SCHOOL SERVICE
Philippines, 2018, 95 minutes, Colour.
Ai- Ai de las Alas, Joel Lamangan, Joe Gruta, Therese Malvar, Kenken Nuyad.
Directed by Luisito Lagdameo Ignacio.
School Services rather an ironic title. While school Service is printed on the exterior of the bus that the central characters travel in, school service is certainly not what they are offering.
At times this is rather harrowing film about children on the streets of Filipino cities. At the beginning, a little girl is abducted, taken unwillingly to the city by a sinister woman who is controlling the children. The motivation of the woman is rather complex, certainly to gain money, but, along with her somewhat official brother, they are both concerned about their ailing and moody father who is also there for the ride. There are some momentary complications with the driver of the bus in the gay relationship with the brother as well as the violent attack on the father.
However, most of the film focuses on the woman and the range of children that she puts onto the street, coaching them how to bake, especially the new girl that she has abducted and is unwilling. There is a little boys, especially a chubby one who attempts at pickpocketing robbery but is quickly discovered. There are two young teenage girls who are on the street, forbidden prostitution but allowed for blow jobs. Characters of the young children are well delineated and it is continually disturbing to see them begging, being exploited, going hungry, and, to quell the hunger, sniffing in bags, including the newly-abducted little girl.
The film is a tour de force performance for Ai Ai de las Alas, with her discoloured contact lens, her pretending to be crippled, travelling the streets, begging but under threat of exposure by someone who will put her picture on Facebook, trying to get some food for the children.
The film will probably remind a number of audiences of Oliver Twist, the woman as a kind of Fagin combined with Bill Sykes – but not a reminder of the musical, Oliver, and its pick a pocket or two.
While the film ends with a death, the final visuals, as with the opening credits, are of pastel designs, bright and colourful. The contrast with reality.
1. The title? The name on the bus? The externals of the bus? The ironies in the title as regards the children and lack of schooling?
2. The dark tone of the film, social problems, the children, begging, sex activity, exploitation, the abduction of children, being homeless, performance for begging, hunger, no prospects?
3. The end, Maya’s dream, pastels and colour, the pastels of the credits, her dream, the images versus reality? The musical score?
4. The situation, the bus in the countryside, Rita and her sinister appearance and manner, harsh tools the children? Robert? The concern about their ill father? Kiko the driver? The motivations? Abducting Maya, her fears and protests? The other children on the bus?
5. Going to the city, Maya unwilling, her being forced out on the street, her reactions, the other children and their being used to this life? The boys, the older girls, the chubby boy? Life on the street?
6. The father, his illness, Rita and her concern, Robert and the sexual encounter with Kiko? Kiko attacking the father, Robert killing him, lack of phone contact, reunited with Rita, her father present? His callous attitudes?
7. Rita, her age, appearance, harsh, the lens disfiguring her? In the chair, her begging, her performances, the range of people in the streets, passers-by, traffic, some giving? The fat boy and his robbing the wallet and his being found out? The children and the various pleas? The woman attacking Rita, having seen her before, the threat of the photo on Facebook?
8. Hunger, Rita going to the shop, getting the rice and soup, the bag of portions, the children being hungry? The children and appeasing hunger by sniffing their bags? Maya and the solvent and getting high? The effect?
9. The girls, their age, the men approaching, for prostitution, Rita forbidding them except for blow jobs?
10. Robert, upset, coming into the city? Bringing the father? Rita and her quiet and brooding?
11. Rita, training Maya, to beg, critical of her? The other children and their reactions?
12. Maya running, through the city, Rita in pursuit, the accident, her death?
13. The ending and the blend of reality and dream?
