Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival 2009

Sometime within the first half of KOLORETE, the first solo feature from Philippine independent filmmaker Ruelo Lozendo, a scene of an audition is taking place under the shade of a tree, men accidentally drop a coffin as they pass, a caribou meanders about in the field behind, farther back a woman crosses the frame, all layered upon a stunning backdrop of a provincial Philippine countryside very much appearing as it would have during Spanish rule, when the film is set. It is a painterly image of classical proportion yet, like the rest of the film, it is rich with irony and filled with historical and artistic context. A film not only fascinated with the textures of the sewing thread, the mossy eaves or the bug bit back of a woman, but also in the texture of emotions as its protagonists keep them close to the vest as their intentions and suspicions are precariously obscured.

In a small village during Spanish colonial Philippines, a group of citizens begin staging a zarzuela (a genre of musical theatre derived from Spain) for the departing and unpopular Mayor of the village. Could there be ulterior motives? The performance nears and the tension mounts. As the players in the play jostle for their piece of the stage, they become players in their own drama as love, jealousy and suspicion permeate the lives of these townsfolk. All this action occurs in the haunting and dreamy world of KOLORETE.

KOLORETE, translation meaning a rouge or red coloring make-up, is ironically shot in radiant high definition black and white, illustrating a duality inherently woven in the film's fiber. The contrast of dark and light creates mystery and mood all the while a sly sense of humor and evocative music threads throug the film. Although inspired by early black and white Filipino silent films, evident in a beautiful near archival looking rain drenched title shot, the film possesses a crisp and contemporary resolution that has the faces of the main characters glow with subtle expressive details. Lozendo's dynamic visual scope balances between close ups of ants infesting the mortar of the old church to the blustery landscapes of fertile hillsides and ominous trees. A style perfectly enhances an innovative vision respectful of the past and eager to transcend into the future. Rare is a film firmly experimental yet fully embracing history, tradition and its varied influences.

Winning the Special Jury Award at Cinema One along with Best Production Design and Original Score, KOLORETE is a beautiful conglomeration of influences from an initial concept of a zombie musical with indigenous themes as an indictment on the troubled history of a country to a Shakespearian construct by way of Tom Stoppard with a good dose of song and wit, the film is an original, complex and unexpected experience that will mystify and allure.

Joel Quizon
Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival