Heneral Luna: The waxing and waning of a hero

“Bayan o sarili?”

This is the question posed to us by Jerrold Tarog’s new film, Heneral Luna, chronicling the rise and fall of one of the greatest military generals in Philippine history. From his success with Sana Dati, an endearing romantic comedy featuring Lovi Poe and Paulo Avelino, Tarog has shown his ability to be simultaneously sentimental and arresting, something once again seen in his latest offering to cinema.

The film is set in the 1890s, with the country on the brink of the Philippine-American War. The narrative is ushered in by General Antonia Luna detailing to a budding Philippine journalist the events that have so far taken place. The film follows Luna’s desperate and controversial attempts at turning the Philippine army from clumsy, half-hearted soldiers to valiant patriots. Luna, imposing hard laws, is portrayed as a general who abhors even the slightest bit of hesitation and cowardice from his troops.

Luna’s strategic genius unfortunately leads to conflicting interests with politicians in the first Philippine Republic, led by Emilio Aguinaldo. There is both a heavy sense of foreboding and struggle that takes place, as Luna tries to uphold the kind of nationalism that began with the first Spanish revolts, and that continued until the Katipuneros’ blood shedding cry for independence.

The historical and modern malady

Romain Gary, a French diplomat, once said, “Humor is an affirmation of dignity, a declaration of man’s superiority to all that befalls him.” But, in the film, buttered humor is used to communicate truths that are relatively tough to swallow. In particular, the film showcases the elitist culture of Filipinos who are itching to get out of their own country.

Tarog comments about how that kind of mentality still persists today. “[People usually say] ‘Ayoko na sa bansang ito.’ Madami ang first reaction nila ay ‘Aalis na ako.’ Instead of people staying here to solve the problem, they want to get out.” In order to reinforce a new sense of nationalism, Henry Hunt Francia, one of the film’s writers, says, “We used a very notorious and very controversial figure to bring out the schizophrenia of our country.” Indeed, the film posits the idea that our greatest enemy is ourselves. In one of the film’s most arresting scenes, it shows Luna’s battered body dragged mercilessly. It is a recreation of Juan Luan’s Spolarium, famous for revealing a certain parallelism between the 1890s and the barbaric slave gladiators of ancient Rome.

The prominent historian, Alvin Campomanes, says, “Sa dedication ni Rizal sa Noli Me Tangere… sinabi niya sa last line na kaya niya sinusubukan na ipakita ang problema ng lipunan [ay] ‘Sapagkat bilang iyong anak, ang iyong mga kahinaan at sakit ay akin din’.” Campomanes once again confronts us with another question. “How many of us will say that? How many us will say, ‘Ganito ang Pilipinas dahil din sa akin’?”

The Philippine hero

There is one notable scene in the film that shows Luna and his troops fighting to protect a province from falling into the hands of the Americans. As the Americans clearly have an edge in terms of artillery, and as more and more soldiers die, Luna surges through the battlefield unarmed in an act of pure desperation. His troops, cowardly hiding behind trenches, are invigorated by this single act of bravery and soon go marching with him.

It was a reckless move that could have jeopardized the whole battle, but it was the first hint of a necessary patriotism that must lie at the heart of every Filipino soldier. It affirms the notion that there is a fine line between bravery and madness. In the film’s context and in Luna’s case, a duality exists – exploring thus what it means to be a hero in Philippine soil.

The question then is, in this day and age, do we need a Luna to set our country straight? Campomanes says, “Our concept of heroism should also evolve. Iba yung panahon ngayon, iba yung panahon na tinugunan nila. Sa prehispanic na panahon, ang bagani or bayani ay isang tagapagtanggol, warrior ang nature niya. Hindi static ang konsepto ng hero. It should address the challenge of each generation. Kay Heneral Luna, malinaw sa kaniya na lagpasan ang sarili at pamilya.”

Challenging the Filipino tradition of regionalism and family, Campomanes adds, “Ang pagiging bayani would not just require defending the interests of yourself and family, but also a bigger community, no matter how abstract it is for you, that is the nation.”

We have heard of stories of soldiers dying valiantly in the throes of war, and Heneral Luna is just one of many films telling this story. Where it stands out is in its stunning theatrical commitment to tell the story of a hero’s death, and beyond that, a country’s own crisis of national consciousness.

UPDATE: This article has been edited for factual inconsistencies.