Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang
Encyclopedia
Weighed But Found Wanting (Filipino
: Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang) is a 1974 Filipino drama film by Lino Brocka
, starring Christopher De Leon
, Hilda Koronel
, Lolita Rodriguez and Eddie Garcia
.
As the movie returns to the present, Kuala wanders about in dirty clothes and with mangy hair. The townsfolk make fun of Kuala. She is pushed into a watering hole and almost drowns.
Bertong Ketong (Mario O'Hara), a leper lonely for female companionship, attracts Kuala with a rattle and takes her to his shack in the cemetery. Junior (Christopher de Leon) makes friends with them, defying the prohibitions of his father, Cesar Blanco, a lawyer and a failed politician.
Junior asks Berto's advice concerning his problems with an eccentric teacher, Mr. Del Mundo (Orlando Nadres), who has a crush on him. Junior has problems too with his girlfriend Evangeline (Hilda Koronel), who flirts with her escort during a Santacruzan. The jealous Junior leaves the procession and seeks the company of Milagros (Laurice Guillen), who seduces him.
The Asociacion de las Damas Cristianas is scandalized to discover Kuala is pregnant. She is forced to live under the custody of the pious Lola Jacoba (Rosa Aguirre). When Berto makes a clandestine visit to Kuala, she tells him of his unhappiness. Berto tells this to Junior, who resolves to help the pregnant Kuala make an escape from Lola Jacoba's house and lead her back to Berto's shack. However, Burto knows she will be taken away and returns her to Lola Jacoba, and promises to retrieve her after she has given birth.
Some nights later, Kuala experiences labor pains. She finds her way to Berto's shack, at which point Berto rushes out to fetch a doctor. When the doctor refuses to help him, Berto takes him hostage but repeats he will not kill him. As Berto flees with the doctor, the doctor's wife shouts for help, awakening the townspeople who rush to follow the fleeing pair. Before Berto and the doctor reach the shack in the cemetery, however, the doctor escapes and a chase ensues. A group of policemen come to the doctor's rescue and shoot Berto. Junior sees this and is shocked; he holds Berto's dead body and cries in front of the whole town.
Junior then enters the shack where Kuala has successfully given birth to a baby boy, but the labor has made her weak. Her thinking becomes lucid, and in her sanity she recognizes Junior and realizes that Berto has been killed. She also recognizes Cesar among the crowd, she asks him why he killed their child, revealing his secret. Kuala then gives her baby to Junior, and dies. As Junior leaves the shack, he stared hard at the townspeople, his parents, his former girlfriend and to everyone who were unkind to him, to Berto and to Kuala. He walks near Berto's body and stops by, as the people look on in silence. Junior leaves the cemetery with Berto and Kuala's baby.
Tinimbang, considered by Lino Brocka as his "first novel" and his first production for his own film outfit, is the story of a young boy growing up in a small town and the unusual friendship he develops with a leper and the village idiot. Their stories draw forth the true nature of hypocrisy in the small town and the boy bears witness and participates in the various emotions that throb under the seemingly quiet village life-prejudice, cruelty, forgiveness, and even love. In Tinimbang, Brocka clearly shows man's limitations as a mortal being, but sends a message of hope for the movie, and in the end, speaks ultimately of rebirth and maturity.
It was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor (Mario O'Hara) and Best Supporting Actress (Laurice Guillen).
Filipino language
This move has drawn much criticism from other regional groups.In 1987, a new constitution introduced many provisions for the language.Article XIV, Section 6, omits any mention of Tagalog as the basis for Filipino, and states that:...
: Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang) is a 1974 Filipino drama film by Lino Brocka
Lino Brocka
Catalino Ortiz Brocka is known as one of the greatest film directors of the Philippines. Brocka was openly homosexual and many of his films incorporated LGBT themes into their often dramatic storylines....
, starring Christopher De Leon
Christopher De Leon
-2007 Elections:In 2007, he decided to run as Vice Governor of Batangas. This claims that if her former on screen partner, Vilma Santos won the governorship, then he might win as Vice Governor. He became the running mate of former police officer Nestor Sanares...
, Hilda Koronel
Hilda Koronel
Susan Reid, who is better known as Hilda Koronel , is a FAMAS and Gaward Urian Award winning Filipina actress...
, Lolita Rodriguez and Eddie Garcia
Eddie García
Eddie Garcia popularly known as Manoy is a Filipino film actor and film director.- Biography :...
.
Plot
The story begins with a flashback of Kuala's past. An herbolario (traditional/folk medicine practitioner) performs an abortion on Kuala (Lolita Rodriguez), as Cesar (Eddie Garcia) watches her. The abortion was a success, but when Kuala sees the aborted fetus, she becomes disturbed. In the next scene, she walks in the middle of a grassy plain, and as the heat becomes more and more unbearable, she becomes insane.As the movie returns to the present, Kuala wanders about in dirty clothes and with mangy hair. The townsfolk make fun of Kuala. She is pushed into a watering hole and almost drowns.
