Synopsis
In a rural area, a father forces his daughter into prostitution. Somewhere else, two men embark on a quest for a buried treasure.
Florentina Hubaldo, CTE
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Alternative Title
Agonistes
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Going in I hadn't a clue as to what the CTE stood for in the title! Come to find out it stands for CHRONIC TRAUMATIC ENCEPHALOPATHY a progressive degenerative disease resulting from repeated traumas to the head! Keep in mind Florentina Hubaldo in all actuality is not about a young girl per se for she represents the country and its citizenry itself that have taken one too many blows to the head over the past 300 years of suffering and desperation resulting from colonial rule, war, devastating political regimes as well as destructive acts of nature! Knowing this in advance adds a whole new layer to this tragic story of poverty, greed and inhumanity at its worst!
Now you may…
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CTE stands for Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, a degenerative illness linked to repeated blows to the head. The titular character lives a life chained up and abused. It is an examination of a broken woman. Lav Diaz is the master of slow, and Florentina Hubaldo, CTE is about the slow mundanity of evil. It is a film of despair, set on dusty roads and endless vegetation. Beneath both civilisation and nature lies the darkness of man. This is a film which asks where evil comes from. That is always Diaz's fixation and this is one of his best efforts.
Florentina is herded like a goat, taken away to be sold. This film of violent men and forced women draws on a…
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It sounds absurd to entertain the idea of rewatching a film that supposedly requires as much stamina as this, but I feel that when the day comes to take another punt at what very well be Lav Diaz's most 'complete' film, I'll find myself enjoying it even more.
He's essentially offering just another film about a truth many other filmmakers have already proven time and again: life is hard - but his stunning camerawork often elevates this concept to another level entirely, introducing light as a fixture to permeate the shadows rather than the other way around, just as the centerpiece sequences in this film utilize camera movement (a rare technique for a Diaz film) to highlight things that don't…
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”Where does a man's evil come from? Where does a man's violence come from? Where does a man's cruelty come from? Why is there sacrifice? Why is there grief? Why is there sorrow? What is the essence of life in this world? What is the meaning of Florentina Hubaldo and Lolita Hubaldo's life in this world?”
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"Florentina Hubaldo, CTE" is yet another impressive feat by the filipino author. A woman, whose name is Florentina Hubaldo (she will repeatedly reminds us of this), is held captive, beaten, suffers from all kinds of atrocities at the hands of men who see her as nothing more than an object. It is dark, depressing and thought-provoking, with spectacular visual moments. As with other Lav Diaz's films, time is a major element of the cinematic experience. The long hours merge with the black and white and gives us the sense of something really dark and violent.
Indeed, violence isn't there to entertain, nor to provoke. It is not a simple tool, it is a way to capture reality and how rotten it can be.
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It almost feels as if Diaz is telling the story through sound but just like basically simple sound acts so peculiarly, so act the shadows, the camera, the people. What feels seemingly paradoxical for Diaz, the film is told through the action, through the movement - not only because he uses handheld camera but because actors aren't acting but we are simply observing their "squirm".
Once focused on human for long enough, her/his actions become something more, really the interpretation of their personality; the ending feels almost banal for a moment, we keep guessing whether it ends but ultimately Diaz keeps the rhythm up so far that it becomes our rhythm and we forget everything to see everything better through…
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96/100
"I am Florentina Hubaldo.
My father is a monster."Lav Diaz at his darkest and most harrowing is truly a frightening thing to witness. That may sound hyperbolic, considering that the same set of descriptors―bleak, dark, depressing―can be applied to almost his entire filmography, building upon the years of pain and anguish of his people. But Florentina Hubaldo, CTE would definitely stand out from the rest, with its uncompromising depiction of abuse-fuelled trauma as an allegory of the countless years of colonial exploitation suffered by the Filipino natives.
While the name Florentina Hubaldo refers to the protagonist, CTE stands for Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy: a brain condition resulting from repeated blows to the head, leading to dementia, changes in behaviour…
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"I am Florentina Hubaldo. My father is a monster."
Claiming something as “Diaz’s best” is not only high marks, but perhaps the greatest compliment I can give, and Florentina Hubaldo, CTE has earned that title with flying colors. It’s a patient and airy character piece that holds so much weight as this engaging and satisfying experience narratively. It’s this grand, yet subtle, tale headlined by a staggering performance. And as far as performances go, the landscape gives just as grand of one as Hazel Orencio. It’s this brooding and sensual look at this beautiful country and this struggling girl, and in its simplicity it makes for a masterpiece.
Would Recommend!
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A fucking draining film, it takes so much out of you watching it, watching Florentina suffer and a couple of characters engaging in futile searches. There are no easy ways out in this film; even though there's nothing explicit in its portrayal, the fact that we spend that much time with the characters in their repetitive activities is exhausting.Filipinos may have a short memory, but Lav ensures that we remember.
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Those of you who are aware of my hatred towards slow cinema may be wondering why I bothered to watch this. Well, the art of procrastination is one I have studied for many moons, and when it comes to this field, I know no bounds. I would do just about anything to avoid my responsibilities. I must assume Lav Diaz is also a student of this great practice and perhaps did not budget enough time to edit this film. You win some, you lose some.
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What is the scariest film you've ever seen? The most common trait would be to pick a supernatural horror film that haunts you long after the credits roll, but Diaz at his bleakest can turn most of these into laughing stocks and Florentina Hubaldo CTE is an emphatic corroboration of the above statement that can turn your dreams into nightmares. Agonizing reality is always much more terrifying and frightening than fictionalised horror and especially the way Florentina's miserable existence unfolds before your eyes makes it similar to walking with a pebble inside your shoe, with each step it reminds you of it's noxious impact that wears you out and worsen the wounds till you cripple.
"What is the essence of…
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Where does a man's evil come from? Where does a man's violence come from? Where does a man's cruelty come from? Why is there sacrifice? Why is there grief? Why is there sorrow? What is the essence of life in this world? What is the meaning of Florentina Hubaldo and Lolita Hubaldo's life in this world?