Underplayed Gems

Of the Flesh (1983)

Of the Flesh poster
Original title
Karnal
Directed by
Marilou Diaz-Abaya
Genre
drama film
Country
Philippines
Runtime
2h 03m
Rating
6.9 of 10 from 11 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
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How it feels

In 1930s Philippines, a newlywed couple moves to a town with a violent and tragic history. They witness a series of horrific acts carried out by a cruel local figure.

tensebleakatmosphericdisturbingslow-burnvisceraloppressivegrim

What happens

Karnal, internationally titled Of the Flesh, is a 1983 Philippine drama horror film directed by Marilou Diaz-Abaya. It was adapted and written by Ricky Lee from the legal story "To Take a Life" by Teresa Añover Rodriguez and produced by Benjamin G. Yalung. Set in the 1930s, during the American colonial era, it tells the story of a newlywed couple, Narcing (Phillip Salvador) and Puring (Cecille Castillo), who arrive from Manila in the town of Mulawin, a place filled with violent and tragic pasts, a place likened to Hell by its storyteller, played by Charito Solis. Settling in Mulawin, they will witness misfortunes and violence, including rape, incest, parricide, and tyranny perpetrated by the cruel Gusting (Vic Silayan). It was filmed in the provinces of Nueva Ecija and Rizal and the National Capital Region. Ryan Cayabyab provided the musical score for the film and Manolo Abaya, the director's husband, served as the director of photography. It is the third and last film of Marilou Diaz-Abaya's loose trilogy of feminist films, following Brutal (1980) and Moral (1982). These films depicted the feminist issues and concerns, complete with the use of backdrops and metaphors related to the Martial Law era. The film was selected as the Philippine entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 57th Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee. The film has received its overseas release in the United Kingdom on November 23, 1984, as part of the London Film Festival and in Japan on September 14, 2001, as part of the Special Feature of Marilou Diaz-Abaya at the 2001 Fukuoka International Film Festival along with the other films she had previously directed. In 2015, the film was digitally restored and remastered in high definition by the ABS-CBN Film Restoration under the leadership of Leonardo P. Katigbak and Central Digital Lab under Rick Hawthorne and Manet Dayrit. The restored version of Karnal was premiered on August 13, 2015, as one of the special features for the 11th Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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