Redeem Her Honor

 ((IPAGLABAN MO))

By BRIAN LOWRY

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(FILIPINO) A Star Cinema presentation. Produced by Chard Santos-Concio. Directed by Marilou Diaz-Albaya. Screenplay, Ricardo Lee.
 
Cast: Sharmaine Arnaiz, Chin Chin Gutierrez.
 

Feeling a bit like two fact-based TV movies strung together, this melodrama focuses on two distinct stories, each detailing the account of a young Filipino woman who becomes a victim of sexual violence and takes her attacker to court. Considered daring in the Philippines due to prevailing attitudes toward women, pic is relatively tame by U.S. standards, and its docudrama elements tired, though it remains interesting thanks to its emotional resonance and effective performances.

Introduced by a lawyer who explains the particulars of each case, the movie seeks to create a sense of reality before launching into its first tale about a 17-year-old girl who, along with her mother, is compelled by economic circumstances to live with her aunt and uncle.

Almost immediately the uncle sets his eye on the girl and forces himself upon her. Through a combination of fear, shame and hunger for the money he keeps giving her, she remains silent until the two are caught in the act. At that point she confides in her mother, who makes a crusade of punishing her brother-in-law and redeeming her daughter, despite the economic hardship they must endure.

The second story also involves a well-to-do man victimizing a young woman of modest means, obsessively pursuing her even after she gets married, eventually drugging and raping her. Again, it's a he-said/she-said scenario, with the newlyweds' relationship strained by the ordeal. The Philippine courts take some getting used to, with the cranky judge and heavy-handed approach toward the abusers occasionally providing some unintentional laughs.

The movie nevertheless makes its point about sexual abuse -- as well as the upper class's ability to receive a better brand of justice -- while presenting the women as heroic figures standing up for their rights.

There are, however, some puzzling choices. Director Marilou Diaz-Albaya clouds the issue uncomfortably by having the teenager begin, over time, to enjoy her sessions with uncle, while the second victim exhibits ultimate mercy toward her assailant -- after a true "Perry Mason" moment in the courtroom -- that feels wholly unnecessary.

From a technical standpoint pic is generally solid, though the music proves intrusively melodramatic, beyond any redemption.

Camera, Eduardo Jacinto. Reviewed at Hawaii Film Festival, Honolulu, Nov. 7, 1995. Running time: 132 MIN.