The Bayaniverse is back for one final, climactic biopic. On August 19, TBA Studios — the production company behind the first two Bayaniverse movies, Heneral Luna and Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral — released the official trailer of Quezon, starring Jericho Rosales as former president Manuel L. Quezon.
Just like the other Bayaniverse films, which follow the personal lives of historical figures, Quezon centers on the eponymous character’s rise to political success as he goes toe-to-toe with several of his rivals, including Governor-General Leonard Wood (Iain Glen) and Vice President Sergio Osmeña (Romnick Sarmenta). While the trailer shows glimpses of Quezon’s charismatic and determined public persona, it also reveals his relentless desire to lead the country by any means necessary. “I will lead this nation to prosperity,” he says at one point in the clip, only for his friend Joven Hernando (Arron Villaflor, who managed to traverse the entire Bayaniverse) to reply, “By hook or by crook.”
The trailer also sees Quezon making use of the power of filmmaking to help bolster his presidential campaign. “Gawin mo na maikling sine ang buhay ko,” he says while pacing in front of a black-and-white movie screen. “Lahat ng achievements ko… gagamitin namin sa panganganpanya.”
It’s clear that Quezon, directed by Jerrold Tarog, is set to offer a nuanced and complicated look at the former president. Film producer Daphne Chiu-Soon confirmed this in an interview with Rolling Stone Philippines, saying that it had been Tarog’s vision for the Bayaniverse since he first worked on Heneral Luna.
“[Tarog] has always had this ambition of humanizing these so-called heroes who are always, nowadays, parang put on a pedestal: they’re monuments,” said Chiu-Soon. “But the recurring theme is for us to question if these protagonists are heroes ba talaga or not. Quezon really gives us the space to question leadership and to spark critical thinking after you watch it.”
Quezon opens October 15 in theaters.