Bertong Ketong (Mario O'Hara), a leper lonely for female companionship, attracts Kuala with a rattle and takes her to his shack in the cemetery. Junior (Christopher de Leon) makes friends with them, defying the prohibitions of his father, Cesar Blanco, a lawyer and a failed politician.
Junior asks Berto's advice concerning his problems with an eccentric teacher, Mr. Del Mundo (Orlando Nadres), who has a crush on him. Junior has problems too with his girlfriend Evangeline (Hilda Koronel), who flirts with her escort during a Santacruzan. The jealous Junior leaves the procession and seeks the company of Milagros (Laurice Guillen), who seduces him.
The Asociacion de las Damas Cristianas is scandalized to discover Kuala is pregnant. She is forced to live under the custody of the pious Lola Jacoba (Rosa Aguirre). When Berto makes a clandestine visit to Kuala, she tells him of his unhappiness. Berto tells this to Junior, who resolves to help the pregnant Kuala make an escape from Lola Jacoba's house and lead her back to Berto's shack. However, Burto knows she will be taken away and returns her to Lola Jacoba, and promises to retrieve her after she has given birth.
Some nights later, Kuala experiences labor pains. She finds her way to Berto's shack, at which point Berto rushes out to fetch a doctor. When the doctor refuses to help him, Berto takes him hostage but repeats he will not kill him. As Berto flees with the doctor, the doctor's wife shouts for help, awakening the townspeople who rush to follow the fleeing pair. Before Berto and the doctor reach the shack in the cemetery, however, the doctor escapes and a chase ensues. A group of policemen come to the doctor's rescue and shoot Berto. Junior sees this and is shocked; he holds Berto's dead body and cries in front of the whole town.
Junior then enters the shack where Kuala has successfully given birth to a baby boy, but the labor has made her weak. Her thinking becomes lucid, and in her sanity she recognizes Junior and realizes that Berto has been killed. She also recognizes Cesar among the crowd, she asks him why he killed their child, revealing his secret. Kuala then gives her baby to Junior, and dies. As Junior leaves the shack, he stared hard at the townspeople, his parents, his former girlfriend and to everyone who were unkind to him, to Berto and to Kuala. He walks near Berto's body and stops by, as the people look on in silence. Junior leaves the cemetery with Berto and Kuala's baby.
Tinimbang, considered by Lino Brocka as his "first novel" and his first production for his own film outfit, is the story of a young boy growing up in a small town and the unusual friendship he develops with a leper and the village idiot. Their stories draw forth the true nature of hypocrisy in the small town and the boy bears witness and participates in the various emotions that throb under the seemingly quiet village life-prejudice, cruelty, forgiveness, and even love. In Tinimbang, Brocka clearly shows man's limitations as a mortal being, but sends a message of hope for the movie, and in the end, speaks ultimately of rebirth and maturity.
Cast
- Christopher De LeonChristopher De Leon-2007 Elections:In 2007, he decided to run as Vice Governor of Batangas. This claims that if her former on screen partner, Vilma Santos won the governorship, then he might win as Vice Governor. He became the running mate of former police officer Nestor Sanares...
... Junior - Hilda KoronelHilda KoronelSusan Reid, who is better known as Hilda Koronel , is a FAMAS and Gaward Urian Award winning Filipina actress...
... Evangeline Ortega - Mario O'HaraMario O'HaraMario O'Hara is an award winning Filipino film director, film producer and screenwriter known for his sense of realism often with dark but realistic social messages. He is of American descent....
... Bertong Ketong - Lolita Rodriguez ... Kuala
- Lilia DizonLilia DizonLilia Dizon is a postwar Filipina actress.-Personal life:She was the only daughter of Regina Dizon, a Filipina, and Abe Strauss, an American of German Jewish descent...
... Mrs. Carolina Blanco - Eddie GarciaEddie GarcíaEddie Garcia popularly known as Manoy is a Filipino film actor and film director.- Biography :...
... Mr. Cesar Blanco - Laurice GuillenLaurice Guillen-Early life and acting career:Guillen studied at St. Theresa's College, Cebu City, before working on a Masters in Mass Communication at Ateneo de Manila University, followed by a television production course under Nestor Torre, in 1967. She then began work as an actress, starring in productions of...
... Milagros - Orlando NadresOrlando NadresOrlando Nadres was a stage, film, television writer, director and actor.He is the son of Igmideo Nadres and Tecla Reobaldo. He attended the Lucena and Tayabas Elementary School, then went to Luis Palad High School where he published his first story in Liwayway...
... Mr. Del Mundo
Awards and honors
The film won six FAMAS Awards out of eight nominations:- Best PictureFAMAS Award for Best PictureThe FAMAS Award for Best Picture is one of the FAMAS Awards, awards given to people working in the motion picture industry by the Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences Award, which are voted on by Palanca Award-winning writers and movie columnists and writers within the industry...
- Best Actor (Christopher De Leon)
- Best Actress (Lolita Rodriguez)
- Best Director (Lino Brocka)
- Best Musical Score (Lutgardo Labad)
- Best Theme Song (Emmanuel Lacaba for Awit ni Koala)
It was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor (Mario O'Hara) and Best Supporting Actress (Laurice Guillen).