The titular "Magkakabaung" is Randy who works minimum wage as a coffin- maker. This was barely enough for bringing up his eight-year old daughter Angeline as a single parent. Because of his neglect brought about by work demands, he inadvertently causes the death of his daughter. This tragedy plunges him into a mire of confusion, guilt and desperation on how to give her a decent burial.
With that synopsis alone, you know that this is a depressing film to watch. Jason Paul Laxamana wrote, edited and directed this obvious labor of love, giving it a lot of emotional depth. Last year, I was able to see another Laxamana film, "Babagwa." He really has a knack for writing the most thought-provoking films with excellent complexly plotted stories. They both had significant social commentary sprinkled all over them without making these messages too overbearing.
In "Magkakabaung", we will see the problems the indigent face when they have an unexpected death in their families. The scenes in the emergency room with those callous nurses and cashier were so irritating, yet we know these really happen in real life. The scenes where the unscrupulous funeral parlor owner Mr. Canda (Emilio Garcia) and his bone-chilling proposal to a father who just lost his daughter is deeply disturbing.
The acting style was realistic, as if you were looking at real people instead of actors. Allen Dizon effectively essayed his difficult role with a depth he is not really known for before. Having his own real-life daughter Felixia Crysten Dizon play the unfortunate Angeline definitely pushed the right emotional buttons for him to give the best possible and most convincing portrayal of a bereaved father. Emilio Garcia played Mr. Canda with slick sticky sleaze. Gladys Reyes, playing Randy's estranged wife Mabel, as always was so effective with her expressive face. That scene when Randy confronts her for leaving him to raise Angeline alone hit so hard.
While the story was interesting and the story-telling was engaging, I must confess that I did not have an easy time watching this film. The excessive shaky hand-held cam style with rapid shifting that Laxamana employed caused me to be unable to look at the screen directly at many times. I had a vertiginous migraine during and well-after the film. This detracted from my full appreciation of this otherwise excellent film.
