very impressive achievement by director Lav Diaz and his co-screenwriter Rody Vera. In "Norte,The End Of History" they take 250 riveting minutes to tell an epic story about the journeys of two men who choose radically different ways of coping with a morally indifferent universe. Archie Alemania's Joaquin is a poor family man struggling to feed his wife and 2 kids after a disabling injury leaves him burdened with debt and Sid Lucero's Fabian is an angry law student who feels no need to be governed by a political establishment he sees as beyond redemption. Lucero is brilliant as the affable, chameleon-like student who enjoys debating abstruse political issues within his circle of friends while also possessing a darker side. Alemania is compelling as the polar opposite of Lucero: faithful and uncomplicated. Angeli Bayani is excellent in her role as Alemania's wife. A woman of few words her expressions speak powerfully of the unintended victims of injustice. Also noteworthy is the performance of Soliman Cruz as a sadistic inmate. Cinematographer Lauro Rene Manda eschews close-ups relying heavily on long shots which emphasize how little natural or man-made environments share the concerns of the characters. This is a great piece of cinema, one of the best films I've seen in some time. It may take some doing to find it but for any serious cinephile it's well worth the effort. 10/10

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• An ambitious film, by a fascinating director. Its a shame your patience wasn't tested to such extremes, as such this film is only for the most dedicated viewer.

  dipesh-parmar2015-03-09

  Lav Diaz's 'Norte, The End of History' is set in the northwest region of the Philippines. This drama is split between the lives of two men, Fabian (Sid Lucerio) and Joaquin (Archie Alemania), whose lives intertwine unexpectedly. Fabian is a smug, self-absorbed man of privilege in his early thirties, a once gifted law student who dropped out for reasons unknown. He spends his time annoying his friends with his ill-conceived lectures on the defining theories of humanity. Joaquin is a poor man, who has a wife Eliza (Angeli Bayani) and two children. A serious leg injury wipes out their hard-earned savings. Loosely based on Dostoyevsky's 'Crime and Punishment', these two men have one thing in common, both are in serious arrears to local money lender Magda (Mae Paner). Both men take matters into their own hands, with differing consequences. Fabian flees, Joaquin is sent to prison. Over the next four years, Joaquin tries to make the best of a horrible situation, whilst Eliza struggles to provide for her children. Fabian is consumed by guilt, driven to the point of madness. Diaz looks at how the people of the Philippines have coped with their changing economical circumstances, people who have grown up in a dysfunctional country where they are encouraged to work outside of the country to make more money. Fabian rages against the memory of his parents being absent, and of being brought up by his maid. Joaquin and Eliza wanted to avoid this, they didn't want their children to be without their parents, however poor this would make them. Its a balancing act we all face, we gain one at the expense of another. Which is more important? Diaz is renowned for extremely long films, some for over 6 hours, 'Norte, The End of History' is only 250 minutes long! He favours long takes and slow tracking shots, illustrating the slow and monotonous rhythms of life. Its beautifully filmed, interspersed with some superb drama from an excellent cast are huge swathes of emptiness, especially in the second and third hour. The final hour is cruel and deeply disturbing, but the overall impact of these tragic moments of devastation are weakened by the preceding stretches of nothing. 'Norte, The End of History' is an ambitious film, by a fascinating director. Its a shame your patience wasn't tested to such extremes, as such this film is only for the most dedicated viewer. Sometimes, a film is just too long for its own good.

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• A Powerful Movie

  Luca-Aversa2015-01-26

  Personally, I would like to edit this film into a much shorter version simply because some scenes are understood and don't need to be repeated. Apart from that, this is a very powerful film with a very powerful message/premise. I have never see a film who's main character's journey is so unpredictable yet so inevitable. Slowly slowly, it all adds up in the end. I believe this director's usual work is longer that 4 hours. I don't think I could go through that again, but I hope that the director finds a way to reach a larger audience with the same powerful messages in a shorter space of time (maybe 2 1/2 hours?).

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