Jiggling to “I Do Bidoo Bidoo”

It was providential that I was able to find time and go with musically-minded friends to watch the film “I Do Bidoo Bidoo” directed by Chris Martinez. If I remember it right, it was probably the third Filipino film that I actually intended to watch in a cinema. (The first was “Muro Ami”, the second, “Panaghoy sa Suba”). I have never been a great fan of Filipino films mostly due to its lack of originality especially in the story and the tendency to go for cheesiness especially with love story plots. (Forgive me for the prejudice, but I’ve watched enough Tagalog movies from Cinema One channel to make myself puke.) I first read about the film in the newspaper. When our professor actually encouraged us to watch the said movie, I immediately marked my calendar to watch it.

Film Quality

The first thing that I was able to note was the quality of the sound and the cinematography of the film. Despite the growing improvement of the cinematographic quality of Filipino films in general through the years, we are still way behind compared to western films. In the movie, there was a clear discrepancy in the sound effects once the actors shifted from normal dialogues into singing scenes. There was no soft transition in between. One could feel that the songs where “pre-recorded” in the sense that one could really make out that the actors were no longer actually singing during the filming of that certain scene. Even though if the music was actually pre-recorded, at least the “illusion” that they were actually singing on the spot as the scenes were recorded should have been done or maintained. One could also see some poor editing with regard to scenes that were cut. This was quite obvious in the part where Rose and her friends shifted from talking into singing while  they were cooking.

The movie itself also looked “flat”. There was a lack of vibrant color. Much could have been done with regards to the lighting on the set to emphasize certain scenes. I have seen low cost films which made use of shadows and natural light in order to emphasize scenes and get a lasting, dramatic effect. This was lacking in the said film. The “flatness” of the sounds from the movie could easily be felt especially between the commercials and the actual movie itself. The commercials had better surround sound effects.

Though I will admit the possibility that ICM’s Screenville may have received a poor copy of the movie and that I may be wrong in my critique of the movie, I believe there is still much room for improvement.

Plot

Indeed, it was a very creative ploy to be able to put in songs from the APO Hiking Society in order to create a story such as “I Do Bidoo Bidoo”. This was clearly a Filipino attempt at mimicking “Mamma Mia” which starred Meryl Streep, Amanda Siegfried and Pierce Brosnan and featured the songs of Abba. “I Do Bidoo Bidoo” was truly Filipino as it reflected much the local situation of typical families in different economic strata.

There were some parts which were rather unrealistic. Rock Polotan (Sam Concepcion) is already a registered nurse. But we find him visiting the school and lining up at the registrar’s office to get his records. Being already a graduate and registered nurse, he should have had obtained his records if he had already taken the board exam. This rather gets the viewer (if he was observant) confused whether Rock was still a student or not. Though Rose (Eugene Domingo) made it verbally clear that he had already passed the Board Exam, the details in the movie were not enough to clearly support the notion that he had already graduated.

Towards the end of the movie, we find Rock and Tracy (Tippy Dos Santos) eloping and getting married in a civil court. This is rather unrealistic in the sense that at their age, they still need to have their parents’ consent in order to be legally married. This was clearly overlooked. It did not also show how they were able to get on with life after having eloped. Rock being jobless and penniless, we might ask how was he able to provide for himself and Tracy? Though it leaves the viewer to guess that “they lived happily ever after”, it remains unrealistic and gives the impression that eloping can be good. In reality, not all lovers who eloped ended up “happily ever after”.

But despite the fact that these lovers eloped, it became an instrument of reconciliation for their parents. Nick (Gary Valenciano) and Elaine (Zsa Zsa Padilla) rediscover their love for each other and reignite their love which was already in danger of dying out. Pol (Ogie Alcasid) and Rose (Eugene Domingo) renew their love for each other when they remember that they, too, were once young lovers who were hopelessly in love. I find that this reflects the life of married couples during these modern times. The flame of love which once enamoured young couples sometimes lies forgotten as time passes and is snuffed out by the overwhelming concerns of sustaining the family and living out individual careers.

Reflections

Even though ordinary, mundane life is not a continuous “musical”, the movie portrayed real life situations. Teenage pregnancy and teenage marriage is no longer uncommon. As Vicky (Sweet Plantado) said, Rose would not be the first mother of a teenage son who got his girlfriend pregnant. We cannot help but also reflect on the how the sexual revolution has greatly influenced our society especially towards teenagers. We find two opposing forces, the traditional and conservative stance of our Christian Catholic orientation against the modern notion that sex is a pleasure that should not be excluded in married life. The value of sex has been degraded into a mere act of pleasure devoid of its theological meaning which finds its true fulfillment within the sacrament of matrimony.

The teenage lovers Rock and Tracy are too immature to get married. Elaine feared that they would make a big mistake if they decided to get married just out of pressure and keeping their honor in check. She herself had the same experience and felt that if she had not done so as a teenager, she wouldn’t be living miserably with her husband Nick who seems to have lost affection for her. When teenagers fall in love, they don’t think straight. They believe that their love can magically face all odds. What they don’t see is that they might become unendurable crosses to each other and end up hurting themselves all the more. I am not saying that all teenage marriages have ended up badly. But statistics from the Church have shown that many of those applying for annulment are those who got married young and pregnant. This is what happens when sex is taken out of context of God’s plans.

In the movie, we find that eloping is seen as a positive solution to their problem. They want to be together even though it means facing an unsure future. It appears utterly romantic and really does titillate the typical viewer. But is eloping really the only and best solution? Is the “Bahala Na” mentality that grips the star-crossed lovers as they venture into the unknown world beyond the walls and security of their homes really assure them of a bright, sweet future free from suffering and strife? More often than not, lovers jump into a ravine where they end up finding no way out. I believe I have seen enough documentaries featuring couples who have eloped who have ended up living miserable, poverty-stricken lives filled with regret.

In one movie adaptation of the story of the notorious couple, Lancelot and Guinevere, King Arthur finds them later on reduced to mendicancy. But Rock and Tracy are not Lancelot and Guinevere, nor are they Romeo and Juliet. They simply represent the youth of today who are reckless and lack self-control. We have to keep in mind that life is not a fairy-tale where Prince Charming elopes with the Princess and they live happily ever-after. Life can be cruel. More so in this day and age, the lack of proper education and a low economic status sometimes mark a person for life, unless he finds a way to rise above his present predicament. If Rock and Tracy’s elopement was actually real, I doubt if they had everything smoothed out notwithstanding the fact that they were both jobless. But it is comforting that the young couple was eventually accepted back by their respective families.

I Do!

As a child, I used to remember seeing old Filipino films which always had singing and dancing scenes. I remember enjoying them when I was a little kid. Eventually, such types of movies began to disappear from the Philippine movie industry as I began to grow older. If there were attempts at it, it only came about rather cheesy and corny.

Setting aside my criticisms about the cinematography and the film itself, I actually enjoyed the movie, had a big laugh about it, and sang along to the music. Though I have not grown up to the music of APO Hiking Society, I have come to appreciate the contribution they have made to OPM and to the Filipino pop culture in general. Their music really reflects our culture and daily life experiences as Filipinos. The movie was indeed a fitting tribute to their contribution to culture, music and art. The creativity with which their different songs were weaved together to create such a story is truly remarkable.

There is so much potential in this area of musical films. It is my hope that our local film industry will start creating movies like this which are truly products of creative and artistic Filipino minds and hearts.

If ever I will be asked if I would watch another Filipino musical like this one, definitely I’ll be saying and jiggling to “I Do Bidoo Bidoo”!