Edgar Jopson was in his 20s in the turbulent ‘70s, after the swinging ‘60s. He had a great life ahead of him. He lived in comfort, thanks to a father who was a very good provider. Edgar, or “Edjop,” could have made good use of the privileges he was born into. Or, he could have indulged in the psychedelic youth culture of wild partying, drug-tripping, and ending up in a drug rehab.
He chose neither. He eschewed his privileged family background, and dropped out of law school to answer a calling. He wasn’t emulating St. Francis de Assisi. It was the exact secular opposite. He went underground and joined the Communist Party of the Philippines. It was his ultimate goal to put an end to the social injustice in the country. He quickly earned a slot on the enemy’s list of President Ferdinand Marcos. He was killed in 1982. A casualty of his own war against social and political repression, he’s now hailed as a hero.
A movie has been made about him. Filmmaker Katsky Flores has directed and co-written (with Jade Castro) a film bio, with Elijah Canlas in the lead. Simply titled Edjop, the film not only tells the story of a passionate social activist, it also takes us back to an era that looked carefree on the surface, but was boiling underneath.
Before seeing the film I hardly knew anything about Edjop. The film was set at a time he was hiding out in Davao City, when I existed on a different plane with days spent watching Jim Henson’s muppets on Sesame Street. But Katsky Flores and Jade Castro made the film especially for people unfamiliar with him, like me.
Edjob is an introductory course to the man’s life and the struggles the people endured during Martial Law. The film is both riveting and entertaining, not something that feels like obligatory viewing for martial law babies.
We’ve seen the likes of Sister Stella L, Oro Pro Nobis, the musical Katips, and Dekada 70— all recipients of accolades and glowing reviews. Yet they followed one blueprint that tended to be didactic, constantly dour, and impervious to the rest of the world.
Katsky Flores chose to tell Edjop’s story differently. She does show the man going underground and yes, she also filmed the traditional torture scene. But Edjop is not the film’s primary focus. It’s more about his daughter Joyette Jopson (Jodi Sta. Maria).
Like us, Joyette knew very little about Edjop. He died when she was only three, she’d tell curious friends. She imparts this with underlying bitterness and exasperation. He had abandoned his family for a cause she had scant interest in.
Thus little by little, the audience and Joyette learn about him and his motives. Told in non-linear form, we also get to know Joyette, who has become an amazing triathlon athlete. She actually won the Arctic marathon. Much of her own story happens in the 21st century, and it winds up in 2019 when she finally acknowledges her father’s legacy.
In telling his story, Katsky Flores recreates the world Edjop toiled in. Everything looks authentic. Campus life in his high school alma mater is sliced with impish humour, though the Jesuits aren’t be amused. Even then, he already felt compassion for the oppressed, the farmers and even sex workers.
Unlike other films of this sub genre, Edjop makes several cultural references, and this makes the story more accessible to viewers. It’s the K-pop approach, but that’s a good thing.
Production designer Erik Manalo does well in transporting viewers back to the ‘60s and ‘70s. He even uses Cosmos soft drinks as props. Viewers of a certain age will also feel nostalgic, what with the name dropping of the era’s celebrities, from Robert Jaworski to Ursula Andress. The use of colloquial words such as “walastik” adds authenticity to the scenes.
But this is just a minor element of what makes Edjop work. The script captures well the man’s passion and idealism, as well as his imperfections. He could be stubborn and wife Joy (Kakie Pangilinan) at one point accuses him of having double standards when it comes to ideology. That brief confrontation is brilliantly written and splendidly acted.
Flores slickly covers every facet of Edjop’s life. She makes us feel both empathy and anxiety over certain situations. The final moments of her protagonist are skilfully staged. The tension it generates is profound, even if we already know that he will eventually die.
Flores avoids overplaying violence, unlike other films that treat it gratuitously
Flores avoids overplaying the violence, unlike other films that treat violence, especially torture scenes, gratuitously. Flores proves that a director can achieve the same effect without filling the screen with bloodshed. The script gives more focus on human connections, Joyette’s personal struggles and her relationship with her boyfriend, mother (in her senior years played by Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo) and brother (Cedric Juan).
The poignant scenes add an important layer to Edjop’s story. Rest assured, grandstanding is non-existent in this film.
Of course, the heart of the film is molded mainly by the actor in the lead role. Today’s generation has so many talented young actors. Give them good material and they’ll deliver floor-stomping performance. Canlas is always at the top of the game. It helps that I haven’t seen any footage of Edjop in real life, so Canlas, to me, is Edjop. Watch him deliver the activist’s manifesto and you’ll believe it to be the actor’s own words, spoken spontaneously and naturally. He gets the message across effortlessly He doesn’t make it sound like a homily. It takes a very intelligent mind to achieve that level of persuasion.
As the ambivalent Joyette, Jodi Sta. Maria plays the role of a lifetime. She and Canlas have no scenes together but through their individual artistry they manage to build a strong connection between the absent father and abandoned daughter.
I’m looking forward to the next film of Katsky Flores. With Edjop, she’s developed the gold standard in making political films.
