Iti Mapukpukaw
Plot / Synopsis
Director's Statement:
Eric’s story is my story. The story came to me in 2019 when I found out that a relative passed on. I haven’t heard his name for a very long time but seeing his pictures and hearing his name in conversations made me remember one summer when I was around 10. He made sexual advances on me and kept on telling me: this is what grownups do. By writing the story of Eric, I relived my past, which was a welcome coping mechanism for me. At first I was fueled by anger because I thought there was nothing else I could do. But there is something that I can do. And that is to encourage people to speak up.
When I was writing the story and conceptualizing my approach for the film, it was clear to me that this is going to be another animated film. It’s quite rare to see animated feature films in the Philippines, much so an animated film that deals with adult topics.
From the true meaning of the word animation, which is to “bring life”, I hope that in creating Eric I would have made a refuge for people who suffered the same fate as he did. And for those who have not undergone what Eric experienced, I hope that the film would shed more light on the topic, foster understanding, and initiate a conversation.
Source: Cinemalaya Facebook Trailer
Watch Iti Mapukpukaw Official trailer here:
Iti Mapukpukaw Official Movie Trailer Impression
The Missing Film Trailer Review
What can be said about the Iti Mapukpukaw (2023) official movie trailer? I find the film's premise and presentation very fascinating and appealing. We don't get much animated movies here in the Philippines, especially not with seemingly heavy themes. Most animated films are either kids or family movies, which can help recuperate the long and high production cost when creating animated flicks. I am now genuinely curious at the budget behind Iti Mapukpukaw, as going the animation route isn't a simple feat; but they managed to pull it off, based from the trailer. The full-length animated Cinemalaya entry piqued my curiosity with questions which only increased when doing further research beyond the film's initial press releases.
Iti Mapukpukaw, directly translates from Iloko (Ilocano) as The Missing yet the trailer is in Tagalog. Maybe the moutless protagonist and his family are from Ilocos and we might eventually see them converse in Iloko. This is another Cinemalay entry that fully utilize our of our many diverse local dialect (Iloko), the other two being Gitling and Bulawan Nga Usa. There is little to know from the synopsis and trailer itself. Initial viewing gave me a hint that this is going to have some LGBTQ related romantic themes but upon checking out another related material (see the sources from the Synopsis section here); we found out that the themes tackles in the animated entry is inspired by the experiences of the director/screen writer Carl Joseph Papa. Of course, the director took creative liberties as it would really be absurd to have actual aliens turned him into a mouthless person. Iti Mapukpukaw might very well be an allegory of what it is like dealing with the trauma of being harassed and not being able to talk about it. Well, this is just my impression and speculation. It could very well be not the case but I am still curious about this lone animated film entry to the 19th Cinemalay Independent Film Festival this 2023. This is one of the Cinemalaya 2023 entry that I highly recommend based from the trailer and premise alone. Will it live to this expectation is what we'll eventually know on August 4 to 13, 2023.
How about you guys? What do you think about this 2023 animated film featuring Carlo Aquino and Gio Gahol? Will you be seeing the first full-length animated film and an entry to the 19th Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival during its August 4 to 13, 2023 screening week at the Philippine International Convention Center? Share your thoughts and opinion about Iti Mapukpukaw (2023) in the comments section below and let's talk about it.