PATINTERO: ANG ALAMAT NI MENG PATALO

Tumbang Preso. Luksong Tinik. BangSak. Ubusan Lahi. Luksong Baka. Piko. Langit-Lupa.

Mahuleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.... Taya!

These are just some traditional outdoor games we played after school or during recess. I don't know about you but we took these games seriously. Not as serious as this film comically did, but it meant our pride and dignity back in those days where PlayStation, Beyblade, YuGiOh cards, Crash Gear, computer games and smartphone apps haven't been commercialized yet.

Patintero (or Harangang Taga) is the most popular game among them. We only need chalk or a sharp stone to create an imaginary force field that the attacking team needs to cross and return to their home base without being touched by the defending team. Teamwork and strategies are needed to outsmart the opposition. It's simple but you have no idea how intense this game is until you've played it. And it's amazing how the film caught its magical aspects while giving life to its likeable players.


Let me clear that this is a fantasy city where everything is jolly and their sportsfest has a patintero tournament in it. Its silliness slightly matches to Shaolin Soccer and Dogdeball: A True Underdog Story. Children get hurt in a funny way because of its sharp editing. The Patintero matches are as dream-like as what we think of them when we're kids with uplifting musical score, smashing sound effects and cool visual flavor. The subtle backstage story is also great. Simple but with family values, friendship, gender equality and an anti-smoking advisory. Meng Francisco is not being oppressed because she's a girl. She represents the weak that stands up and gets by with the help of her friends. The "Maselang Bahaghari" move was not carefully developed, though. Congratulations to Mihk Vergara for an impressive debut!

Children will definitely enjoy this but it's also for the parents. You might not notice it but outdoor games shape kids. These teach them valuable lessons such as sportsmanship, critical thinking and honesty. Other priorities will come as they grow older and they have to learn how to let go. I can't recall when was the last time I played Patintero but it's surely fun and nostalgic remembering those days. Just let them play while they still have time, but never forget to guide them with their studies.

Most of the time, it's hard to criticize a kid for their acting. But in this case, everyone did good even in their small parts. Mga Patalo surely won our hearts with their charm and buyable camaraderie. Nafa Hilario-Cruz (Meng) fits the titular character and contributed some genuine moments to the film. It's cool seeing Isabel "Lenlen" Frial (Mikay) grow up from a cute batang yagit in Bantatay to a patwitams nerd. William Buenavente (Shifty) reminds me of RJ Padilla. I remembered that I love wearing visors, with my embroidered name on the side, when I was a kid.  I like how they never revealed Z-Boy's (Claude Mikael Adrales) identity. There's always that one weirdo in every team. Sometimes, it's me.

It's a rare gem that makes me thank God that I've experienced this era and watched our childhood fantasies come to life in the big screen, especially in the gala premiere where I felt that this movie was made out of love more than anything else.

This is also good film to encourage everyone that Pinoy indie is not limited to national issues, poverty porn, gay romance and millennial angst. Anino sa Likod ng Buwan is a tour de force compared to this. But Patintero is something that I'll definitely enjoy with my future kids and grandkids. It's a timeless film about a timeless game.

Nowadays, kids are obsessed with gadgets, gossips and love, love, love. Most of them are more comfortable with playing never-ending apps in their homes instead of personally interacting with their friends. This is a call for help. Patintero should be seen in schools more than in cinemas.

Patintero: Ang Alamat ni Meng Patalo reanimates the classic outdoor game in a stylish and invigorating way. The film treats this simple pastime as an honorable thing without losing the fun out of it. Every move must be calculated, every friendship must be treasured and every promise must be fulfilled. Traits like that should be conserved and shared for generations to come.

TIGER DASHTASTIC!
★★★★½

Patintero: Ang Alamat ni Meng Patalo is competing in this year's QCinema International Film Festival. For screening schedules, visit http://themoviebud.blogspot.com/2015/10/qcinema-international-film-festival-2015.html

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Maraming salamat sa pagbabasa, mga patalo!