Interview: Lav Diaz – Season of the Devil (Ang Panahon ng Halimaw)

Economically shot by this auteur’s standards (half the length of 2016’s A Lullaby to the Sorrowful Mystery), Lav Diaz‘s just under four opus cleverly utilizes the musical to both recreate and reenact the extrajudicial killings that occurred in Philippines of the late 70s. One of his most straight-forward works to date, Season of the Devil (Ang Panahon ng Halimaw) sees Diaz weaponize his text by creating a dialogue of a different beat for fellow Filipinos. A sort of trojan horse, here the musical sees Diaz personalize his message via poetry as he takes stock of the current Filipino government and the populism that exists within its borders.

While this could overtly be considered a rock-opera, there are next to no musical instruments, while those familiar with Diaz’s cinema we find all of his distinct earmarks: use of wide-screen photography, horizontal long shots and long-takes shots in glorious b&w. Presented in Competition at the 2018 Berlin Intl. Film Festival, I had the chance to sit with the filmmaker and discuss topical items such as the current political climate with a populist government, neighboring Malaysian cinema and the differences in terms of film production, cinema’s role and its effects on public opinion and finally, the opportunities offered by cinema as a political tool.