Forget-Me-Not! The Filipino Independent Film: A Synopsis and An Insight

The "Flowers of Heidelberg"

FORGET-ME-NOT: THE FILIPINO INDIE FILM.

This post wasn't really supposed to be here in the first place. It was written as a project for the author's project in Humanities 100. But anyway, the author thought you'd like it.

If you haven't viewed the movie yet, the author suggests that you watch it. It contains most of the Filipino views in life, and the struggle between need and want. 

Summary of “Forget Me Not”

            The indie film, as far as I’m concerned, was completely unrelated with Dr. Jose Rizal’s own portraying novel, “Touch Me Not”. Although the title (“Forget Me Not”) manifests a certain flower of significance in Dr. Rizal’s vivacity, I was indeed surprised to know that the movie wasn’t concerned with our national hero’s life. The “Flowers of Heidelberg”, as poetically expressed by Dr. Rizal, were in fact the same flowers that were told of a tale by Karla to her boyfriend, Bobby. It was said that one day, a knight and a princess was walking down the river. Suddenly, the knight had caught sight of such flower that was of blue essence, and it seemed to him fitting to be given to his love. As he bent down to pick the flower, his heavy armor had weighed down on him too much that he was unable to get up, and he fell to the river. He drowned, but before he had his life taken from him, he was able to throw the flowers to his princess. At a snip of time, he told her in a yell, “Forget me not!” and that is how the flower was named.

            Now, enough of this fine observation I had made. I am here to fabricate a synopsis of the indie film “Forget Me Not” directed by Deo Fajardo and produced by singer Claire de la Fuente. The film is a non-linear type, where the story does not go directly with the flow. Instead, it leaves the audience guessing how the story goes. Parts of it are at the beginning, when it is actually supposed to be at the middle, and vice versa. This makes an interesting perspective, yet again another successive feat in the Philippine movie industry.

            Basically, skipping the intro, the movie starts with a teen, named Jenny, an arrogant, egotistic, stuck up mademoiselle who has absolutely no respect for her mother. She is with Karla, her schoolmate, the friendliest in their school, the most acquainted of all of them. She (Karla) is presuming her (Jenny) faith in the far future using gambling cards, which to my surprise; they are not using Tarot cards. Karla said that Jenny will marry a fine, rich man, and they will have five kids. Jenny responded promptly with her atrocious voice, again another complain, again another ill-mannered content.

            After such playtime, Jenny’s mother came to pick up her daughter.  As soon as they come home, the self-important lass begins to grumble and moan about how their life has always been accustomed to being poor while her aunts are in America, how her mother has debts all over, and how she still doesn’t have a gown for her prom. It was very degrading of her to utter such language to her mother who had strived hard to attain such life. It is seen in her mother’s face, that she (Jenny’s mother) felt the pain that her daughter’s words had inflicted upon her delicate heart.

            Perhaps mother’s intuition is the best foreseer. Even though the fat, old forbearer was hurt by her daughter’s sharp pronouncement, she had given Jenny a gift, a gown – a pink, dazzling, dress. For this, Jenny should be thankful. But her ego is still domineering, as she snaps back that the fine dress was just bought from a thrift shop, that it was cheap, it was not of great deal to her. Her mother immediately said that it was from her aunts in America.

            At hearing this statement, Jenny immediately tried on the dress. But as soon as she had tried it on, she fainted into a deep slumber.

            In her slumber lies a vision that had held her captive for 10 minutes. She was woken up by an albularyo. She told them about her vision; she had seen the she was being chased by someone she did not know. She was running around frantically away from that man, she was afraid of him.

            The albularyo and Jenny’s mother had come downstairs to talk about private matters pertaining to the lass’s condition. It was bad news. Her daughter had something that we call “third eye”. She could see things that we cannot see. She could see the past clearly, and she could see the future, too. It was scary to note that she could see ghosts and other ethereal beings, because Filipino haunted stories had always talked about powerful witches and emulsifying ghosts.

