Review of The Film Weighed But Found Wanting

I found out that Weighed But Found Wantingis based from a Bible verse Daniel 5:27 saying “Tekel, you have been weighed in the balances and found wanting. ”

For me it is all about a modern take on the Jose Rizal novel which is Noli Me Tangere that talks about social injustices. From the point of view of Ibarra, Junior takes the life of it in this film and Kuala is the equivalent of Sisa in the novel.

Weighed But Found Wantingis a tragedy film. It is a story of a misplaced love and corrupted individuals who destroys peoples’ heart. It centers on a relationship of a homeless woman and a leper, Kuala and Berto living in a society that don’t accept them. All the ideas presented in the movie were all great. It has good twists and it is made to convey a message. It’s also another way to awaken people about what is happening in the society. It is the reflection of what is happening. I was only bothered about the musical scoring when Berto sees Kuala lying somewhere focusing her legs. The scoring does not suit the situation. It doesn’t help to manifest one’s emotion. We all know that sounds are another factor that surprise, scare and excite people about the scenes.

While I am watching the film, I read the subtitle at the same time. I wonder if how we see the movie as great would be as great as viewers from other countries can see it because there are dialogues said that are different from what is written in the subtitle. There are some parts where some of what the actors say are different from what the subtitles are implying. Eddie Gutierrez opposing scenes are very effective for me. It made me feel like he is really the devil in the story because of what he has done on kuala. Junior soft voice helps the way he is in the story. Evangeline is also good. She portrays to be a good girl and turned out to be a foolish one. I was irritated by the way she takes Junior for granted and the way she flirts with another guy, but it is a good thing. Kuala on the other hand is very very good. We all know that being a main actor on a film and at the same time portraying a role of an insane is a very challenging matter cause I've try it once when I was in highschool portraying to be a madman and all of the audience are laughing at me cause I do look like a fool on that time. You have to deliver everything up to the end with only few words to say. It might be the hardest role in this film because she has to make people believe not with the words she’s going to say, but for the actions she’s going to show. She is very convincing. I also see the consistency of her great performance in this film. Berto ketong is very effective as I pity him for his status.

When I was watching the film, it made me feel like I am on his part. I hate the way people treat him and I pity the way he was treated by the people. The lines he delivered in the story come out very natural. That’s why when he was shot by one of the policemen, it made me ask the question “what’s wrong with the society?” and made me feel like “Hey’ it is happening all the time. ” That made me cry. I only find vagueness in the character of Milagros. After having an intercourse with Junior, she was out of the picture. For me, it wasn’t given a closure. There may be the reason; maybe because she also has to go to Manila but the answers about where she is is vague. a huge production with a pretty large cast, and no one drops the ball.

I really love the story of Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang not only because it is dramatic but because it made me realize what kind of people we have in our surroundings, what kind of government we had before and asking myself if Am I one of the alienated in the society or. . Am I one of the oppressors? As I watch the film, I found out that there are people who are alienated in a certain environment and there are oppressors. There are people who are outcasts and there are people who enjoys being superior to another. We know that people enjoys being superior because some people let themselves be inferior. The government we had in this movie is with Marcos Regime. It happens during the martial law as some of the actors says that there are curfews. I can see oppression in the film as Junior has this good status in life but found his dark side. He is indeed a lost boy. He is a son of two wealthy parents but his father is nothing but a womanizer and his mother is a nagger. They have this Christian women association but are sort of villains too in the film. Yes. They said they are after God but how can they make rumours about people, judge them and let Berto be an outcast of their own place? They are leading the entire place to make a better society but was not actually what is supposed to be. It made me realize a lot of things, we have seen marginalization that Philippines had and the hypocrisy of the people around us. Some of them are even into a religion. Because of the inhuman judgments, the film disturbs and touches me. It’s a breathtaking movie, all in all. It made me even ask myself about my stand in the society. What the film implies is also what is present today. There are social injustices, and no matter how good we serve others, our thoughts and action will always be twisted by others. What’s sad in the film is not the corruption of a government or anything but thse corruption of men. After all the wrong things we made, it hurts to helplessly contemplate as we see innocence being shattered.

The ending of the film says a lot of things. Junior is the only one who embrace the lives of two social outcasts whose attitude overpowers their physical and mental shortcomings and Kuala’s nightmare of the abortion turned out to be a new hope as Junior walked outside the house of Berto with the newborn baby facing all the guilty townspeople. It’s a very good movie.