Cinemalaya: Ekstra (The Bit Player)

The crowd brings the scene into reality.

Ekstra is a film under Directors Showcase for the 9th year of the Cinemalaya Film Festival in the Philippines. This film directed by Jeffrey Jeturian tells the story of Loida (Vilma Santos), an ordinary woman who, most often than usual, gets to be in soap operas and movies. In addition, she also gets to act alongside high-profile celebrities. As fun as it all may sound, unfortunately for Loida, in all her acting career, she is just an ekstra (bit player) who is rewarded with a meagre salary. To make matters worse, Loida has a daughter in college whom she is financially supporting alone. Despite all her worries, she still dreams of making it big someday. But until then, she must continue her work as a bit player in yet another job offering. Will this be her big break or will it be another typical day for her?

Ekstra explores the world of the lonely voice in the world of entertainment. The film is meant to bring justice and honor to the little people who makes a scene complete. Without them, a scene is empty and useless. In a thought from the film, a setting from a movie or soap will be meaningless and awkward if the only ones present in it are the lead actors.

The entire film is a satire about film making like the film Ang Babae sa Septic Tank (The Woman in the Septic Tank) but this time, it is centered on the world of the bit players. However, every once in a while, the audience are pulled away from the satirical approach whenever Loida is interrupted by her daughter with text messages coming from the world outside of showbiz. This sudden interruption allows the audience to see that people in the entertainment industry are also human beings who experience problems just like everyone else. Aside from that, it also serves as the film’s way of snapping its fingers at the audience who might find some parts of the film draggy. The film’s running time of two hours might be fine for some but for me, it didn't need two hours to establish what it needed to say.

The moment the film starts the harsh world of the bit players are already established. In a world where looks matter, even the bit players need to meet a specific look requirement or else they’ll get the boot. Even children are not excluded in the shallow world of showbiz. In once particular scene, children who were not good looking enough were rejected and asked to leave the vehicle that is supposed to take them to the location for the shooting. 

Vilma Santos' acting does not fail to deliver, as expected from a veteran actress. However, there is some concern about how much justice she gave to the role. Vilma Santos is one of the biggest names in the history of Philippine Cinema and that name will definitely go down in history. So in relation to this, the role of being a bit player given to her can draw skepticism. For one reason, she is a well-known star who has established an image and persona for more than a decade that can't be easily brushed off in a single film. In a film with an ensemble cast like this, how is Vilma Santos supposed to downgrade her semblance and be the bit player we want to see? The concept in paper works well, no doubt about that. The harsh world that the bit player lives in is established and well-understood but what raises a question is the portrayal of the role. In one particular scene where Loida asks to have her picture taken with Pilar Pilapil, what I saw were two veteran actresses, who each made a name for themselves, taking a photo. There are lots of big names in this movie, from Cherie Gil and Eula Valdez to Marian Rivera and Piolo Pascual. How is THE Vilma Santos supposed to keep a low profile alongside them? What would have served as a better challenge and social experiment in the film would be "what if they had a nobody play the role of the bit player?" Would the audience have watched it for the story and purpose itself or would they have watched it for the cameos of the famous celebrities in it? Whatever the answer may be, the film would have definitely did its job.

Rating: 3/5