            After that certain evening, the next scene displays Jenny entering the school. She lethargically climbs up the school’s stairs while every single student looks at her with great agitation and angst. Evidently, Captain Rocco, the captain of the police headquarters, had come to the school to investigate and to inquire any knowledge about what had happened to Karla and her family.

            Karla was the kindest, the most affectionate, and the most unselfish in their academy. There was indeed no way that people in their alma mater had murdered their family. Captain Rocco had come to Jenny’s class to talk about matters, to see if anybody had information about the annihilation of the victims. Bobby, who was Karla’s sweetheart, immediately walked away the room, teary-eyed and broken.

            Jenny found him crying by the limp. She offered him tissue to wipe off the tears in his eyes, yet Bobby refused at her. He scornfully rejected her help, and she walked away with sadness in her heart.

            I was at an odd thought when I watched the next part, because the scene portrayed later that night; Jenny and Karla were walking down to the former’s house. They were chatting about what had happened to Bobby, and how much Bobby was a crybaby.

            At this time, I was already confused, since I suspected already that Karla was probably dead, together with her family.

            Captain Rocco visited the home of the rather “homo” dress designer Jojit Aquino. The captain also informed him of the manslaughter, and told Jojit that he should call him when he knows something about the case.

            At the exit of the captain, Jojit immediately backfired. He was sweating, not knowing what to do. He was furiously agitated. He flashed back at the time when he was with Hitler, the mastermind of the murder of Karla’s family. Jojit was Hitler’s toy, for Hitler knew Jojit “swings both ways”, and he was part of the crime. I am not pertaining to Adolf Hitler, the great picture of inhuman dignity, but I am referring to a lad who was named Hitler too, but he kidnaps, steals, and kills for a living.

            Jojit was the one who had made the pink dress – the same dress that had been “gifted” from Jenny’s aunt. To explain this, I will cut, compress, and combine all the flash backs of Jenny’s mother and Jojit in the scene.

            Before the murder was successful, Jojit Aquino had fashioned a dress for Karla. Of course, it was an elegant dress; of pink endeavor, and glittering pageantry. It was ordered by Karla’s mother, for her daughter’s upcoming debut.

            Naturally, the scene began with Jojit, who was late for the dress’ delivery. He had come to Karla’s home, reasoning that he was in traffic, and that he was nearly hit by a car. Then came Karla’s mother, who was grouching in displeasure of Jojit’s failure to arrive on time.

            Jojit immediately showed his affection for her, and he kissed her in the cheek, apologizing, and taking into account that the tailored dress was “one of a kind” and that it “cannot be matched” by any dress, then came from upstairs Karla’s father, who, too, was fond of Jojit’s tardiness. They were in cheerful interlude with each other.

            Meanwhile, upstairs, Karla was busy with her cards. I was terrifically surprised at such portray, because she was pursuing the act of black magic, as if summoning the devil, acknowledging herself as an apprentice of the demon. She was being inquired by her mother, and soon enough, her mother had come bursting through the door, and she was furious at the sight of the cards, lined “666”. She was demented at discerning such ritual; so mad was Karla’s mother that she had turbulently thrown the cards away, and she cussed that she should never see Karla in possession of such ordinance.

            Karla went downstairs with her mother, and she was in a bereaved mood. However, upon seeing the dress, her heart bounced with effervescent joy, and she was happy at such sight of the outfit.

            Later that day, Jojit and Karla’s mother had a private chit-chat with each other upstairs. Karla’s mother was astounded by Jojit’s excellence; hence, he was given a bonus by Karla’s mother.

            Unknowingly, Jojit sneaked upon the host’s room, and saw that Karla’s mother had hid all their money in a safe behind a cabinet. He quickly sat down from where he came, and kept his mouth shut.

            Little did Karla’s family know, that they were in danger, for a friend was not as it seemed. Jojit was part of an evil plan; and the family never even knew what hit them.

