Bona

A major rediscovery and a true must-see, Bona is a key work of Filipino cinema and a mythic collaboration between visionary filmmaker Lino Brocka and superstar Nora Aunor, who produced and starred in the film at age 28. Playing against type in a brilliant subversion of her pop-celebrity status in a bid to be considered a serious artist — here indisputable — Aunor portrays Bona, a young woman from humble beginnings who spirals into desperate idolization.

Obsessed with the hunky but dim bit-part actor Gardo (Brocka regular Phillip Salvador), Bona drops out of high school to follow him around like a groupie. Her desire and delusion lead to acts of shocking self-subjugation. When she endures a beating from her father for her reckless behaviour, she moves into Gardo’s crammed house, attending to his every narcissistic need in the hope of reciprocation. The chilling ferocity, vulnerability, and abandon exuded by Aunor’s performance is so indelibly inscribed on Bona’s face that she haunts every scene.

Shot in the densely populated slums of Manila with a dynamic mix of realist immediacy and colour-soaked melodrama, Bona is an intoxicating social critique. A cautionary tale about the dangers of devotion, whether religious or desirous, as well as a remarkable work of feminism, the film has been largely unseen since its release in 1980. Newly available in a miraculous, exquisite restoration, Bona further cements Brocka’s importance as a major global auteur.

ANDRÉA PICARD

Content advisory: depictions of domestic violence; mature themes

This unseen version of Bona has been scanned, restored, and colour graded in 4K from its original 35mm camera and sound negative reels at Cité de Mémoire in Paris. The sound restoration was handled by L.E. DIAPASON. Film handling, image and sound repairs and digital image restoration by Régis Dessort. Negative scene by scene image scanning and colour grading by Isabelle Barrière. CSI Negative sound scanning and digital restoration by L.E. Diapason. Project management by Denis Garcia.