"Sa Kabila ng Lahat" (1991)
Viva Films
Release Date May 15,1991
Story and Screenplay Roy Iglesias
Film Editor George Jarlego
Production Design Benjie de Guzman
Cinematography Clodualdo 'Ding' Austria
Musical Director Jaime Fabregas
Produced by William Leary
Supervising Producer Eric Cuatico
Executive Producer Vic del Rosario, Jr.
Direction Lino Brocka
Cast Dina Bonnevie, Tonton Gutierrez, Nanette Medved, together with Ronaldo Valdez, Mark Gil, William Lorenzo and Celeste Legaspi/ Also Starring Joonee Gamboa, Gamaliel Viray, Menggie Cobarrubias, Rey Sagum, Richard Poole/ Featuring Angelique Lazo, Rafael 'Apa' Ongpin
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Synopsis: In the annual television awards ceremony, Maia Robles’s (Dina Bonnevie) hard-hitting documentary program, “Punto Blanko”, receives an award. Her sidekick and admirer, Mike Serrano (Tonton Gutierrez), is proud of her victory. On their way back to the station, they stumble upon a police cordon. A Chinese currency smuggler is being kept hostage by two gunmen. The mayor is trying to intercede for his safety.
Actually, the two gunmen are bodyguards of Ben Boga (Mark Gil), the mayor’s right hand man. They have attempted to wrest a portfolio of dollars from Daniel Fu’s courier but have fumbled in the act. To avoid suspicion, Ben Boga has one of them shot dead along with the Chinese. The other, Van Turko (Rey Sagum), feigns apprehension and is put in jail.
While the hostage drama is being acted out, Mike manages to shoot a video footage of the mayor’s men beating up a mentally-retarded onlooker. Daniel Fu (William Lorenzo) plots his revenge. He invites Boy Boga to his place in order to settle matters. Boy says the shooting was a mistake. Daniel accepts the explanation and draws him to a deal involving drugs. After they reach an agreement, he asks Lala Villarica (Nanette Medved), his girlfriend, to perform her specialty on Boy.
Maia’s victory has prompted management to give her a promotion. She is now associate director for public affairs. Station manager Peping Ortega (Richard Poole) flirts with her. Maia’s success is due in part to her bedroom activities. She is the mistress of Mayor Velasco (Ronaldo Valdez), a former movie star, from whom she extracts favors, among them, a permit for her estranged husband, Eugene, to construct a ten-storey building. As she is an ambitious woman, she chides her husband for being an under-achiever.
Mike is hot about airing the footage he shot. But as Maia is protecting the interests of the mayor, she turns down his expose. Mike can only broadcast his crusade against the mayor’s men and Daniel Fu over his radio program. Undaunted by Maia’s reluctance, he wages his campaign zealously over the airwaves.
But Mike manages to slip in the footage when the mayor becomes a guest of Maia’s show. This angers her. Mike calls her a fake. Lala Villarica is Maia’s former classmate; she intercedes with her to stop Mike from hitting Daniel. Daniel is enraged when he finds out and beats her up. Not having fully vented his anger, he gives her to Boy Boga who puts her in jail. Maia asks the mayor to release her.
One night, the mayor suffers a heart attack in their secret hideaway. Maia leaves quietly but inadvertently leaves behind a necklace. Mrs. Velasco spots it and, when she meets Maia in a beauty parlor, douses water on her. The incident creates a scandal in the papers.
The mayor goes to the States for a bypass operation. In his absence, a triumvirate runs the city: Boy Boga who has hold on the vice-mayor, Primitivo Mondial, the city schools superintendent and Mrs. Velasco. They plan to eliminate potential rivals. Van Turko is taken out of jail to perform hit operations.
Daniel exacts his revenge. He sets up Boy Boga’s men in a drug deal. As they leave their car, they are gunned down by the police. Boy Boga is incensed. He has Daniel beaten up in a toilet.
The men lob a grenade which blows the place into smithereens. Lala is now alone. She is desperate enough to try to jump of fa high building. Maia persuades her to give up her suicide attempt. She has her brought to her place in a company van. But on its way home, the van is mistakenly gunned down by Boga’s men.
Maia’s life is also in danger. She begs for help from Peping but she is turned down. She is fired from the station because of the scandal. One night, while riding her car, she senses someone following her. She escapes by hiding in a slum area.
Maia begs for help from Mike. He is at first hesitant to help her as her scheme would involve misinformation, but after making love, he is disposed to implement her machination. Mike announces over his radio program that Van Turko has defected to the other side. Van Turko is surprised at the news and, believing that he has been betrayed, becomes eager to expose Ben Boga’s operations.
Van Turko kidnaps Maia and asks her to lead him to Mike’s place. He convinces the two of his earnestness and makes a public confession on video. Thinking that media people are spared from police violence, Mike informs the authorities of his whereabouts. The police encircle Mike’s place, believing that Mark and Maia are Van Turko’s hostages. Boy Boga runs the operation. The media has been asked to leave.
Realizing that the danger is real, the trio try to escape, but Boy Boga catches up with them. There is a shootout. Mike is fatally shot by Boy; Boy in turn is shot by Van Turko who is mercilessly gunned down by the police.
It is again awards night. Mike is given a posthumous award. Maia goes up to the stage to accept on behalf of Mike’s parents.
(Source: Lino Brocka: The Artist and His Times)
VHS Cover
Original theatrical poster of "Sa Kabila ng Lahat" (1991)
(Private Collection)
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