Kisapmata (1981)

Mike De Leon’s 1981 film, Kisapmata tells a true to life story of a newly married couple struggling to be on their own because they are hindered by a psychotic father (Vic Silayan). Milagros (Charo Santos-Concio) the wife of Roel (Jay Ilagan) embarks a dark path after their marriage. Their marriage ventures a painful journey through the clutches of Milagros's father Sgt. Diosdado Carandang (Vic Silayan). Diosdado is an unusually overprotective father to Milagros. He cannot accept the fact that his daughter got pregnant and is to be married to Noel. After the wedding of Noel and Milagros, Diosdado decides that Milagros and Noel stay at their house and live there. Because of Diosdado and the terrifying truth about the Carandang family, Milagros cannot decide if she will leave the house together with Noel. Milagros later then decides to leave the house and run away with Noel but they returned because they want to face what they have been afraid all along. Diosdado continues to pester Milagros and Noel upon their return and decides to never let the couple leave the house, ever again.   

First and foremost, the film for me was a craft doused by excellence. I’ve seen films from the 1980's and late 70's but most of it is action movies. I don't know if I’m just being overly amazed by the movie but it really got me. I cannot even believe that such movie like this is from the past, i really honored to be a Filipino. The film was a psychological suspense movie wherein it got some of its imagery on some classic films. I am to say that the movie's inspiration is from foreign suspense films and Mike De Leon did not fail to express the realness of the movie and not showing its cliché side at the same time. What I mean by this is that, Mike De Leon got an idea from another idea but created something better using the acquired idea making it original and outside the box. I noticed a lot of good technical work in the movie considering the fact that it was a 1981 movie. The transition wherein Milagros is writing on her diary and the ambience changing from sepia to a creepy black and white gives the audience a creepy and weird feeling. It was not clear to me if it was a dream unlike in the last part of the film wherein Milagros is shown wearing a bride gown and her seeing (what would turn out to be a premonition) herself being trapped in the house with his husband Noel inside a burning owner jeep. This showed great editing work because the effect was really noticeable and understandably creepy. The camera work on the film I can say is not that great but effective. A scene wherein the altar is shown as well as the stairway and the door gives a “Psycho” feel. The noticeable darkness when the characters speak at night also gives a mysterious ambience to the audience. The technicals of the film are considerably good but not that great.

The Cabading family

What I liked about the movie is that the characters expressed the truth about their selves. Milagros’s mother “Adelina” (Charito Solis) expressed herself showing no sympathy to her daughter and even showed jealousy to her daughter. Diosdado was quite vulgar in his words many times during the film and there were even times that he mocks Noel and says bad words. What I cannot understand is that why Noel is such a nice guy. He never refuses and always favored Milagros’s all the time. For me I think it can be real but it’s not really believable. Overall, the movie really is a shocker and it was shown in the final part of the film wherein Diosdado grabs a gun and silently shoots everyone dead (including himself). Milagros is still holding the cross when Diosdado shoots her and there was no voice heard except for the minimal struggle of the characters after being shot. The credits roll and a church sound are heard giving a creepy and weird feeling that is really shocking from my perspective.

The film was based on a true story.

To me the movie is saying that religion does not affect a screwed up family who doesn’t want a change. The Carandang family lies in hypocrisy and lived on a one track field. No one dared to escape the madness except for Noel but did not make it out alive. I’ve been questioning myself if Adelina and Milagros is still sane because they have been living like that for many years and I taught that if I wee to live like that it would be an everyday hell-fare for me. I also wondered why the father of Noel (Peping Manalansan) did not do anything after Diosdado made a ruckus in front of his house holding a gun. If it were me I would definitely not approach the person again because that person has some kind of psychopathic tendencies. I’m thinking of a possibility that they are all insane and they are all religious and religion doesn’t even play a part in all of the happenings yet it is shown most of the time. And what ever happened to Anyang?