The Hearing (Cinemalaya, Pelikulaw, Center Stage Productions, 2024) evokes the experience of a molested child in all its furtive anxiety and shame. Sensitively directed by Lawrence Fajardo and cogently co-written with Honeylyn Joy Alipio, The Hearing goes after deeper, harsher truths. For Lucas (Enzo Osorio), reliving the experience at the trial proves fatal. Madonna (Mylene Dizon) realizes how powerless she is in helping her son and we are forced to look at Fr. Mejor (Rom Factolerin) in a different light. Earlier, we viewed him through Lucas' eyes, now we have the shock of seeing him as he sees himself. The horror is filmed with admirable restraint, with Fajardo opting for a less-is-more approach that only reinforces the tragedy of the events depicted. Lucas’ youthfulness makes him an object of our compassion, particularly as he struggles to free himself and stand up to the predatory Fr. Mejor. Audience identification with Lucas is much stronger in this part of the film. Fr. Mejor is certainly the center of the film’s controversy and also the insightful and problematic depiction of a child molester. Throughout The Hearing, we are kept thoroughly off balance, not only by Fajardo’s style which tends to throw us into scenes with few establishing shots, but also by the impossibility of identifying with any of the characters. The establishing shot helps the audience to define and locate themselves within the logic of the film’s diegetic space. The lack of establishing shots keeps the viewer on edge and adds to the subtle discomfort provoked by the film. The Hearing has the dramatic pull of a muckraking thriller revealing something both sinister and ineffable. Although Fr. Mejor is brought to trial, he is neither healed nor forgiven. Lucas manages to testify, but we are left with no sense of either triumph or revenge.
The Hearing does not offer us any comfortable assurances about the future and by avoiding closure, it even implies that this kind of crime does not go away. In a film which consistently violates convention, this may be the most difficult truth of all to face. The Hearing is a provocative film inhabited by characters grappling with moral dilemmas in very recognizable and realistic ways. With its highly impassioned tale, The Hearing transcends the earnest weight of its subject through the sympathy it displays for the predicament of its characters. Utilizing his cast of actors, Fajardo resists going too far into their personal lives and never diverts away from the central story. The actors’ unique idiosyncrasies add small yet significant quirks that create the illusion of character depth. Not much about their lives appears onscreen, but the excellent performances make it seem like we’re seeing more than we are. Elsewhere, in dueling lawyer roles, Atty. Francisco Salvador plays Fr. Mejor’s defender while Joel Torre is Prosecutor Alejandro Mariano, who devotes his life to doing the right thing, a particularly difficult quality to come by in this setting. Maya (Ina Feleo), the sign language interpreter is torn by conflicting expectations and contradictory feelings. Fortunately, what remains important is telling the truth in the here and now. Fajardo's sobering drama affects on multiple levels, from personal to spiritual. The Hearing suggests that the cloistered atmosphere of celibacy, guilt and discipline has helped foster a pattern of depravity is not likely to go over well in many quarters. All the more reason why this film should be seen. In The Hearing, artistry and conscience are emanations of the same cleansing, darkly truthful spirit.
Screenplay: Lawrence Fajardo, Honeylyn Joy Alipio
Director of Photography: Roberto "Boy" Yñiguez
Editors: Lawrence Fajardo, Ysabelle Denoga
Production Designers: Ian Traifalgar, Endi "Hai" Balbuena
Musical Scorer: Peter Legaste, Joaquin Santos
Sound Design: Jannina Mikaela Minglanilla, Michaela Docena
Directed By: Lawrence Fajardo
