GOYO: ANG BATANG HENERAL
Year of Release: 2018
JR's Rating:
(9.5 out of 10, Impressive)
JR's Rating:
(9.5 out of 10, Impressive)"Retelling of Philippine History:
A Question of What Really Makes A Hero"
Duty, Dignity and Sacrifice - three words that describe what it takes to be a hero worth honor and admiration. Anybody can indeed be a hero in their own right; but the distinction will be the willingness to die in defense for the country. The serious question the movie imposes and even history is, did Goyo, our country's supposed youngest general, die a martyr in defense for our country or die to protect Aguinaldo.
Goyo (Gen. Gregorio del Pilar) worked with the late Heneral Luna in his strategic defense of Bulacan against the Americans. Fast forward after the great general's death, Goyo is assigned by President Aguinaldo as the head of Pangasinan under his revolutionary government. It's here where he struggles to balance private life with responsibility, comfort over leadership. With all those charm and good looks, Goyo never fails to capture a girl's heart in every district he gets to visit or assigned to. It was, however, in Pangasinan that an eventual love would spark a change in his ways. With the entry of the Americans in the Philippines, Goyo would lead the army to an exodus towards the highlands to evade potential capture and defeat at the hands of the Americans. It's at Mt. Tirad Pass where he will have his last stand against the Americans.
Going back to the question of the martyrdom of Gen. del Pilar or Goyo, he may have looked like he was in it to protect Aguinaldo and his family but it was undeniable that he worked in defense of our country against the Americans (well in fact even the Spanish way before). It was just that probably, Aguinaldo was his symbol of the country's republic, his demise would mean the ultimate end of what they have been fighting for all along. Too sad though that Goyo fought under the wrong leader who seems to care more of which and whom is loyal to him.
Goyo's bravery will forever be is priceless and very deserving of honor and admiration to this modern generation of youth. You wouldn't name the home of our country's military school as Fort Del Pilar if he never embodied the Philippine army's motto, Courage, Integrity and Loyalty.
Going to the movie, the movie stayed true to the time it was set in. While we started to see Heneral Luna in Bulacan, we came to learn more of Pangasinan and the culture it comes with it. It's where most of what we see in the movie come to happen. Moving forward, what caught my attention the most though is how beautifully presented the highlands specifically Tirad Pass was. That for me filled me with awe until the battle that would eventually occur there.
It really takes humongous amounts of guts and ambition to follow up a legendary film such as Heneral Luna. Heneral Luna though remains for me the better film of the two due to the influence it has on me after watching it, my empathy for Heneral Luna and his story is very different by how I felt with Goyo and his story in this film. Goyo though stands as a must watch if you're into having a more analytical and critical view of the titular hero. The portrayal by Paulo Avelino is just fitting due to his charm and justice on playing the role. Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral was for me a more personal story towards Goyo than it is towards history.
Watched at: SM Cinemas - Manila (05 September 2018)
#Goyo #ArtikuloUno
#2018Movies #MovieReviews #JRMovieReviews
Image Reference: Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral (Official Facebook Page)
Time Published: 07 September 2018 (8:30 PM)
No comments:
Post a Comment