Book Review: Ordinary World by Jose Miguel Arguelles

Ordinary World 

by Jose Miguel Arguelles

Bleak. Dark. Hopeless. These are just some of the words that might come to mind for anyone who reads this delectable collection. I say delectable because I hanker for dystopian themes and stories that depict the folly, vileness and helplessness of man. Whether the stories within the pages exacerbate or take my mind away from the current state of the world is a personal burden, but if one has the stomach and mental strength to take in these stories without sinking and to treat them as such: just stories, then I highly recommend this book. There's humor and romance sprinkled in, if it helps.

The artwork is genius: the front cover is really a "front", and the back cover shows the alternative, rather, what lurks behind the face preferred to be shown to the world.

In the afterword, the author explained how he divided the stories into two parts, with his explanation italicized. Under each part, I rate the stories and give my two cents.

Part One: Their Small Worlds deals with the narrowness of the human perspective. We see ourselves as the small gods of this world, independent of each other. We mostly believe that world events unfold in relation to us. And we use our reason - the so-called God-given light - in order to justify our actions, no matter how twisted they are. It is in this context that I arranged the shorter stories in this collection. They represent very narrow, some would even say short-sighted views in life. We live in a world of instant gratification and alternative facts. We live in a world where we do things without thinking of their consequences. But our small worlds often collide with each other, and when that happens, we either lash out at the other small worlds, or allow our own small worlds to collapse.

The New Normal - 3.5/5 

At first I thought this was a prophetic story about the pandemic but it turned out to be about what happens when repression, frustration, and self-preservation run amok in the mind of an average man. The New Normal is actually about the revision or eradication of morals, brought about by the changing of the times, and in the country, as demonstrated by the seated, the uniformed, and the powerful. In a chilling statement by the otherwise harmless man, overcome by his humiliation and need for release, "Nanlaban eh."

Itch - 4/5

How did the first man and woman discover sex? A funny, quick read involving husband-wife, bird-shapeshifting Creators and a flea. 

Dolorosa - 4.25/5

The title of the story is a giveaway. The theme of this short story is grief. A couple navigates life year by year after the passing of their child. Traumatic events can lead to withdrawal into one's self. The reveal at the end about the extreme measures the man must take to be worthy of his wife's comfort will surely make this story a favorite among readers.

The Lower Half - 3.5/5

A dark comedy. What happens when obsession and horror meet? Snicker-inducing and will elicit serves-you-right quips from the reader.

The Child No One Wanted - 3.75/5

Theme is how both man or monster, devoid of moral code, give weight to need, greed and baser instincts rather than indebtedness and loyalty.

Wake - 4.5/5

About The One That Got Away, and how he/she isn't anymore who he/she used to be, in the worst way conceivable. A letting go that has pragmatism overriding all remnants of romantic feelings. I especially loved the last three paragraphs. I would've rated this a 4 if those weren't the parting statements. Another nod to current events i.e. war on drugs.

The Bus Ride Home - 3.75/5

Religious hypocrisy, self-righteousness and a bus full of demons out to have fun. This is the author's Shake, Rattle and Roll entry, I must say.

The Day After - 5/5

My absolute favorite. What happens when doomsday doesn't come? Your bills unpaid, work presentation undone, with dwindling money in your bank account? The day after: when your world crumbles and rebuilds just as soon. I LOVE IT.

 

Part Two: Our Wide World is the other side of the equation. The stories under this division tackle greater human themes. They also show how people struggle to deal with the outside world as it intrudes into our lives. We can never be safe from the wide world, no matter how cloistered or sheltered our lives are. One way or another, it will come knocking at your door and even if you refuse to open it, it will kick it down and drag you out screaming before it fires a bullet into your head and leaves behind packets of crystal-like substances over your body. That's of course, an extreme metaphor, but it is a metaphor for the times we live in.

Part two is just so darn good. These are the lengthy ones, but the writer made good use of that length.

Homecoming - 4.9/5

The political sci-fi of the lot. The story toys at the possibility of Mindanao succeeding in separating from the rest of the Philippines and establishing itself as a country. Plus an attempt of biological warfare, with an "ally" country backing the mission. With old friends sandwiched in between. This gave me goosebumps because of how it closely resembles what is happening in the world right now, conspiracy theories included. 

Out of Time - 4.5/5

Serves fantasy, thriller and horror genres in one story. It is a nod at an industry that needs a little bit of people's time. The main character hoarded time and became a slave to living forever. But is a long life spent alone worth living? The twist was predictable for me, but still a good story.

Republic - 4.8/5

A jab at how the nation is always in need of the next hero, to lift the country out of poverty, fight crime and corruption, and give hope. Only to be disappointed yet again and left wanting. *cough, cough*

The Last Defender of Earth - 4.8/5

A Japanese superhero grieves the loss of his former partner (both in duty and romantically). I felt good reading this. While sad at the beginning, the resolve the main character had at the end to answer the call of duty gave tones of hope and purpose.

Where Dreams Go To Die - 4.7/5

Supernatural serial killer. Crime meets fairytale. I hate it when almost lovers die in the middle of what could have been a happily ever after. While not my favorite, this left an impression and is a respectable closing story to the collection.

Overall: A collection worth your while. Not sure where it can still be bought as Visprint, Inc. has closed its doors. :( I'm looking for Our Darkest Hours by the same author. Anyone who knows where I can still buy... or who I can borrow it from? 

 Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ 

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Short Film Review: Misteryo ng Hapis

Misteryo ng Hapis (Sorrowful Mystery) by Mark Dela Cruz is set during the pa-siyam (a Filipino traditional ritual of praying for the soul of the dead for nine consecutive nights) of the main character's father. On the last night, the main character Jay (Andoy Ranay), a young and gay stage performer joins his mother in praying for the soul of his dead father for the first time. For every mystery, we are given glimpses of Jay's childhood, his pain emanating from the lashes of his father's verbal assault on his sexual identity. I found his own chant (in Kapampangan) "Why are you crying? Don't weep." as the women prayed the rosary bothering. The strength of this short film is in its atmosphere, softly lit by candles, semi-darkness, theater settings and gesticulations, repeated prayers. The Catholic devotion in full display, to serve a purpose for his father's death no less, was a stark reminder to Jay of his younger years of repressed sexuality to the point that his insides exclaimed, "I cannot breathe. I cannot see. I cannot move." When his mother gave him the mask (at least I think it was a mask) that his father told her to hand over to him, it was evident that he did not come home for years. During those years, his father had learned to accept him, yet Jay's unforgiving heart prevented them to reconcile while he was still alive. The film was too dramatic/artistic for my taste, but it was able to send its message across.

Misteryo ng Hapis was screened during the 2007 (3rd) Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival.

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Short Film Review: Putot (Small Fry)

Putot (Carl Taylan), the titular character, is a young boy who takes care of his mentally ill father while struggling to make ends meet by selling shellfish at an informal settlers colony by the sea. He meets a girl, Mayang (Karen Pilapil), a few years shy of womanhood, and forms a friendship with her. Mayang has secrets of her own that she whispers to the sea. It is implied that she is being peddled by her own mother and abused by her father figure. This short film is a simple presentation of poverty, realistic but without gore, as it wasn't necessary to make it effective. 

Putot is a Visayan term for small. Putot represents the small, marginalized sector of our society, pushed further to the "laylayan" (as popularized by the current VP), even by the men hired to demolish their houses. A scene shows that the demolition was necessary to pave the way for a development project of the then president, GMA. In the end, we are not sure what happened to Putot's father, though it is implied that "he chose to be with the sea". There is also uncertainty in the direction Mayang and Putot are taking in their makeshift raft, but there is comfort and solace in their friendship to make up for that uncertainty.

Mayang's parting line was, “Putot, malapit na ba tayo (Putot, are we there yet)?” Are they going towards the place Putot heard was better to live in? Will they ever get there? The line was a brilliant metaphorical question to the modern day Filipino. Will we ever get there?

Putot won Best Director (Emmanuel “Jeck” Cogama)/Short Feature Category in the 2006 (2nd) Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival.

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Short Film Review: Orasyon

Orasyon (Angelus) by Rommel 'Milo' Tolentino is a tale of a religious widow (Federica Figalan), whose vulnerabilities are stirred at the arrival of a nosy, meddling housemaid (Gloria Austria). Orasyon was presented as a drama-suspense with the widow's nightmares and hallucinations serving as the "horror story" within this sad story of an old woman waiting for her son to come and visit her. Weekly he promises, weekly he lets her down. Daily she goes to church, sun up to sun down she prays and prays. I was so annoyed and disgusted with the housemaid, how she, in her younger age, imposes her opinions on the poor old woman and passes them off as truth. She proves to be a pain in the arse, from rearranging the house furniture to challenging the old woman's belief in prayers and in a higher power. It was unnerving how eventually this affects the already vulnerable mind of the protagonist and I was glad when the maid was finally kicked out. Towards the end, we see that at an unknown point in time (in the past), she almost gave up all hope, in that shed. I'm not sure if this was the dark secret in the summary that I've read from where I watched this, or there was something more that the shed represents, that the son refuses to come home. If not, then this is simply a very sad story of loneliness and abandonment. A good eye opener for all children, especially those with parents who are nearing their twilight years.

Orasyon won as Best Short Feature in the 2nd Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival (2006).

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Short Film Review: Labada, No Passport Needed

Just my two cents on these two funny-in-their-own-way short stories:

Labada by Raz dela Torre

Mylene (Skyzx Labastilla), a part-time helper to Dr. De Jesus, a bachelor, joyfully lives out her roles as wife, mother and helper everyday until her tricycle driver-husband Edong started to act like he's nurturing a double life when he decided to do his rounds at night. Influenced by her friend Susie's (Thess Antonio) stories, (seeing Olga the ihaw-ihaw vendor give Edong free isaw; Susie's mother's never-ending wait for her "husband" which we later find out to be lies to save face; Showbiz' two-timing and bisexual nature brought about by need, a nod at the hush-hush, open secret ways of entering/obtaining projects/maintaining status in show business) Mylene plays Nancy Drew to catch her husband in the act.  

Labada is a light-hearted look at infidelity, implied, assumed or realized. While not really gut-bustingly funny and sometimes bordering on silly, the short film proved its point and the heroine at the end decided that this was a battle she chooses not to fight. I was entertained.

Rating: 4 stars

No Passport Needed by Pepe Diokno

Dexter (Bodjie Pascua) is a fugitive. He pays a businessman to sneak him out of the country, "no passport needed". There was a catch that was easy to predict (or maybe easier these days versus 10 years ago), yet still has shock value. In this dark comedy, the businessman wins it all. I'd try to dissect the metaphor, but I shall stop here.

Rating: 3 stars

Both films were screened and competed during the 2nd Cinemalaya Film Festival in 2006.

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