Cain and Abel – Kani Releasing (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Philippines, 1982
Director: Lino Brocka
Writer: Ricky Lee
Cast: Christopher De Leon, Phillip Salvador, Carmi Martin, Cecille Castillo, Baby Delgado, Mona Lisa, Ruel Vernal, Michael Sandico

Release Date: February 22nd, 2022
Approximate Running Time: 111 Minutes 36 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Tagalog
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $29.98

"Firstborn Lorens (Phillip Salvador) toils the land by buffalo, while Ellis (Christopher de Leon), the apple of his mother's eye, is given a university education in Manila. When the latter returns to the family’s hacienda with a metropolitan fiancée in tow (Carmi Martin), the domineering Señora Pina (Mona Lisa) immediately disapproves. Looking to reassert her influence, she asks her youngest to name his inheritance. Ellis claims the land—which sparks a family feud that invites tragedy and boils over into all-out filial war." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 3.5/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "This transfer of Cain and Abel originates from the sole extant 35 mm print held by the ABS-CBN film archives. The film was scanned on a Blackmagic Cintel scanner in 4K and restored in 2K at the Central Digital Lab in Manila in 2016.

Although presented at the 1982 San Sebastian Film Festival in a 1.33:1 aspect ratio, circumstantial and historical evidence indicates the film was released in the Philippines in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio. It is presented here as such. Due to the nature of the available element and limitations inherent to the restoration itself, some softness, warping, and distortion are still apparent on the current transfer.

Considering the film's historical significance and the continuing importance of Sagip Pilikula, ABS-CBN's ongoing restoration project, we have elected to release the film as it is on home video. Please approach the transfer with understanding and empathy."

Cain and Abel comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 22.6 GB

Feature: 18.3 GB

The above-provided description gives a clear idea of what to expect with this transfer. Although the source has some serious limitations, there is only so much that could be done to mitigate these issues.

Audio: 3.5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in Tagalog with removable English subtitles. Although dialogue comes through clearly, there are moments where the volume fluctuates. Range-wise, ambient sounds fare well, while the overall soundtrack depth is satisfactory.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a 2016 restoration trailer (1 minute 3 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Tagalog with non-removable English subtitles), an interview with actor Christopher De Leon (16 minutes 3 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English and Tagalog with non-removable English subtitles), an interview with actress Carmi Martin (13 minutes 13 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with non-removable English subtitles), an appreciation by José B. Capino (11 minutes 58 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable English subtitles), and a 20-page booklet with an essay titled Unrighteous Kin written by José B. Capino, Notes & Annotations written by screenwriter Ricky Lee, archival materials, a bio for Lino Brocka, and a synopsis for Cain and Abel.

Summary:

Cain and Abel was directed by Lino Brocka, who is widely regarded as one of Filipino cinema’s most influential filmmakers. Notable films he’s directed include Weighed But Found Wanting, Manila in the Claws of Light, Insiang, Bona, This Is My Country, and Fight for Us.

Although their mother treats the two brothers differently, on the inside, they are remarkably similar. The older brother, Lorens, works the land, while his younger brother, Ellis, has been away at university in Manila. When Ellis returns home wanting to drop out of school and take over the family business, it causes a rift between the brothers that escalates into bloodshed.

Lino Brocka reinterprets the biblical story of Cain and Abel, adapting it to resonate with contemporary themes. Although Lino Brocka’s film retains the core essence of Cain and Abel, there are areas where it diverges from it. The most significant difference is the mother’s favoritism toward Ellis, whereas in the original text, it is God who shows favoritism toward one of the brothers instead of a parent.

Lorens is the more self-reliant of the two brothers; he works a physical job, and he rarely lazes about. He’s also a family man; he has a wife, two sons, and another child on the way. Ellis relies on others to get the things he needs, mostly his mother, who coddles him. He’s lazy, does not believe in hard work, and is a philanderer who has gotten three women pregnant, including a woman who now works as his mother’s housekeeper. That said, Lorens only wants what he’s earned, while no matter what Ellis receives, it is never enough.

All around, the performances are outstanding, especially Christopher De Leon (Weighed But Found Wanting) and Phillip Salvador (Bona) in the roles of Ellis and Lorens. Both of them fully immerse themselves into character, and the moments they share are intense. Another performance of note is Mona Lisa (This Is My Country), who portrays Senyora Pina Laurente, the family's matriarch.

This film immediately captures attention with its ominous opening theme, which effectively foreshadows the impending tragedy. The premise of a bitter sibling rivalry rooted in childhood is superbly executed. The narrative does a phenomenal job establishing the characters and building momentum to a bloody finale where characters have gone too far and their only way out is death. Although the visuals let the performance be the focal point, that is not to say that there are not many arresting and intense moments. Ultimately, Cain and Abel serves as a profound exploration of how violence begets further violence.

