directed by Matthew Rosen
written by Janice Y. Perez and Dean Rosen
I could have sworn that I reviewed this film back when I watched it in 2019. Back then I watched it with just one of my children, and we both enjoyed it quite thoroughly, whatever its flaws may have been. I was ready to refresh my imaginary review by posting a link of it on my Facebook feed in view of the incessant chatter surrounding Jerrold Tarog's new film Quezon, a film I distinctly disliked, but to my shock I found that this review only ever existed in my mind.
Well, it's time to remedy that.
Quezon's Game tells the apparently little-known story about how Manuel L. Quezon, President of the Philippine Commonwealth, saved the lives of 1,200 Jews who were fleeing persecution from Nazi Germany back in the 1930s, just before the Second World War broke out. In the film, President Quezon (Raymond Bagatsing) faces the most challenging time of his presidency; the world is on the brink of war, into which the Philippine Commonwealth will undoubtedly be swept up, when he is approached by a Manila-based, Jewish American businessman Alex Frieder (Billy Ray Gallion) with a desperate plea: asylum for Jews seeking to escape persecution in Europe by Germany's Nazi party. It is far from a straightforward task, and Quezon finds himself having to walk a diplomatic tightrope with America, still the ruling colonial power, and even Nazi Germany, which has opened a consulate in Manila. Though Quezon is on good terms with General Dwight D. Eisenhower (David Bianco) and Philippine High Commissioner Paul McNutt (James Paoleli), the challenge of bringing these refugees over from Europe will put their relationship to the test. Standing firmly by Quezon's side are his devoted wife, Aurora (Rachel Alejandro) and his Vice President Sergio Osmena (Audi Gemora).
There's so much to love about this film, helmed by British filmmaker Matthew Rosen. First of all, it is gorgeous. Shot in sepia against the sumptuous backdrop of a beach resort in the province of Bataan containing actual Spanish-era houses and buildings and faithful reproductions thereof, it evokes the atmosphere of 1930s Manila quite vividly. The Filipino actors like Bagatsing, Gemora and Alejandro are pretty much in top form here, inhabiting the real life historical figures they play not as larger-than-life archetypes but as humans, with frailties and doubts, capable of making good and bad decisions but often choosing the latter, especially in the face of such a tense situation.
This brings me to another remarkable point here; with the exception of a very brief scene early in the film depicting a chase between a fugitive and Nazi soldiers, the film is entirely a "talking heads" affair, relying on acting, cinematography and music to generate and maintain the tension that the story demands. The atmosphere evoked by the location and set decoration can only do so much without strong performances driving the narrative, and fortunately, as far as the leads are concerned, the acting is as strong as it can get.
Bagatsing, in particular, truly stands out as the first President of the Philippine Commonwealth and the man who helped usher in the independent Philippine Republic, even though he would never live to see it come to pass. I first saw Bagatsing in a performance of A Streetcar Named Desire way back in 1996, and I feel he was a good choice to play Quezon, with just the right mix of debonair swagger and cautious statesman. I liked how he navigated between the three languages Quezon reportedly spoke the most: English, Spanish and Tagalog. Most of all, I really appreciated the humanity he brought to the character. His Quezon was neither a hero nor was he a villain, but a man with a conscience who was ready to do questionable things to achieve his goals. It helped that the script by Janice Perez and Dean Rosen gave him a lot to work with, but Bagatsing truly made the character his own. It may not have been a 100% true-to-life depiction (no portrayal ever is) and it wasn't punctuated by the histrionics of Jericho Rosales' performance in Jerrold Tarog's film, but it was a deeply affecting turn just the same. Gemora and Alejandro were also outstanding in their respective turns as Vice President Osmena and First Lady Aurora Quezon. The American actors were...competent, which is better than I can usually say about foreign actors in Filipino productions (even though this was directed by an Englishman), though the actor who played the Nazi was simply awful.
If I had any nitpicks, it was with the largely electronic music score, which, unfortunately was a result of the film having a miniscule budget, and, well the score not being particularly good.
Still, the movie was both uplifting and educational, a marked contrast to the highly cynical take on Quezon now playing in cinemas. There are no self-inserts of the filmmakers getting up on soapboxes in the middle of the narrative, and whatever liberties that may have been taken do not feel gratuitous.
The best part of all is that this movie is available to watch, completely legitimately and free of charge on YouTube. I highly urge everyone to check it out.
9/10
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