Plot so thin, it passes unnoticed.

Brilliant and touching

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Talented Filipino actor Cesar Montano and director Marilou Diaz- Abaya teams up once again in this film that tackles the Muslim rebellion in the Mindanao region of the Philippines entitled "Bagong Buwan" (English translation: New Moon) after both teamed up in what I consider a Filipino film masterpiece in a biopic about the national hero of the Philippines,"Rizal". The movie tackles about the ill-effects of war and violence as a resolve to settle tensions and conflicts between the Filipino Christians and Muslims that is reflected between the all out war by the Philippine government and the Moro Rebel group known as the Moro Islamic Liberation Front(MILF). Added to that,it also tries to examine the reasons of the conflicts that have existed for many years between the Filipino Christians and Muslim through the different characters of throughout the screenplay.Amy Austria,Jericho Rosales,Caridad Sanchez and Carlo Aquino co-stars.Montano plays the lead character Ahmad,who works as a surgeon in Manila,the capital of the Philippines.When he got the news that his son Ibrahmi got killed when a stray bullet hit him,he decided to go back to his hometown in a province and Mindanao. He stays with his mom Bae Farida,his wife Fatima and his other son Rashid.Realizing that the violence have become an everyday occurrence with the armed conflict going on between the Filipino soldiers and the Muslim rebels, he tells tries to convince his family to go and transfer to Manila as he strives to live a peaceful life.He is met by a lot of resistance with his family. He decides to stay for awhile and tries to convince each of his family members even more as the days go.Meanwhile,Ahmad treats the victims of the violence. Then as the story proceeds,we get to meet different characters aside from his family as he stays in his province which provides Ahmad (the audience as well) insight on why this conflict has been going on for years.Among those presented are the following: Difference in religious beliefs;the Filipino Muslim's strive to fight for their liberty and rights;the feeling of prejudice by the minority Filipino Muslims from the majority of the Filipino Christians;the lack of education; poverty;and the feeling of neglect by the Filipino Muslims as well as the lack of trust from the Philippine government.Going into the conclusion, we get the death of many characters including Ahmad due to the violence of war which led to the decision of Rashid to join Musa to become part of the Moro rebel group; and Francis,a Catholic stowaway kid whose parents got killed joins Fatima and Farida,both of whom teach kids the ways of peace.This was definitely a great Filipino film that provides the viewers a great insight about the on-going Muslim rebellion in the Philippines.I would like to credit screenwriters - director Marilou Diaz-Abaya,Ricardo Lee and Jun Lana - for a wonderful job of writing a great screenplay.It definitely tackled a lot of issues that would give the viewer a lot of insight on why this rebellion has been going on for years.Although it was evident that it also tries to present war to resolve nothing at all,the issues presented about this on-going conflict from the different characters that Ahmad came into contact with from his family,a Filipino soldier, his brother Datu Ali,Francis and the villagers in his hometown is what made it an outstanding film as it shows a the predicament of Filipinos Muslims that made more than just another typical anti-war film.I would also like to commend the cast particularly Cesar Montano for providing a great performance as well.Arguably, he remains to become the best Filipino actor to date.Finally,Marilou Diaz-Abaya did really made the film interesting and worth watching.Nobody overacted thanks for her.It also did not resort to any melodrama or melodramatic scenes which is typical among many Filipino films. Truly a Filipino film masterpiece!!!

The Pilipino Unity network (MAGKAISA) co-sponsored a screening of "BAGONG BUWAN" at the San Francisco Asian American International Film Festival a couple of years ago. The entire crowd was deeply affected. Although a lot of men would not want to admit it, I saw many of them with tears welling up in their eyes. There are limits to the perspective of a film made in Tagalog about people in Magindanao, but Diaz-Abaya has crafted something very moving which can reach a lot of Tagalog speakers, if they ever get to see it all the way through. A teacher I know from Magindanao region commented that, except for the part where Montano's character cries, he thought it was a good film. The main protagonist being a doctor married to a nurse also makes it easy for the more open-minded members of the audience to identify with the characters. With all of the anti-Muslim propaganda in the media, this is one small dose of antidote for our community's mental and sociological health which touches hearts of those who are open to it. I also recommend Diaz-Abaya's films "JOSE RIZAL" and "SA PUSOD NG DAGAT."

I love this film. I don't cry that easily, but this film made me tear up. Maybe because I'm from Mindanao, where the film is set, so I know at least a little more than most how closely the events in this movie mirror real life. I live outside of the war zone, but among the same sort of people depicted in the movie.The title, Bagong Buwan, means "New Moon", representative of the time when the nights are darkest, but also meaning hope, for after the darkest hours, the light will soon reappear. Watching it was like seeing people I know, old friends and neighbors, schoolmates and classmates. The child lost in the war zone, the refugees with nowhere to go, the parents distraught over the death of their only child, the brothers divided in ideology, the young freedom fighter, the Christian girl who married a Moslem, the young volunteer who tries to help… they are not just characters in a movie, but are representative of many people who, like me, live on this beautiful and embattled island where several religions, ways of life, and ideologies clash. And yet, like real life, these are no stereotypes, but seem like real people with real issues, neither good nor bad but somewhere in between and as human as they come.My favorite part has to be the scene where the doctor bandages the wounded soldier and the latter quips like "Now I have to be removed from the battlefront because I'm already disabled," and the doctor retorts "I wish all the soldiers would get disabled so there won't be anymore fighting here in Mindanao." Cause that's what all of us Mindanaoans want, a peaceful coexistence despite all our differences.

I watched this movie at "Fukuoka international film festival 2002"in Japan. Marilou took part in this film festival eight consecutive years in a row. Every one of her films moved us and her films are very popular in Fukuoka,Japan. It was very amazing that she had finished picturizing for this movies before 9.11. To my regret, in Japan,it is almost impossible to watch this movie. Video is not sold. We can buy the video. But it has no script in Japanese or in English. Would you know how to get video or DVD with English or Japanese subtitle? If you know, please give us mail. Thank you for your kind reading.