#23 Weighed

"Lino Brocka made the film Tinimbang (Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang, literally "You were weighed but found wanting") in 1974. Its release signaled a new phase in the career of the young director, who was only 35 years old when the film was made. After training in theater, Brocka began his movie career by directing his first feature film, Wanted: Perfect Mother, released in 1970. This film was based on a popular comic book that told the story of a widower and his children who decided they needed a new mother to replace the one they had lost. Since making this film, melodrama became his preferred genre, growing darker over the years as his films addressed political themes, as society underwent the harsh conditions imposed by military repression. That said, Brocka never abandoned his obsession with melodrama, his preferred genre. He directed more than a hundred films, many of which pandered to the tastes of the general public, while some, more politically engaged, dealt with politics and social change, thus forming his lasting legacy to Philippine cinema.

At the time Brocka entered the film industry, cinema was one of the main forms of entertainment for Filipinos. Television was just beginning to appear in homes and radio offered only limited entertainment. For many Filipinos, especially those living on the many isolated and scattered islands of the Philippines who could not afford to go to the cinema or own a television set, printed comic books were a source of cheap entertainment. They were enjoyed by a multitude of avid readers across the archipelago. They offered momentary distraction to the poor through their illustrated images, allowing them to escape from the difficulties of their daily lives. Comic books were the cinema of the poor, even if the images did not move. But the drama unfolding on the pages touched countless readers, as the stories brought them fantasy, laughter, drama, horror—anything to escape into an imaginary world. The stories in these widely-read comic books closely paralleled the growing popularity of cinema, akin to film genres such as melodrama, action, comedy, thriller, etc. It was into this visual culture that Brocka immersed himself when he turned to the world of cinema. He armed himself with this popular entertainment to embark on his cinematic adventure. He clearly wanted to belong, and if that meant immersing himself in the popular media that fueled the collective imagination of the time, he did not hesitate for a moment to do so. By making this film, he brought to life the still images printed on a page and animated their drama on the big screen with enthusiasm and vitality, true to the melodrama that would become the cornerstone of his dramaturgy. With the great success of his first film, Brocka embarked on a journey that made him the country's most celebrated filmmaker."

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WEIGHED BUT FOUND WANTING
(Tinimbang ka ngunit kulang) directed by Lino Brocka

"A cinema in the shape of society"

by Nick Deocampo

Lino Brocka made the film Weighed but Found Wanting (Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang) in 1974. Its release signaled a new phase in the career of the young director, who was only 35 years old when the film was made. Earlier bred in theater, Brocka began his movie career by directing his first feature film, Wanted: Perfect Mother, released in 1970. It was a film based on a popular comics drama about a widower and his children who decided a new mother was needed to replace the lost one. Since the time he made the movie, melodrama became his trademark genre, growing darker in the coming years when themes of his movies became political as his society endured the harsh conditions brought about by military repression. This said, Brocka never left his obsession with melodrama as his genre of choice. He did more than a hundred movies, many of them pandering to popular audience taste with a few of his committed films taking up politics and social change as his lasting legacy to Philippine cinema.

The time Brocka entered the movie industry, film was a major entertainment for Filipinos. Television was still making its way into households and radio offered limited diversion. For many Filipinos, particularly living in the many remote, scattered islands in the Philippines who could not afford to go to the movies or own television sets, the printed comics were a source of cheap entertainment. They were enjoyed by a mass of avid readers across the archipelago. They gave momentary distraction to poor folks through the illustrated images that allowed them to escape from the hardships they bore in daily life. Comics provided a poor man’s cinema, no matter if the images did not move. But the drama on the pages were moving countless readers as the stories brought them fantasy, laughter, drama, horror, anything to escape into a world of imagination. The stories in the widely- read comics compared strongly to the growing popularity of the movies, approximating film genres like melodrama, action, comedy, thriller, and the like. It was into this visual culture that Brocka dipped his fingers when he aimed his way toward the movie world. He armed himself with a poor man’s entertainment as he embarked on his film journey. He clearly wanted to belong, and if it needed for him to immerse into the popular media that captured the national fantasy at the time, he did not have any second thoughts in doing it. By making the film, he gave life to the still images printed on a page and animated their drama on the big screen with gusto and vitality, faithful to the melodrama that would become the cornerstone of his dramaturgy. With the big success of Brocka’s first film, he took on a journey that made him the country’s most celebrated filmmaker.