Think
of it as A Midsummer Night’s Dream set in Spanish colonial Philippines, but
the forest spirits are very, very angry. Karma is a you-know-what for a privileged
aristocratic family and a wronged feral woman will be the instrument of their destruction
in Adolfo Borinaga Alix Jr’s Mystery of the Night, which had its world
premiere at the 2019 Fantasia International Film Festival.
Without
question, the most striking scenes in Mystery are the opening and closing
shadow silhouette sequences that share a similar aesthetic vibe with the Lion
King Broadway production, except they are considerably darker—of course.
Not
surprisingly, it is all the fault of a hypocritical Spanish priest, who finds
it rather inconvenient when a woman he impregnated starts heckling him in front
of his church before masses. Believing she is insane, the wealthy mayor Anselmo
agrees to abandon her deep in the forest during his next hunting expedition. He
keeps his promise, but he returns home a cursed man—literally.
Years
later, his son Domingo continues the family tradition of journeying into the
forest most of the other Spaniards fear to enter. This time, he encounters the
woman’s feral daughter, who was raised by the mythical spirits and wild animals
of the woods. Her pheromones exert such a powerful influence over him, he
forgets himself with her. He also forgets his wife, making promises to her he definitely
shouldn’t. When his betrayal becomes clear, the forest orphan’s rage will
manifest itself in supernatural ways.
Mystery
is
either hypnotic or sluggishly paced, depending on how indulgent you are.
Visually it is quite striking and the forest setting is so evocative you can
practically smell the underbrush. However, the film practically trips over its heavy-handed
anti-colonialist message. Borinaga Alix and screenwriters Rody Vera and Maynard
Manansala (who adapted Vera’s stage play) completely throw subtlety out the
window.
Still,
there are some cool effects and make-up, particularly the spirit with eyes (that
open and close) all over his arms and shoulders. There are also some really
grotesque bits that will impress gore fans. Above all, Solenn Heussaff really
deserves credit for going all in as the feral woman. It is truly a wildly animalistic
and highly sexualized performance. Frankly, the sum of the film’s parts is
probably greater than its whole.
Arguably,
Mystery is too artsy for its own good. A faster tempo and a little less
sermonizing would bring its message to more viewers. Only recommended for high-end
cineastes, Mystery of the Night had its world premiere at this year’s Fantasia.
