'Birdshot' Is a Masterpiece of Philippine Cinema (Impressively Made by a Twenty-Something Filmmaker!)

Birdshot was the Philippines’ entry for the last Oscars’ Best Foreign Language Film (but it didn’t get nominated), and it was one of the two local 2017 films that I wanted to see last year but didn’t get to (the other one is Smaller and Smaller Circles).  Recently, to my delight, it has finally become available to be watched in the Internet.

Well, it’s as excellent as I expected.  It’s a taut, well-crafted, multi-layered thriller.  It has intelligent slow-burn plotting, compelling cinematography, clever editing, and profound insights.  And it’s incredible that this is the work of a filmmaker who is just in his mid-20’s (Mikhail Red)!  Insane!

Anyway, Birdshot follows two storylines.  The first centers on a young country girl named Maya (Mary Joy Apostol), whose father Diego (Ku Aquino) is training to be self-sufficient and practical-minded.  After failing her father’s shooting lesson, she trespasses into a nearby sanctuary forest where she shoots and kills the Philippine eagle, a protected endangered species.  Her father gets mad at her, but tells her to keep mum on what she did no matter what.

Meanwhile, the second storyline centers on a rookie policeman named Domingo (Arnold Reyes), who is put under the wing of veteran cop Mendoza (John Arcilla).  Their first assignment as partners is to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a bus, along with its passengers, while en route to Manila.  However, before the case can be solved, they are told to set it aside and prioritize looking for the killer of the Philippine eagle instead.

These two storylines – one a coming-of-age drama, the other a mystery – are inherently different, and yet they are parallel.  Their respective central characters, Maya and Domingo, are basically treading on a similar “loss of innocence” arc – though at different forms – on which various problematic aspects of Filipino culture and society are organically explored.  The two storylines eventually converge, as the narrative winds tighter and tighter until it arrives at a gut-wrenching payoff.

The setting of the story is not explicitly revealed.  However, it appears to be around the 80’s or early 90’s, based on the regular brownouts, the brown uniforms of the police, and the featured technology.  Still, there are inconsistencies.  The police uniforms are of the Integrated Police Force (INP) and yet in once scene, a logo of the Philippine National Police is shown (maybe just a production error).  Moreover, if it’s still the INP, then it must be set prior 1991, and yet the film refers to the Philippine eagle as the national bird, when it was only declared as the national bird by Ramos in 1995 – four years after the INP was disbanded and replaced by the PNP.  Lastly, GPS trackers are supposedly attached on the Philippine eagles, but I really doubt that’s already the case during the 80’s-90’s.

Nevertheless, the setting is peripheral anyway, as the social and political matters that the movie raises are relevant to us Filipinos at any time period – even today.  So this movie won’t feel having dated sentiments, but on the contrary, it will feel relatable and timely.  In fact, certain major plot elements (this is kind of SPOILER-y) are also clear allusions to two relatively recent events – the 2004 Hacienda Luisita massacre and the 2009 Maguindanao massacre.  Moreover, the overall tragic theme of this movie is somewhat similar to that of On the Job (another outstanding Filipino film in recent years), which is: there are powerful forces working behind the scenes pursuing their self-interests, and in a system that they have a hand corrupting, it’s impossible for an honorable man to do the right thing, as either he’s forced to go with the flow or is destroyed – something that most Filipino audiences will find hitting close to home.

There’s simply a lot to unpack with Birdshot.  It’s the kind of film that can be analyzed to death.  For example, here’s one detail that I quickly noticed while watching: prior to the Philippine eagle, the national bird used to be maya; hence, the name of choice of “Maya” for the main character is surely not incidental.  The movie is brimming with nuances like that.

All in all, Birdshot is a true masterpiece of Philippine cinema.  And I'm definitely looking forward to what Mikhail Red will do next.