Kani Releasing gives Cain and Abel its best home media release to date. Recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer

Bona – Kani Releasing (4k UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: Philippines, 1980
Director: Lino Brocka
Writer: Cenen Ramones
Cast: Nora Aunor, Phillip Salvador, Marissa Delgado, Raquel Monteza, Venchito Galvez, Rustica Carpio, Nanding Josef, Spanky Manikan

Release Date: August 19th, 2025
Approximate Running Time: 87 Minutes 57 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1 Aspect Ratio / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / Dolby Vision HDR10
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Tagalog
Subtitles: English, French
Region Coding: Region Free (4K UHD), Region A (Blu-ray)
Retail Price: $54.98

"Bona (Nora Aunor), a middle-class girl from the Philippines, is obsessed with Gardo (Philip Salvador), a bit actor in low-budget films. When she decides to drop out of school to follow the object of her infatuation, her furious father casts her out, and Bona moves in with the actor in the Manila slums. At first delighted to play house, the young woman soon finds herself not the wife, but rather the maid—at the mercy of Gardo’s every whim and desire, yet intent on enduring his unending parade of conquests in the hopes of finally being seen." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5 (4K UHD), 4/5 (Blu-ray)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, “A major collaboration between two greats of Filipino cinema, Lino Brocka and Nora Aunor, Bona has remained largely unseen since its release in the 1980s, its elements long believed lost.

In 2023, Carlotta Films and Kani Releasing acquired the rights to the film from its producer and actress, National Artist of the Philippines Nora Aunor. Concerned with its preservation and exhibition, champion of Filipino cinema Pierre Rissient had the original negatives deposited at the LTC Lab in Paris.

This rediscovery of Bona is made possible thanks to the work of Professor José B. Capino (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign), who, as part of his research, interviewed the late Pierre Rissient, specialist of Filipino cinema. During this 2017 interview, Rissient entrusted Capino with information on the location of the elements of several Lino Brocka films, including Bona. Capino shared this information with Kani Releasing, and Carlotta Films confirmed the location of the original elements at LTC (now Cité de Mémoire).

Thanks to the combined efforts of Carlotta Films, Kani Releasing, and Cité de Mémoire, Bona may now have a new life on the big screen for generations to come. A heartfelt thanks to Gil Quito, Victoria Belarmino, and Jojo Devera, without whom this could not have been possible.

This unseen version of Bona has been scanned, restored, and color graded in 4K from its original 35mm camera and sound negative reels at Cité de Mémoire in Paris.

Film handling, image and sound repairs, and digital image restoration: Régis Dessort. Negative scene-by-scene image scanning and color grading: Isabelle Barriére. CSI Negative sound scanning and digital restoration: L.E. Diapason. Project Management: Denis Garcia."

Bona comes on a 66 GB dual layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 62.1 GB

Feature: 51.6 GB

The original camera negatives for many Filipino films are not in the best of condition due to storage issues; case in point, another Lino Brocka film, Cain and Abel, whose transfer had warping issues. Fortunately, the source for Bona and the resulting transfers has no source-related issues of note, and most of the time it looks excellent. Flesh tones and colors look correct, image clarity and black levels are strong, compression is solid, and the image always looks organic.

Bona comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 33.8 GB

Feature: 23.3 GB

This Blu-ray uses the same master that is used for the 4K UHD disc.

Audio: 3.75/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in Tagalog with removable English and French subtitles. Although the audio sounds clean, clear, and balanced, it is limited range-wise. That said, dialogue comes through clearly and is never difficult to hear.

Extras:

Extras on the 4K UHD disc include a 2024 theatrical release trailer (1 minute 11 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Tagalog with removable English and French subtitles), an interview with assistant director Jeric Soriano (11 minutes 45 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable English and French subtitles), an interview with actor Nanding Josef (22 minutes 24 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Tagalog and English with removable English and French subtitles), a Q&A with filmmaker Allan Brocka at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures (22 minutes 28 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable English and French subtitles), and a short film tribute to Nora Aunor titled Superfan (22 minutes 5 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Tagalog with non-removable English subtitles and removable French subtitles).

The extras are the same on both discs.

Other extras include a spot gloss slipcover (limited to 2,000 units) and a 28-page booklet with an essay titled Perverse Defiance written by Jose B. Capino and information about the restoration.

Summary:

Bona was directed by Lino Brocka, who is widely regarded as one of Filipino cinema’s most influential filmmakers. Notable films he’s directed include Weighed But Found Wanting, Manila in the Claws of Light, Insiang, Cain and Abel, This Is My Country, and Fight for Us. 

A middle-class high school girl’s obsession with a bit actor who works in low-budget films drives a wedge between her and her family.

Fandom and its darker side have only gotten worse as the internet has opened up an avenue of resources for potentially obsessed fans. Although some are able to maintain their adoration from afar, there are many who let their obsession overtake them. That said, the protagonist of Bona falls somewhere in between these two extremes.

When we first meet Bona, it's clear that the only thing that makes her happy is being around a bit actor named Gardo. Although she comes from a loving family, who only want the best for her, she rejects them at every opportunity. The constant turmoil with her family, in particular her father, forces her to move out and go live with Gardo. From there, things reach a boiling point when her family forces her to choose between Gardo or them, and she again refuses.

