Kinatay
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''Kinatay'' ( or en, The Execution of P) is a 2009
thriller film Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre ...
directed by
Brillante Mendoza Brillante "Dante" Mendoza (born 30 July 1960) is a Filipino independent filmmaker. Mendoza is known one of the key members associated with the Filipino New Wave. Career He was born and raised in San Fernando, Pampanga. He took advertising ...
and written by Armando Lao. The story is centered on a criminology student (
Coco Martin Rodel Pacheco Nacianceno (born November 1, 1981), known professionally by his stage name Coco Martin (), is a Filipino actor, director, and film producer. He is best known for playing the lead roles in ''Minsan Lang Kita Iibigin'', '' Walang H ...
) who accidentally joins a
syndicate A syndicate is a self-organizing group of individuals, companies, corporations or entities formed to transact some specific business, to pursue or promote a shared interest. Etymology The word ''syndicate'' comes from the French language, Frenc ...
to make enough money for his family, and gets involved in murder and dismembering of an erring drug dealer. The film premiered at the
62nd Cannes Film Festival The 62nd Cannes Film Festival was held from 13 May to 24 May 2009. French actress Isabelle Huppert was the President of the Jury. Twenty films from thirteen countries were selected to compete for the Palme d'Or. The awards were announced on 23 M ...
, where it won the Best Director Award, the first Filipino film to do so, although the film was notorious for being critically panned by critics including
Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...
. The film was included in the 2009 Cinemalaya Film Festival.


Plot

Newly-wedded Criminology student Peping receives a text message from his friend Abyong. He says they need to meet at
Luneta Park Rizal Park ( fil, Liwasang Rizal, es, link=no, Parque Rizal), also known as Luneta Park or simply Luneta, is a historic urban park located in Ermita, Manila. It is considered one of the largest urban parks in the Philippines, covering an area ...
that night. At the park, Peping passes to Abyong
drug money The illegal drug trade or drug trafficking is a global black market dedicated to the cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of prohibited drugs. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types of drugs throug ...
collected by a '' balut'' vendor, but Abyong informs Peping that Kap (or Vic) requires his presence for another "operation". Peping reluctantly agrees and they enter a van parked nearby. He asks Abyong what they are up to but Abyong offers little details. They stop by a night club and Sarge calls for Madonna (or Gina), claiming Kap wants to see her in the van. Inside the van, Madonna gives an alibi to Kap about a certain Franco but is abruptly beaten and restrained with
duct tape Duct tape (also called duck tape, from the cotton duck cloth it was originally made of) is cloth- or scrim-backed pressure-sensitive tape, often coated with polyethylene. There are a variety of constructions using different backings and adhesi ...
. As the van is about to enter the NLEX tollway, Kap calls an unidentified boss who orders them to put down Madonna. Sarge and Chico beat her unconscious and the group believes she is dead. At the expressway, a police car is in pursuit but eventually overtakes and arrests another driver. They stop at an isolated house in a rural town and transport Madonna's body to the basement. Sarge throws a bucket of water to find Madonna still alive. Outside, Peping learns from Abyong that Madonna had a debt of more than worth of drugs. Kap orders him, Abyong and Rommel to buy food and liquor, as the unidentified boss ('Gen') still has a meeting. Inside the van, Abyong tells Peping he also felt nervous for the first time, and hands over to Peping a licensed gun; a gift from Kap and the "cure for nervousness". As they stop by a local store and buy liquor, Rommel tells Peping to buy ''balut'' from the nearby bus station. Peping buys but lingers around the area, eventually entering a bus bound to depart. His phone rings so he makes an alibi of urinating and returns to the van. Back at the house, Kap orders Peping to call for Sarge. Sarge leaves Madonna to Peping, who discovers she has a child. Kap receives a call from the unidentified boss implying that it is time. The men enter the basement room and remove the duct tape from her mouth. Madonna asks for forgiveness from Kap but Kap insists that "business is business" and leaves the room. Sarge begins beating her, but Chico stops him short and says he wants to "do something" first. Outside, as Kap and Peping have a conversation, Chico rapes Madonna, whose cries are heard by Peping. Sarge tells Abyong and Chico to find a
bolo knife A bolo ( tl, iták, ilo, bunéng, pag, baráng, ceb, súndang, hil, binangon) is a general term for traditional pre-colonial small to medium-sized single-edged swords or large knives of the Philippines that function as both tools and weapo ...
. Madonna is restrained and Sarge gives the order to Chico, who stabs her twice in the torso, killing her. Chico chops off one leg as Peping watches in horror. Peping is told to find a sack. Sarge is annoyed by the blunt bolo knife and tells Abyong to find a sharp kitchen knife, which he uses to sever the head. Sarge takes off his bloody shirt and washes in the nearby bathroom. The men transport the dismembered body parts to the van and clean up the blood evidence in the room. Inside the van, the men indiscriminately toss out the body parts at different places along the way. They stop by a local eatery and order food. Peping enters the eatery bathroom and throws up realizing what had just transpired. He heads back to his seat and says he had lost his appetite. He asks Kap if he can leave. Kap tells him that he will get used to it, and hands him some money for his baby's milk. A news reporter is seen interviewing residents about a severed head found in a garbage dump. Peping rides a taxi home as his wife Cecille prepares some breakfast while carrying the baby.


