Itim

Itim (English: Black), released overseas as The Rites of May, is a 1976 Filipino drama thriller film and the directorial debut of Mike de Leon, with a screenplay by Clodualdo del Mundo Jr. and Gil Quito. The film stars Tommy Abuel as a young photographer visiting his father, played Mario Montenegro, in his provincial town during the Lenten season. There he encounters a mysterious woman, Teresa, played by Charo Santos in her acting debut.

Itim
Directed byMike de Leon
Written by
Produced by
  • Severino Manotok Jr.
  • Ma. Teresa L. Manotok
  • Ruben T. del Rosario
Starring
Cinematography
  • Rody Lacap
  • Ely Cruz
Edited byIke Jarlego Jr.
Music byMax Jocson
Production
company
Cinema Artists Philippines
Running time
105 minutes
CountryPhilippines
LanguageFilipino

The Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino (Filipino Film Critics) included the film on their list of the Ten Best Films of the Decade. In 2022, the film was digitally restored, with a subsequent theatrical premier as part of the Cannes Classics section at the 75th Cannes Film Festival.[1]

Plot

The film opens on a séance where an espiritista exclaims that Rosa (Susan Valdez), a missing Catholic nun, is dead. Her younger sister, Teresa (Charo Santos), is uneasy. Their mother asks the espiritista if she can speak to Rosa but is told to wait for Good Friday.

Meanwhile, Jun (Tommy Abuel), a young photographer[2] from Manila, is visiting his mute and wheelchair-bound father, Dr. Torres (Mario Montenegro), in their provincial hometown during Holy Week. Over the course of his visit, Jun photographs various Lenten rituals for the Manila-based magazine he works for.

He comes across Teresa and takes her photograph while she is in a daze. Following this are several chance encounters where she exhibits strange behaviors she does not seem to have control over. Soon, however, they discover that it was not chance but the supernatural that has brought them together.

It is revealed that Teresa is possessed by the spirit of Rosa. The spirit lets out that she was having an affair with Dr. Torres, who forced her to have an abortion, resulting in her death.[2] It was soon after that incident that Dr. Torres was involved in a car accident that left him mute and paralyzed. After revealing what happened, Rosa exacts her revenge, causing Dr. Torres to fall down the stairs and die.

Cast

Production

Development

I got interested in doing a film that used a camera to tell a story with one character, no dialogue and just sound effects. One thing I liked about Blow-up was the idea of existential alienation. Monologo was a ghost story. The character takes photos and he does not realize that he has photographed a ghost or a presence in his own house. I mean, his camera saw it but he did not. That kinda blew my mind.

– Mike de Leon in a 2022 interview[4]

Originally a cinematographer, Mike de Leon was known for his award-winning work on the 1975 film Manila in the Claws of Light, which was directed by Lino Brocka.[5] Although de Leon did not initially set out to become a director, following Manila, he made the short film Monologo (Monologue). This would serve as a turning point, the experience piquing his interest in directing. Brocka, who de Leon worked with on Manila, was the first person to view the rough cut of Monologo. He subsequently encouraged de Leon to pursue directing.[6]

De Leon has described Itim as an offshoot of Monologo, which was a ghost story and homage to Michelangelo Antonioni's 1966 thriller Blow-up. De Leon said he was also inspired by the ghost stories of Lafcadio Hearn.[4][7]

Pre-production

Initially, de Leon was interested in casting big name actors, as was the convention at the time, but he realized that this was unreasonable given their budget. Instead, the production was risked on newcomers, including Charo Santos and Susan Valdez.[4]

After winning the Baron Travel Girl beauty pageant, Santos, then a college student, was noticed by Brocka, who was helping de Leon find an actress to star in his film. Brocka referred Santos to de Leon and a screen test was arranged. Following the screen test, Santos was offered her first acting role with Itim.[8] The film also served as the acting debut of Susan Valdez, albeit in a non-speaking role; prior to the film, Valdez was known as a commercial model. The more seasoned Mario Montenegro and Mona Lisa were cast due to de Leon's familiarity with them as actors of LVN Pictures, which was formerly run by de Leon's grandmother Narcisa de Leon. Meanwhile, the main role of the photographer was given to Tommy Abuel, who de Leon worked with on Manila in the Claws of Light.[6]

Release

Restoration

Although the Asian Film Archive offered to fund the digital restoration of Itim, delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic led director Mike de Leon to fund the restoration himself. The restoration was done by L'Immagine Ritrovata, the same film lab de Leon worked with for the restoration of his films Batch '81 and Kisapmata, as well as for the restoration of Manila in the Claws of Light.[9]

On May 20, 2022, the restored version premiered at the 75th Cannes Film Festival as part of the Cannes Classics section. It was personally introduced by Cannes Delegate General Thierry Frémaux.[9][10] The restored version had its Philippine premiere at the 10th QCinema International Film Festival.[11]

Reception

Upon release, the film was a commercial flop, running for only one week.[5]

Pio de Castro lauded Itim in a contemporary Times Journal review, writing that the film was enigmatic, technically excellent, and "the touchstone against which all other films of 1977 will be gauged."[5]

Accolades

At the 1978 Asian Film Festival, Itim was awarded Best Picture, and Charo Santos was recognized as Best Actress. In addition, the film received four Gawad Urian awards: Best Cinematography, Best Music, Best Editing, and Best Sound.[1]

References
  1. Luna, Sicat; Gatchalian, Elmer (2022) [1994]. "Itim". Cultural Center of the Philippines Encyclopedia of Philippine Art.
  2. Yeatter, Bryan L. (2007). Cinema of the Philippines: A History and Filmography, 1897-2005. McFarland & Company. p. 150. ISBN 978-0-7864-3047-5. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  3. Sagisag (in Tagalog). Research and Analysis Center, Department of Public Information. 1976. p. 56. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  4. Pavan, Benoit (March 19, 2022). "Itim, Mike De Leon's esoteric and oppressive deep dive". Cannes Film Festival. Archived from the original on April 6, 2022.
  5. Campos 2006, p. 39.
  6. Napales, Ruben (May 11, 2022). "[Only IN Hollywood] Mike de Leon on 'Itim' premiering in Cannes almost 50 years later". Rappler. Archived from the original on March 21, 2023.
  7. Sison 2019, p. 41.
  8. Ang, Raymond (October 1, 2016). "Charo, reborn". The Philippine Star. Archived from the original on December 22, 2021.
  9. Hunt, A.E. (June 9, 2022). "EXCLUSIVE: Mike De Leon on the newly restored 'Itim'". CNN Philippines. Archived from the original on March 15, 2023.
  10. Ng, Scott (May 23, 2022). "'Itim' director Mike De Leon says he's "utterly humiliated to be a Filipino" following Bongbong Marcos election win". NME.
  11. "Digitally restored 'Itim' to screen at QCinema Int'l Film Festival". Rappler. November 14, 2022.

Works cited
  • Campos, Patrick (2006). "Looming Over the Nation, Uneasy with the Folks: Locating Mike de Leon in Philippine Cinema". Humanities Diliman: A Journal on Philippine Humanities. 3 (2): 35–73.
  • Sison, Antonio (2019). "Surrexit... She Has Arisen: The Rites of May and the Folk Catholic Imaginary". Situations. 12 (1): 33–52.
  • Vibal, Gaspar; Villegas, Dennis (2020). Philippine Cinema, 1897–2020. Vibal Foundation. ISBN 978-971-97-0717-2.
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