            Jojit reported to Hitler and his accomplices. Jojit was Hitler’s past time, but Jojit loved Hitler. Jojit did everything Hitler wanted him to do; he couldn’t refuse, so he agreed to be part of Hitler’s diabolic plan. And so, Jojit narrated how the house looks like, as if doing an inside job, and how to get past the security, and where the safe was located.

            Later that evening, the plan was carried out. Hitler and his men made their move; getting past the security and killing the maids within the vicinity. The whole family was murdered, and Karla was even raped by Hitler.

            It wasn’t worth the effort, for no money was seen in the family’s safe. Hitler and his men immediately escaped. Jojit, who was also in the break-through, grasped the dress from Karla’s hands. However, Karla wouldn’t give up the dress – yet she was dead, but her soul seemed to still be clutching her outfit. It gave me goose bumps to see that Karla was refusing her dress to be reclaimed by the designer.

            After their escape, Jojit had probably thrown away the dress, since a group of children found the dress in a dump site. And the dress was given to a seller in a thrift shop. And Jenny’s mother, who lied to Jenny after all this time, discreetly bought the dress from the actual thrift shop, not knowing that the dress belonged to a soul bereaved of captivity.

            And so it was that the murder was done by Jojit and his love, together with his apprentices.  And now that the movie’s thought was complete, it was Karla and Jenny’s turn. It was time for payback.

            Before the evening of the promenade, Jojit and Hitler had a little argument. Jojit was unable to hide his secrets anymore. He confronted Hitler telling him that his conscience cannot carry out the plan anymore. He couldn’t do it. Hitler, However, spat back Jojit and punched him, slapped him. Little did Hitler know that Jojit was seeing Karla’s ghost, and he was begging Hitler to discontinue the plan.

            The gay dress designer had no other option but to subdue himself to Hitler’s beating. To his surprise, Karla’s ghost was offering him a way out. The ethereal being was giving Jojit a scissor, and when Jojit had enough of Hitler’s fury, he launched at him, stabbing him multiple times.

            Jojit was now out of his sanity. He stabbed his one and only love, and now he had no choice but to confess to Captain Rocco what happened. He was sorry, yet he couldn’t be of any better than this.

            It was prom night, when Jenny had agreed to let Karla take her body, just for this evening. They had planned everything out. They had talked about this before. There is no “backing-out” this time, because this was for Bobby, Karla’s boyfriend, and whom Jenny also admired so much.

            At the proclamation of Bobby and Jenny’s crowning of King and Queen of the Prom, Bobby was silently carried off outside by Hitler’s men. In this scene, Karla immediately scared everybody off the party, and everybody went staggering out of the prom, in fear of Karla’s ghost.

            But it was too late; Bobby was already kidnapped by Hitler’s men.

            So Karla left Jenny’s body. And Jenny fainted, out of exhaustion, from the entire phantom’s pursuit.

            As Hitler and his men were making their great escape, they were chattering with each other, saying that they scored “big-time”. At a frightening second, Karla’s ghost showed up beside the driver, and the driver was horrified to see the monstrosity beside him. His reflexes were prompt to tell him, shoot the ghost. But once he shot Karla, the ghost had suddenly disappeared, and the one he actually shot was his friend.

            Out of sheer terror, he drove fast, thinking that he could escape the ghost. Even so, the ghost haunted him. It appeared in front of the car, and the car skid out of the road, crashing into a tree, killing him.

            Karla, who was teary eyed, went immediately to her love. She kissed his hand, knowing that he is now far from trouble. She loved him so much; so much that she couldn’t bear to leave the world without knowing that Bobby was impervious and free from danger.

            And that is where the movie ends. Captain Rocco had found Bobby, and Jenny had waked up, with tears and sadness, knowing that life is not just about material things, but it is more of giving worth to those things that seemed immaterial.

