The suffocating, bloody image of a forgotten part of history, 1898: Our Last Men in the Philippines entombs the viewers in the carnival of bloodshed that was the siege of Baler, at the fall of the Spanish Empire. The movie effectively delves into the themes of colonialism, loyalty and the price of war in a gritty and unflinching way. The atmosphere of oppression of the unstopping heat, disease, and violence makes the emotional stakes even more, and the sufferings and despair of soldiers is felt. The fact that the story revolves around the mental breakdown of the soldiers in the midst of the confusion gives the story a sense of tragic realism which felt closer to the heart of mine as it gives the story a human price of the war.
The acts are strong, particularly the ones of the soldiers and the officers trapped in ensnared misinformation, obsession and disillusionment. The self-destructing frenzy of paranoia and obstinacy of the tragic hero, the despondence of his interminable struggle, is represented by the character of Cerezo, which is rendered with powerful intensity. The stifling nature of the church, where the action takes place, and the merciless nature of time are stressed through direction, and the claustrophobic atmosphere of the siege and the Filipino landscape around it are captured by the cinematography in a harsh realism. The music accentuates the tension and desperation that are building up, and it amplifies emotional portions that will remain long after the last credits.
The strongest thing was the way this movie powerfully transmitted the devastating effects of colonialism and the futility of war, which resulted in a heartfelt conclusion about loss, betrayal and the fall of an empire. The very image of the soldiers in their undying belief in victory, in spite of the growing amounts of evidence of defeat, resonated with me, as did the deep tragedy of the human price of empire and the long-term wounds of war. 1898: Our Last Men in the Philippines is a chilling, provocative movie that made me reflect on the high cost of empire and the scarring of war.
