For its consistent and deliberate effort to give the audience a fresh
take and affecting story about the country’s long-time battle in
Mindanao, Nuesa’s “Ang Araw sa Likod Mo” now joins the roster of other
acclaimed Filipino films that have been graded A by the board such as
Mario Cornejo’s “Apocalypse Child,” Paul Soriano’s “Thelma” and Albert
Martinez’s “Rosario”. The film made the board’s cut in terms of
excellence in direction, screenplay, cinematography, editing, production
design, music scoring, sound and acting making it worthy of the 100%
amusement-tax rebate incentive from the government.
Directing from his own script, “Ang Araw sa Likod Mo” follows an elite
team of Phils. Scout Rangers headed by Sgt. Benjie Calayan (Medina)
tracking down lawless Islamist elements in the southern tip of the
country. Caught in the middle of this conflict are brothers Omar
(Liwag), a young Muslim scholar turned radical and his older brother
Jamiluddin (Cabrera) turned government informant.
The title of the movie, “Ang Araw sa Likod Mo” is symbolic of one’s
trust and loyalty to a revered family or friend and inspired by Islam’s
daily prayer before sunrise known as Fajr. In the film, this is further
emphasized as Jamil and Omar share an unbreakable bond of trust despite
belonging to opposing sides.
On developing his script, Nuesa is mindful of the humanity of each
character from both (opposing) sides, which is centric to the film.
“Direk Marilou Diaz-Abaya, my mentor, once told us that she was
fascinated with Islam when she was making “Bagong Buwan”. I thought I
understood why, that it was only an interesting subject matter, nothing
more. Only when I started listening to Professor Darwin Absari and Imam
Bedejim Abdullah was I able to grasp what my dearest Teacher meant. I
was invited to Mosques and conversations over sweet drinks. You don’t
really research Islam. I had to feel it. I had to feel the struggle of
our Muslim brothers. I had to feel the joy of their Faith. I had to feel
the Oneness of Allah. I had to reach deep into Mindanao and find at its
center, the soul. Like Marilou Diaz-Abaya in “Bagong Buwan”, I found
myself captivated by some aspects of Islam, and I hope that “Ang Araw
sa Likod Mo” reflects this,” Nuesa shares.
An
anti-piracy film ambassador, the director strongly supports Globe
Telecom’s #PlayItRight anti-piracy campaign which aims to respect the
hard labor and protect the livelihood of the crew. “Piracy is no longer
cool nowadays, we want everyone to start having a conscious effort not
to download from illegal sources that could possibly harm the
hard-earned devices of the customers,” Yoly Crisanto, Globe’s SVP for
Corporate Communications shares.
A highly-recommended viewing for students, “Ang Araw sa Likod Mo” opens
May 24 in cinemas nationwide from An Earth Below Productions in
cooperation with HERO Foundation.
Opens in Metro Manila, Cebu, Davao, Pampanga, Subic, Bacoor, Laoag,
General Trias, Cagayan De Oro, Bacolod, Iloilo and Tacloban – check out
Ayala Malls Cinemas, SM Cinemas, Robinson’s Cinemas, Shangri-La Cinema,
Festival and Gateway Cinemas for schedules.
Like this post? Subscribe to Manila Life by Email
Like Manila Life on Facebook to be updated.