Critique of the Indie Film “Forget-Me-Not”

            After such long prudence, I can finally give my say about the suspense and rectifying movie, “Forget-Me-Not”. I have already had the hobby of watching indie films long before I have even been making critiques about them. So, without further ado, I give you my own thought of the indie.

            First and foremost, the title of the movie was exquisitely admirable. It forebodes, “Do not forget me, ever!”, as if Karla was making her last statement to Bobby. Although the title does conflict with Rizal’s life, “Forget-Me-Not” does sound as an appropriate title, especially when pertaining to the blue flowers of Heidelberg. These flowers, whom even I have seen blooming during my visits in Baguio before, were pleasing to the senses, and amiable to my delicate eyes. And such tale of the said flowers told by Karla to Bobby was dainty enough to make the whole indie film seem sensible and commendable to the eyes of the Filipino masses.

            Secondly, I’d like to point out the excellent choice of characters, in which Jenny was portrayed by the one and only Jodi Sta. Maria, a fine, dashing, young lady who was perfect for the role of an egomaniac, self-admiring, stuck-up little hag who cares only for herself. Her perseverance in the film will always be greatly admired. With that, all the characters, especially Karla and Jojit, were greatly portrayed; Karla as a ghost who seeks justice and safeness for her loved one, and Jojit who cared too much for Hitler, he who he loved so much, that his sanity drove him away to kill him in such awful manner of stabbing.

            I would also like to point out how the cinematography of the movie was done. It was good, but not excellent. It was in high definition, actually. I noticed it, since I have been making 1080 pixel videos before. The handling of the camera lacked sturdiness in some scenes, and the cutting of parts were rather unsatisfying for me. But by far, it is one of the best Filipino indie films I have ever watched

The place where the film was…well…filmed, was directly appropriate to the story. However, the problem sometimes is the annoying sound of the wind during some scenes portrayed at sea side. The use of a specialized microphone could’ve aided such parts of the movie, and could have made the aesthetic value of the film more pleasing. I hope that in the near future, indie film makers could afford to use a microphone that would be cheap enough for such purposes.

Also, the use of visual effects in the indie film did not suit the reality at all. It reduced the movie’s indicative appreciation, and it was a rather big step back from the entire excellence. The editors could’ve made the effects a little more realistic, rather than just an effect out of the easy pick. But nevertheless, even I could never obtain the skill to make such visual entertainment, so who am I to say that it was cheap. Next time, the visual artists should’ve made it more causal and not that obvious.

The mood of the story really caught my attention. The choice of music used, the black-and-white effects, the sepia effects, and then the non-linear style had me chained to my seat while I was holding on to my girlfriend’s hand for dear life. As you know, I am a person who definitely hates suspense and horror movies, but this one had me right in the spot.

Next in line for my judgment, is the movie’s learning method. As said by singer Claire de la Fuente, “The film is about greed, ambition, murder and revenge.” The movie does not let the audience be spoon fed, but it lets the audience think what was going to happen next, and why does this certain thing happen. This is an excellent choice of style, especially when filming horror or suspense genres. My seatmate, when we were watching the movie, was especially drastic of thought. She kept asking me questions, like, “Bakit ganun? Eh akala ko patay na siya?”, “Eh bakit parehas ata sila ng dress kanina?” I wasn’t annoyed by this, because this is usual in those people who are not so fond of watching horror movies. But I did told her to “Manahimik ka lang kasi! Kakulit nito! Manuod ka lang oh. Basta!”

The movie’s content was, for me, one the best there is. The learning process of the movie showed that Filipino indie film makers also have the capacity to compete with other international films. The movie’s lesson of giving worth to intangible things (eg. Love, hope, satisfaction) is more important than giving worth to tangible objects (eg. A pink dress, a boyfriend) is directly given to the audience – it was straight to the point, nonetheless.

Overall, if would rate the movie 1-10, 10 being the highest, of course, I would rate it a 7.5.

Synopsis and Critique made by mnmniac

A freshman student of Central Luzon State University

An aspiring biologist

And a writer who will never frown upon his kin