Cast

*
Coco Martin Rodel Pacheco Nacianceno (born November 1, 1981), known professionally by his stage name Coco Martin (), is a Filipino actor, director, and film producer. He is best known for playing the lead roles in ''Minsan Lang Kita Iibigin'', '' Walang H ...
as Peping *
John Regala John Paul Guido Boucher Scherrer, better known by his screen name John Regala, is a Filipino actor, Christian minister and environmentalist. Regala is popularly known for portraying antagonist roles in Philippine movies and television series es ...
as Sarge *
Maria Isabel Lopez Maria Isabel Pagunsan Lopez—Melrod (born 19 August 1957), is a Filipina movie and television actress. Lopez was the Binibining Pilipinas Universe 1982 titleholder and represented the Philippines in the 31st Miss Universe Pageant in Lima, Pe ...
as Madonna/Gina *
Jhong Hilario Virgilio Viernes Hilario Jr. (born August 11, 1976), professionally known as Jhong Hilario, is a Philippines, Filipino actor, dancer, television host, and politician. He is part of the Filipino dance group ''Streetboys''. He is currently servin ...
as Abyong * Julio Diaz as Vic/Kap *
Mercedes Cabral Mercedes Cabral (born August 10, 1986) is a Filipino actress. She is best known for starring in Philippine arthouse and independent films, notably those by Brillante Mendoza such as '' Serbis'', '' Kinatay'', ''Captive'', and '' Thy Womb''. She ...
as Cecille * Lauren Novero as Chico * Benjie Filomeno as Rommel * Allan Paule as Leo


Reception

The review aggregation website
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
offers a score of 71% from seven critics, and a rating average of 5.9 out of 10.
Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...
of the ''
Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the ''Chicago T ...
'' had been one of the film's most notable detractors, writing: "Here is a film that forces me to apologize to
Vincent Gallo Vincent Gallo (born 1961) is an American actor and director. He has had supporting roles in films such as ''Arizona Dream'' (1993), ''The House of the Spirits'' (1993), ''Palookaville'' (1995), and '' The Funeral'' (1996). His lead roles include ...
for calling ''
The Brown Bunny ''The Brown Bunny'' is a 2003 experimental road drama film written, directed, produced, photographed and edited by Vincent Gallo. Starring Gallo and Chloë Sevigny, it tells the story of a motorcycle racer on a cross-country drive who is haunte ...
'' the worst film in the history of the
Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...
."


Awards

*
62nd Cannes Film Festival The 62nd Cannes Film Festival was held from 13 May to 24 May 2009. French actress Isabelle Huppert was the President of the Jury. Twenty films from thirteen countries were selected to compete for the Palme d'Or. The awards were announced on 23 M ...
** Prix de la Mise en Scene (winner) **
Palme d'Or The Palme d'Or (; en, Golden Palm) is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festival's highest prize was the Grand Prix du Fe ...
(nominated) * Sitges International Film Festival **Best Director (winner) **Best Original Soundtrack (winner) * 33rd Gawad Urian na Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino (2010) **Pinakamahusay na Pelikula (Best Film) - winner **Pinakamahusay na Direksiyon (Best Director) - winner **Pinakamahusay na Tunog (Best Sound) - winner *7th Golden Screen Award (2010) **Best Actor (
Coco Martin Rodel Pacheco Nacianceno (born November 1, 1981), known professionally by his stage name Coco Martin (), is a Filipino actor, director, and film producer. He is best known for playing the lead roles in ''Minsan Lang Kita Iibigin'', '' Walang H ...
) - winner **Best Supporting Actress ( Ma. Isabel Lopez) - winner **Best Director (winner) *Gawad Tanglaw (2009) **Best Film - winner **Best Director (Brillante Mendoza) - winner **Best Supporting Actress (Ma. Isabel Lopez) - winner **Presidential Jury Award for Excellence in Acting (Coco Martin) - winner


References


External links

* * * {{Brillante Mendoza 2009 films Filipino-language films 2009 drama films 2009 thriller films 2000s thriller films 2000s psychological drama films Films directed by Brillante Mendoza Philippine psychological drama films Philippine thriller films Philippine thriller drama films Psychological drama films Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Director winners