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Characteristics of the Phenomenalist-realist Film

by Jose Gutierrez III

In The Major Realist Film Theorists: A Critical Anthology, Ian Aitken (2016) identified five characteristics of the phenomenalist-realist film: (1) perceptually realistic; (2) disinterested; (3) nature-like; (4) feeling-oriented; and (5) flowing. In the current essay, I flesh out each of these attributes by expounding on their philosophical influences – particularly Kantian aesthetics – and explicating them through selected works from world cinema.

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Kracauerian Cinematic Realism in Lino Brocka Films

by Jose Gutierrez III

This essay describes the realist film theory of Siegfried Kracauer and employs two notions of cinematic realism – the refuse and the transient – in discussing Lino Brocka’s Weighed but Found Wanting (1974), Three Two One (1974), Manila in the Claws of Light (1975), Insiang (1976), Bona (1980), Clutching a Knife (1985), and I Carry the World (1987).

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Love Letters to Hong Kong

I moved from the Philippines – born and raised in Manila – to Hong Kong in 2013 to pursue my PhD studies in Communication and Film. I earned the degree in 2018 and even though I have since then immigrated here in the USA, I still consider Hong Kong home. In this post, I share five short films that I shot in Hong Kong. These works remind me of my personal journey while I was living there as a postgraduate student and why this beautifully complex city will always have a special place in my heart.

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Images of the Mothers Who Struggle within the Confines of Their Role

by Jose Gutierrez III

Note: This is an excerpt of my M.A. thesis, “Images of the Mother in Lino Brocka Films: 1970-1991” (2008), submitted to the University of the Philippines-Diliman.

Brocka’s films from 1970 to 1982 generally belong to the first cluster of images. Here, Brocka’s familiarity and affinity with the types of mothers as portrayed by the earlier studio films, popular literature, and “komiks” are manifested. Within this cluster, the following images are identified and fleshed out: (1) the “ideal” mother; (2) mother as victim; and (3) the controlling matriarch.

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Images of the Mothers Who Question Their Role and Affirm Themselves as Persons

by Jose Gutierrez III

Note: This is an excerpt of my M.A. thesis, “Images of the Mother in Lino Brocka Films: 1970-1991” (2008), submitted to the University of the Philippines-Diliman.

As Lino Brocka became more politicized as an artist, he was able to flesh out more progressive characterizations, narratives, and resultant images of the mothers which belong to the second cluster, namely: (1) mother as transgressor, and (2) mother as aggressor of patriarchy.

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