The late Mike de Leon’s comedy musical, Kakabakaba Ka Ba?, was released to Philippine audiences in 1980 as a sharp, absurd and song-based satire aimed at foreign imperialism, capitalism, and Catholicism. And now, more than 40 years since its release, and 10 since the remastered film was screened in the Philippines in 2015, Kakabakaba Ka Ba? returns to the big screen once again as the closing film for this year’s Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival.
Kakabakaba Ka Ba? follows Johnny (Christopher de Leon), Melanie (Charo Santos-Concio), Nonong (Jay Ilagan), and Nancy (Sandy Andolong), four friends who find themselves caught up in a complicated conspiracy that involves the Japanese yakuza, the Chinese mafia, and a side quest to Baguio that sees them disguising themselves as priests and nuns.
But for all its moments of slapstick comedy, song numbers, and delightful Apo Hiking Society cameos, de Leon’s film is scathing in its critique of the powers that dominate the Philippines. “[De Leon] certainly pushed the envelope with humor,” wrote Matt Ordonez forAsian Movie Pulse, “and some believe a movie like this could not be made today with the risk-averse studio system and heavier regulations. Even when Mike de Leon tries to make us laugh, he also makes us think.”
De Leon himself later noted how working on Kakabakaba Ka Ba? helped him realize the power of filmmaking as a tool for commentary. “Strangely enough,” said de Leon, “it was only in the wild and surreal Kakabakaba Ka Ba? that I discovered the power of satire and protest (masquerading as comedy).”
Kakabakaba Ka Ba? is set to screen on October 11 at 8:00 p.m. at the Shangri-La Red Carpet Cinema in Mandaluyong.
