Goyo: The Boy General

Reading Gregorio del Pilar's life in my history books has always painted this image of a brave young hero who selflessly died for our country - leading his short life of 24 with nobility and grace. Almost a perfect young man that deserves all the praises. However, the movie, Goyo; Ang Batang Heneral, painted a different picture of the young hero.

In this narration, Goyo is painted far from his image of being a celebrated hero. He has been stripped of all the praises afforded him throughout Philippine history. Instead, Goyo is depicted as the flawed gullible young man. He blindly follows the instructions of his president, Emilio Aguinaldo, which then leads to the question of whether he really had the burning passion of fighting for our country. Perhaps he was just a young man forced to be a part of a war he knew nothing about? The movie even begs the question whether Goyo's failures and eventual demise were due to his ego that people around him have meticulously reared.

This movie ultimately made me question my assumptions. It urged me to think and be critical. Not to mention, the movie likewise treats its viewers with aesthetic brilliance - from the topnotch cinematography, production design, and a moving music score. For that, I would have to say that the movie has catapulted to the ranks of great classics and a must watch for everyone. Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral is definitely a different kind of treat that prompts the viewers to be critical while pleasing them with creative prowess.

Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral is a story about one of Bulacan's finest generals. It has a running time of 150-160mins, it is a lengthy movie that lacks the fire, and shock and awe value of Heneral Luna, but that doesn't mean it is monotonous --very far from it. While we were watching, we did not notice the passing of time and ,like other good movies, you know it is about to end but you will be asking for more.

Paulo Avelino's portrayal of the young general is not as stellar as John Arcilla's Luna, but it fits him like a glove. In some moments in the movie, especially in the first acts, you will feel like he does not need to play the role; it appears like he just goes in there, be himself and just delivers the lines. Also, the good thing about it is that he operated on the same level as his co-artists, whereas Arcilla seemed to have overpowered everyone.

The characters have excellent chemistry; if you have seen the first movie, the reprised roles of some of the actors will give you a plethora of emotions. Alejandrino (Alvin Anson), Jose and Manuel Bernal(Arthur Acuña), Miong (Mon Confiado), Pule(Epy Quizon), Lt.Garcia (Ronnie Lazaro), and the crowd favorite Rusca (Archie Alemaña) showed up with varying lengths of exposure-- all of which are important in the story telling.

Carlo Aquino (Vicente Enriquez) and Arron Villaflor(Joven)provided solid supporting-roles, along with the girls Empress Schuck and Gwen Zamora

The movie is not mainly about national pride or about saving the country. It is reflexive rather than expressive. It is about the emotions, the psych and what really goes on inside a person that is about to take on a Herculean task and might be asked to give the ultimate sacrifice. Goyo's demeanor swings back and forth from being a kid to being a general and vice versa, from devising plans for battle to womanizing, both of which were foreshadowed by Pule (Quizon) in one of his dialogs. The story also mirrors the relationship we have had with the Americans in the past decades which is fact,IMO.

The pace of the movie is quick (it may be dragging for some, but not for me) as it jumps from scene to scene to establish the whole situation the country was in at the time. The dialogs are witty and catchy, and unlike period dramas (hello Bagani!);it is not cheesy and it is very easy to understand. The locations are also excellent but the fabricated houses are a little distracting. The shots give you the impression that it is from an older era without too much filtering. Cinematography is on a very high level. The panoramic shots are breathtaking. In this movie, I was expecting something as wonderful as the "Reminiscing Scene" in Heneral Luna; I was a bit disappointed, but I think the aerial shots of Mount Tirad during the trenching will do.

And just like in traditional Tarog fashion, scoring made this movie a lot better than it actually is. With subpar scoring, I would give this movie a 7 but in it's totality now, I give it a 9. Everything gets amplified by good music.

This is a must-see movie. A movie that has a beautiful story and message to tell. A movie that inspires you to think instead of making your senses numb.

Please support! Let us encourage the Filipino film makers to keep doing excellent movies like this and quick --- the third installment promises to be another epic as we embark on a different period in our history with one of the most interesting and charismatic president we 've had, Pres.Manuel Quezon--- 3yrs is just too much of a wait!