Bona and Gardo’s relationship presents an intriguing dynamic; they are not equals, for Bona there is more give than take. Bona's initial encounters with Gardo involved her watching him work and bringing him food. Her involvement in his life deepens after he suffers a severe beating, and she takes on the role of nursing him back to health. Although she fulfills her need, feeding and bathing him, their relationship is purely transactional. He never sees her in the same way that he does other women, whom he constantly flaunts in her presence.

All around, the entire cast are excellent, and yet it is clear that Nora Aunor's (Once a Moth) portrayal of Bona is what drives the narrative. She delivers a remarkable performance of a character who rarely thinks of herself and whose selfless acts often cause more harm than good. That said, it is a truly remarkable performance from an actress who fully immerses herself into the character. Another performance of note is Phillip Salvador’s (Karnal) pitch-perfect portrayal of self-centered Gardo.

From a production standpoint, Bona is a film that works within its limited resources and expands them beyond their limits. The premise is flawlessly executed, and its well-constructed narrative does an excellent job building momentum to a cathartic finale in which Bona comes to the realization of what she really means to Gardo. While the primary focus is on Bona, the narrative also explores controversial topics such as abortion. Additionally, a notable strength of Bona lies in its use of real slum locations, which contribute an authenticity that a constructed set could never replicate. Ultimately, Bona is an extraordinary exploration of internalized oppression.

Bona gets an exceptional release from Kani Releasing; highly recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

 

Written by Michael Den Boer

Silip: Daughters of Eve – Mondo Macabro (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Philippines, 1986
Director: Elwood Perez
Writer: Ricardo Lee
Cast: Maria Isabel Lopez, Sarsi Emmanuelle, Mark Joseph, Myra Manibog, Pia Zabale

Release Date: August 10th, 2021
Approximate Running Time: 125 Minutes 47 seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVCC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Stereo Tagalog, DTS-HD Stereo English
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $29.95

"In the tradition of Japanese “Pink” cinema comes this shocking, violent and sex-filled movie that caused a sensation when it was screened at the Chicago Film Festival. The film stars former Miss Philippines, the stunning Maria Isabel Lopez, in her most revealing role ever. It’s an eye-opening example of raw and savage film making from one of its country’s most innovative directors." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Digitally restored from film negative; fully uncut."

Silip: Daughters of Eve comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 46.1 GB

Feature: 35.6 GB

The source used for this transfer looks great. Colors and flesh tones look correct, and image clarity and black levels look strong throughout.

Audio: 4.25/5 (DTS-HD Stereo Tagalog), 4/5 (DTS-HD Stereo English)

This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD stereo mix in Tagalog and a DTS-HD stereo mix in English. Both audio mixes are in great shape, dialog comes through clearly and everything sounds balanced. Range wise the Tagalog language track sounds fuller than the English language track. Included with this release are removable English subtitles for the Tagalog language track.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a Mondo Macabro preview reel, an archival interview with art director Alfredo Santos (8 minutes 2 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with actress Maria Isabel Lopez (14 minutes 4 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with actress Sarsi Emmanuelle titled Memories of a Survivor (46 minutes 5 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Tagalog with removable English subtitles), an archival interview with director Elwood Perez (18 minutes 46 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles) and an audio commentary with Andrew Leavold, director The Search for Weng Weng.

Summary:

Silip: Daughters of Eve is not your typical sexploitation film. Though there’s copious amounts of naked flesh in Silip: Daughters of Eve. The opening moments of Silip: Daughters of Eve is a gruesome sequence where a buffalo that's slaughtered by a hunter named Simon. It should-be noted that this killing was for survival (food supply) and the killing plays a role in the story at hand. Also, what makes this scene so disturbing is the hunters primal intensity.

Besides the onscreen slaughtering of a buffalo, Silip: Daughters of Eve does not shy away from other in-your-face content. All the men characters dominate the women and those who are not submissive get taken by force. Needless to say, most of the sex scenes are not erotic.

Themes explored in Silip: Daughters of Eve include adultery, deceit, desire, envy, jealousy, obsession and superstition. With the Simon character being the focal point of most of these themes. All of the women in the village lust after Simon who uses his prowess as the village's alpha male. With his actions ultimately leading to a mob rule situation where innocent people get condemned without a trial.  

Silip: Daughters of Eve’s most powerful moment is the scene where Tonya, the protagonist, gives herself body and soul over to Simon. At two hours plus, Silip: Daughters of Eve’s running time does make for a long journey that has a few lulls along the way. Fortunately, these moments are few and the positives far outweigh any of the negatives. Ultimately, Silip: Daughters of Eve is an extraordinary cinema experience that perfectly captures carnal lust.

Silip: Daughters of Eve makes its way to Blu-ray via an exceptional release from Mondo Macabro that comes with a solid audio/video presentation, the wealth of insightful extra content from their 2007 DVD release and a pair of new extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer