ML

A Filipino psychological horror drama.

A class of college students are given an assignment to learn about the 1972-1981 martial law in the Philippines, by talking to people who lived through it.

Carlo (Tony Labrusca) Goes to the home of a senior citizen and retired colonel (played by Eddie Garcia) who was an officer during the martial law period.

Carlo's visit to the retired colonel's home triggered an insane reaction from the latter, who is apparently troubled by his experiences during the martial law when he tortured captured activists.

Carlo is detained in the basement of the colonel's house, where the colonel subjects him to severe torture. Carlo's girlfriend and one of his classmates are also subsequently drawn into the basement trap of horrors.

The film is a quality production. The acting was excellent.

The movie shows brutal scenes of violence as it attempts to portray human rights abuses during martial law.

The movie is currently rated a high 7.9 on IMDb. The movie picked up 2 Balanghai Trophies for Best Actor (Garcia) 1 FAMAS Award for Best Actor (Garcia), 1 Star Award for Sound Engineering, and 1 Gawad Award for Best Actor.

Eddie Garcia was 74 years old when he starred in this film. He passed away a year later, in 2019.

The movie depicts the actual tortures happened during the Martial Law. This are based on first hand experience of the martial law survivors. This movie shows the dilemma that happened during the martial law and the war on drugs of previous regime. It is pretty symbolic to whats really happening in the country. It is pretty sad that this movie should have tought the people to reflect on who to vote in choosing people that will run the country.

There are moments in ML (2018) when a viewer can't help but wonder whether the violence depicted was necessary, or whether the film would have had the same agonizing effect had the characters at the receiving end of the torture suffered less pain. But the movie parallels real life accounts of young people who survived Marcos-era brutalities. So while uncomfortably disturbing, the depiction of a martial law-like injustice, juxtaposed at a time of state-sanctioned killings under the administration of President Duterte, a Marcos apologist himself, is more than necessary.

ML (2018) is rough on the edges, with uneven performances from the ensemble cast. But perhaps it's because it's difficult to keep up with Filipino cinema veteran and premier villain Eddie Garcia, who gave here an unforgettable performance enough to make a mark on a generation neither familiar with him nor acquainted with the Marcos regime.