Ang Damgo ni Elueteria (2010)

Virtuosity in peripatetic filmmaking

By Butch Francisco

The vernacular word tuhog has various meanings. Primarily it means to string together—as in string sampaguita blossoms into a lei. In the culinary world, it means to skewer—as in skewering chunks of meat for barbecue purposes. This must have been what gave the word a salacious definition in Tagalog. In less polite language, this is what we say when a Lothario begins squiring two or more siblings or related individuals (“tinuhog ang magkapatid”).

That is the title of the 2000 Gawad Urian best picture winner, now adjudged by the Manunuri as one of the best of the decade. Tuhog is the story of two women—mother and daughter, actually—who both become wives to the head of the family, a man who shows no compunction deviating from social norms by committing incest. Read complete review

The One Long Shot Hits the Target

By Gigi Javier Alfonso

To be or not to be a mail-order-bride is the decision to be made by Eluteria nicknamed Terya in a film titled Ang Damgo ni Elueteria directed by Remton Siega Zuasola. The film shows a usual situation that many impoverished young Filipinas face when they think of helping out their families better their lives. Working abroad is the primary option. Marrying a foreigner is another option, more especially for those who are not trained for a particular marketable skill or not educated in formal schooling and faced with the lack of opportunity of employment in their remote towns. Leaving the town, your family for better fortune is totally acceptable and perceived to be necessary. And the right to be mobile is a basic right. But why is this an issue up till now. If there are no other options open, if poverty and lack of education are the reasons for leaving then it takes away choices to make… because there is no choice but to leave. Read complete review