The production design, the sepia-like cinematography and the grand musical score by Von de Guzman are all first rate. The battle scenes showing mostly hand to hand combat are well staged, particularly the famous siege of the San Juan del Monte arms depot on Aug. 30, 1896. The scene where the Katipuneros tear up their cedulas and the blood compact among them were powerfully recreated. History shows that Bonifacio is not the first leader of the Katipunan but Deodato Arellano and Roman Basa, but it’s not mentioned here.
But you'd surely just be blown away by Alfred Vargas stunning performance in the title role. He delivers his kilometric lines in old Tagalog with such persuasion, making bombastic speeches as he exhorts the Katipuneros to fight for freedom, but he’s even more touching in the silent scenes where he utters no lines but just quietly shed tears while watching a dying loved one or looking after his seriously wounded men. He'll certainly win awards for his portrayal of the Great Plebeian. The film makes a very brave stand about how Andres Bonifacio was killed, about how the rich conspired to get rid of him. In revolutions, the poor is still exploited by the rich. The masses are cannon fodder and it’s the rich who profits from the rebellion. The film shows Bonifacio is the true rebel while Rizal is a mere reformist who wanted to peacefully compromise with Spain. We’re sure the scene showing the founding of La Liga Filipina where Rizal and Bonifacio meet face to face will be questioned by some historians. Making Rizal the national hero also came from the ilustrados, not the masses.
Bonifacio went to Cavite to mediate between the warring factions of the Magdalo (the Aguinaldos) and Magdiwang (headed by Mariano Alvarez.) Both factions come from the rich upper classes, in contrast to Bonifacio who’s more “masa”. The film shows that as early as then, our leaders already have trouble uniting and putting their act together.
The way Bonifacio was mercilessly butchered in the film's final sequence is just too, too harrowing. This very brutal scene will stay in your mind for a long, long time. So far this year, the best actors for us are Sam Concepcion in 'I Do Bidoo', Eddie Garcia in 'Bwakaw', and now Alfred in 'Supremo'.
Wonder how they’ll treat the murder of Bonifacio in the forthcoming “El Presidente”, which is about Emilio Aguinaldo. Here, Aguinaldo was silent all throughout the Tejeros Convention where Bonifacio’s fate was sealed. He was made to be just an enigmatic presence on screen.
“Supremo” is not told in a chronological manner and some viewers might be confused. But don't miss this film. It's certainly one of the year's best.