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In a historical perspective, I have lost my history thinking cap and just decided to appreciate this movie as an artwork. The fictional characters like Joven Hernando (Arron Villaflor) and Lt.Ruiz(Ronnie Lazaro) are neatly inserted into the story that it was hard to distinguish fact and fiction.

#Goyo #GoyoAngBatangHeneral

Goyo, Ang Batang Heneral is not just a period film re-telling our History, neither a simple account of what transpired in the battle of Tirad Pass against the Americans, and not just an artistic expression of the director and the writers; "Goyo" is a film that defines and connects our past to our present plight as a People and as a Nation and the dialectics of our history--We are because of what we were and we will be for what we are now.

The film gives the audience a sharp and deeper insight about us Filipinos-past and present. In one of the dialogues of Apolinario Mabini in the film that really struck me and it was mentioned 3 times, if I remember it right. I may not be able to recall the exact lines but let me paraphrase it; "The Americans have always regarded the Filipinos to be like children, and there may be some truth to that". What is the subtext of the line then? Our leaders are like children-immature and selfish, prioritizing their own Political Agenda, always wanted to ensure hold of power and personal convenience. And these things affected our struggle against colonial rulers and our quest for freedom. Sadly, these children-like traits are still prevalent in our present leadership as the struggle of every Filipino shifts not from Colonial rule but against poverty, inequality, corruption and abuse of power with emphasis on the treachery and betrayal of some of our fellow Filipinos serving their personal interests.

"Goyo" is a well-written screenplay, the main plot as told by Apolinario Mabini (played by Eppie Quizon) describes the internal machinations among the Filipino Generals and Aguinaldo during the Philippine-American War. While sub-plots depicting the perspectives and experiences of Joven Hernando (played by Arron Villaflor) who typifies a Filipino caught in between crossfires; and Goyo-Del Pilar (played by Paulo Avelino) despite being a General who is notable for his courage, in the battles he won and a mercenary henchman against Filipinos opposing Aguinaldo, was depicted to be more human having a conscience that chases him in his nightmares and dreams.

The approach to reality shifts from realism to surreal, while dialogues use contemporary language with a blend of lyrical phrasing that made the interaction between characters easy to understand and relate with.

Cinematography is commendable without any effort to make the scene superfluously dramatic that includes the camera shots, angles and movement. Color and texture of the film brings you to the era of 1890's without much of sepia or black and white schemes.

Just like in any period film, Production design has always been challenging, like Katipunero's or Soldiers uniform to be very neat like a newly tailored fit; a location where houses and other structures are obviously fabricated and constructed.

I laud "Goyo" Production Designer for an excellent job, gone are the uniforms of the Soldiers who look like freshly ironed even after a battle and no more hand props that look unreal. There may still be issues with the details like texture and finish windows, wall or roofing; structures that are still obviously fabricated, which maybe improved on the next period films. Remarkably, the production design has given the audience the experience of 1890's era.

The music score is also notable as it served its purpose of complimenting the development of the Film. It was designed to accentuate key sequences, and share with the audience the same level of emotion as the characters in the film have.

Bravo! Paulo Avelino, Alvin Anson, Mon Confiado, Arthur Acuna, Jeffrey Quizon, Carlo Aquino and Gwen Zamora for an outstanding performance.

Kudos to Director Jerrold Tarog, Screenwriter Rody Vera, Producers of Artikulo Uno, Cast and Crew!!

Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral was not a conventional historical movie. More often than not, movies of this kind show "heroes" as exactly that-- fearless, determined, and ready to sacrifice for the greater good. What I liked most about this movie, then, is that it strays from this way of storytelling and tells us that our heroes are still painfully human.

Gregorio del Pilar was heralded as one of the bravest men in Philippine history, but this film makes the statement that, behind all the glory and revere, Goyo is still what the title suggests: isa syang bata. I appreciated how the film highlighted the mischievous parts about him, his lack of foresight in battle, his obsession with love. All of this shows the audience that he was just 23, behind the grandeur of it all, and that maybe he was carrying a burden heavier than he pretended he could handle.

... what is it good for? Well some might argue for movies and I reckon they wouldn't be that wrong. So another one of the based on a true story. I don't know all the details and the movie might take some liberal approaches on certain things (quite likely it does).

The battle scenes are very well choreographed and the drama and story building is quite nice. If you like movies that shine a light on things like this, you will be more than satisfied.