Essentially a sequel, or a companion one could say to the excellent “A Thousand Cuts”, “And So It Begins” follows the 2022 Philippine Presidential elections, with Ferdinand (Bongbong) Marcos, Jr and former Vice President Leni Lobredo being opponents. At the same time, it also reserves space for the “protagonist” of the previous movie, Maria Ressa.
And So It Begins is screening at Thessaloniki Documentary Festival
In that fashion, the documentary begins with Leni Lobredo's term as Vice-President to Rodrigo Duterte (President and vice-president elections are separate in the Philippines) and the bullying she essentially received from him, with the public speaking scene where both are present, being highly indicative. Nevertheless, and one could say because of this attitude, Lobredo decides to run for President in 2022, and is actually considered one of the favorites for some time, particularly due to her promises to do things rather differently than the autocratic, intensely populist practices of Duterte.
Eventually, though, Ferdinand (Bongbong) Marcos, Jr, son of dictator Ferdinand Marcos, whose appalling practices of violence, including constant Martial Law in the country lasted for 21 years, until the People's Power revolution ousted him, rises as Lobredo's opponent. Following a rather unusual practice, of not appearing in any debates, Marcos Jr eventually rises in popularity, in a concept that also allows Ramona S. Diaz to make a rather pointed comment regarding people's memory, as Marcos's regime seems to have taken an idyllic hypostasis on the minds of the Filipinos.
It also gives the director the opportunity to include Maria Ressa and her continuous struggle for freedom in the courts, and against misinformation, revisionism and the aforementioned oblivion. At the same time, though, this aspect seems somewhat disconnected from the main narrative, to the point that it feels forced at times. Furthermore, it also adds to the duration of the documentary, which touches on the 100 minutes, in a time that could have been spent on some of Lobredo's agenda's more controversial aspects (against same-sex marriage and abortion for example) or even Manny Pacquiao's run, or even the fact that Sara Duterte (Rodrigo's daughter) became vice-president after the particular elections.
On the other hand, the presentation of Lobredo's campaign, with the usual music and dancing, but also the intensely pink colors and the huge crowds on occasion, is rather intriguing to watch. Particularly the panoramic shots of the huge crowd of one of her rallies is one of the most visually impressive scenes in the whole movie. The same applies to Marcos Jr's campaign, where the word impressive can be switched with shocking, particularly regarding how successful his no-show campaign was. The presence of Imelda (Jr's mother, whom Diaz has also shot a documentary for), in that regard, emerges as simply outrageous, especially when one considers her past, and the way she and her husband escaped the country (with a ton of cash in their suitcases).
As such, “And So it Begins” emerges as a mixed bag, as it manages to shed light in the aforementioned campaigns, and parts of local history many seem to have forgotten, but never actually delving deeper, in an approach that borders on the epidermal. Furthermore, the inclusion of Ressa's “arc” seems forced on occasion, to the point that it looks as if Diaz was not sure about the direction her film wanted to take, thus ending up with a level of compromise. The film is not bad per se, but compared to the Filipino's previous works, it is definitely on a lower level.
