“This film once more features my personal philosophy…” said by the recent Best Director of Cannes Film Festival, Brillante ‘Dante’ Mendoza. In his entry film ‘Kinatay’ with the international title of The Execution of P he has shown the world a bold story based on a true experience. From the mouth of someone who took part with the same kind of abduction before the concept was formulated. Peping in the story is a criminology student who makes his earnings from being a part-time errand boy who collects protection fees for a syndicate. This group is composed of three policemen who take orders from a high-ranking military official. Peping’s involvement to this group is initiated by his schoolmate Abyong, he is the one who invited him for work. The easy money Peping earns is spent mostly to his girlfriend. And when his girlfriend Cecille, who is also a student, became pregnant this is the time Peping will need some real money in order for him to marry her.
Abyong just in time contacts Peping, who is in need, to join for a “special project” that pays well (more than normal). Tempted with the opportunity Peping gets into the project of kidnapping Madonna. An ex-prostitute turned night club manager who skims protection fees without turning it over to the syndicate’s leader known only as Captain. She had an affair with the Captain and now she’s the “special project” we are talking about. In the early evening the gang drags Madonna into a van. Shocked Peping at Madonna who is tied up and gagged, they take her to an abandon residential house.
Meanwhile as the group is waiting for the ‘go’ signal from their boss, Abyong and Peping take a taxi towards stores near a bus station to get some beers just like what the Captain’s order. Abyong gives a gun from Captain to Peping then at the store Abyong goes to the bathroom. Taking too long Peping begins to panic realizing that Abyong might have been escaped. So he himself considered running away to the nearest bus.
A bus heading to Manila where Peping rides he wishes that it will leave as soon as possible. Just so after he receives a text message from the gang asking what’s taking so long? He informed the gang about Abyong’s disappearance and when he did not receive a reply from them fear took over Peping. The bus is about to pull out when he gets off, buys a case of beer, and goes back to the place where the gang is. To his surprise Abyong is there, announcing that it is a test and that he passed.
The execution to Madonna is gang’s regular way. First she was raped, and then stabbed to death. Her body is chopped into pieces and dumped around the city. Peping run away after the Captain pays him, together with Cecille they head to Peping’s hometown. At the bus everybody is disturbed by a sudden loud cry. It is Peping, wakes up from seems real nightmare. This is after he falls asleep because of mental and physical fatigue cause by what happen.
Dante Mendoza planned himself not to commercialize this film to the local market, since it might as well be criticized much, because of the boldness and brutality of the content. And besides it is not made for commercialization purposes but for the sake making film as an art. Special viewing of it is only for film institutions in the Philippines and/ or International.
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