VIC SOTTO’S Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) comeback is anything but typical.
Known to moviegoers as one-third of the comedic trio TVJ (Tito, Vic and Joey) and the popular comic hero Enteng Kabisote, whose franchise once claimed an MMFF Best Picture award, to the “embarrassment” of its own producers, Sotto makes an uncharacteristic shift in “The Kingdom.”
After a five-year hiatus from the annual film festival, he trades the comedy-fantasy genre for the serious role of a monarch on the cusp of retirement in an alternate Philippines that was never colonized.
Though undeniably a fantasy, “The Kingdom is rooted in the struggles familiar to the real-world Philippines: class inequality, social injustice, and political discord.
The film envisions the “Kingdom of Kalayaan,” a Philippines devoid of colonial influence from Spain, the United States, and Japan, governed instead by a monarchy.
Leaders in the precolonial period came in the form of a datu, who inherited the power because of his royal blood, served as a lawmaker, judge and executive all at once, and could only cling to the position through popularity.
This ambitious premise allows the production team some creative liberties. Yet, the film’s limited budget becomes evident in the sparse worldbuilding, and the elaborate sets and visuals akin to those in big-budget historical epics are notably absent.
Event pivotal scenes — including one near the finale — unfold within the confines of the kingdom splashed with line designs. These cost-saving measures undermine the immersive quality the story demands.
Another challenge lies in the use of historical and cultural terminologies. Audiences unfamiliar with Philippine history beyond textbook basics may find the terminologies confusing, potentially disengaging them from the narrative.
Thankfully, the plotlines are not hard to follow.
At the heart of the story is Lakan Makisig Nandula (Sotto), the ruler who possesses the blood of Bathala as evidenced by the tattoos etched on his skin. Sotto’s subdued portrayal aligns with his father-figure persona, one that is dignified and refuses to wallow in hardships. He is convincing as the ruler of a divided nation and the patriarch of a divided family.
The Lakan’s three children are all locked in a behind-the-scenes battle to succeed the throne. Sibling strife has become a familiar trope in movies and series about an aging leader trying to protect the institution he had built, and “The Kingdom” is no exception.
The three potential successors each have their own grudges. Magat Bagwis (Sid Lucero), the eldest, feels his temperament is troubling the Lakan. Dayan Matimyas (Cristine Reyes), the middle child, still pays the price for eloping with his father’s nemesis. And Dayamon Lualhati (Sue Ramirez), the youngest, blames herself for the death of her mother.
The drama of “The Kingdom” begins in earnest with the botched wedding of Lualhati, who ends up being kidnapped by secessionists known as Tiwalag, and saved by Sulo (Piolo Pascual), a Tinatwa (a commoner marked by his lack of tattoos), in an action-packed road chase.
The film shifts to a whodunit phase. Some characters can be easily pointed to as prime suspects for Lualhati’s disappearance, but they end up being real victims to the real perpetrators who mask their nationalism with greed and jealousy.
Pascual’s character is an eye-opening link between the naïve leaders and the impoverished commoners. He has a traumatic history with the throne that had shoved him into the farthest ends of the social class. It turns out that being a Tinatwa is not a mere plot device to underscore the rich-poor divide in the Kingdom of Kalayaan.
Sotto and Pascual only share four scenes throughout the 133-minute feature. One of their exchanges brings out intimacy and vulnerability between the two seasoned actors, avoiding the mistakes of other films that descend into a soap opera for the sake of stoking confrontations.
By the end of the film, audiences will yearn for freedom and root for democracy, even though the real-world manifestations of these ideals continue to struggle against poverty and injustice.
“The Kingdom” is a decent depiction of how this country, colonized or uncolonized, remains locked in a quest for freedom. It is an intriguing power struggle between those who choose to uphold the basic tenets of morality and those who resort to violence and barbarism.
