LAST Friday, I was invited to join an online panel of reactors to the movie "Tao Po," directed and performed by Mae Paner and written by Maynard Manansala. The movie, which was screened under the auspices of Cinemalaya, is a version of the play of the same title which was performed in many venues both here and abroad.
The movie version told the same narrative about the inhumanity of extrajudicial killing (EJK) through the monologues of a nightcrawler whose beat included shooting images of victims of summary killings and executions; a zumba instructor who witnessed the execution of her husband and son by the police; a hired killer cum policeman often contracted to kill petty criminals, drug pushers and addicts; and an orphaned girl who saw her parents die in front of her as they were summarily killed by authorities. These characters were composites of real people, all poignantly played by Paner, who gave justice and life to their narratives, brilliantly given meaning by the words written by Manansala.
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