FILMS/
TULI
New Directors
Philippines, 2006, 113 minutes
SHOWTIMES
Sat, May 5 / 02:45 / SFMOMA / TULI05S
Mon, May 7 / 05:30 / Kabuki / TULI07K
Wed, May 9 / 12:45 / Kabuki / TULI09K
CREDITS
- dir
-
Auraeus Solito
- prod
-
Vincent Del Rosario, Veronique Del Rosario
- scr
-
Jimmy Flores
- cam
-
Nap Jamir, Mark Gary, Regiben Romana
- editor
-
Jeremiah Domingo, Clang Sison, Jordan Arabejo
- mus
-
Pepe Smith
- cast
-
Desiree Del Valle, Carlo Aquino, Vanna Garcia, Bembol Roco, Eugene Domingo, Ama Quiambao
- source
-
Digital Viva, Viva Productions, Inc., 7th Floor, East Tower Philippine Stock Exchange, Exchange Road, Ortigas Center, Pasig City 1605, Philippines FAX: +632-687-1849 EMAIL: vdr@viva.com.ph
A child’s hands are plucking leaves; an adult’s hands are sharpening a stake. On the banks of a creek, a village mangtutuli is preparing to circumcise a group of young boys while Daisy, his daughter and reluctant assistant, gathers painkilling guava leaves for the boys to chew during the rite. Tuli is a fable of tradition and nonconformity set against the lush colors of the Filipino countryside. In the remote village where Daisy lives with her parents, the gritty realities of life are overlaid with Catholic rites, mysticism and romanticism. Magic talismans are passed from generation to generation, Lent is commemorated with flagellant processions, and young men court girls with evening serenades. Daisy’s father, however, is drunk and abusive, and she grows into a sharp-tongued, angry and skeptical young woman whose plans don’t include marrying the boy her father has chosen for her. Director Auraeus Solito captures the beauty of the Philippines without glossing over the sordidness, narrowness or personal tragedies of small town life. This is a story about misfits—Daisy, her amorous best friend Botchok and the gentle, uncircumcised Nanding—finding their place in a community that may take some convincing to make room for them.
—Pamela Troy
West Coast Premiere.