REVIEW: 'Anino sa Likod ng Buwan' uncovers hearts of darkness
Anino sa Likod ng Buwan opened at PETA Theater Center on Oct. 17, returning Jun Robles Lana’s award-winning 1993 work to the stage following previous productions and an acclaimed 2015 feature film adaptation. Helmed by Tuxqs Rutaquio, the latest staging of the intense psychological drama stars Ross Pesigan, Elora Españo, and Martin Del Rosario.
The play opens in the Marag Valley in the early nineties, as Philippine military clashes with Communist rebels reduced the area to a virtual no man's land. Amidst the conflict, a young soldier, Joel (Del Rosario) has struck up a friendship with a local couple, Nardo (Pesigan) and Emma (Españo). Between daily searches for insurgents, and displacement caused by the fighting, the three strive to make the best of their situation.
On the eve of a solar eclipse, a spirited round of cards and one-upmanship among friends quickly escalates into a power play of sex and deception, where boundaries are crossed, loyalties are questioned, and nothing is what it seems. When every dialogue exchange is loaded, and every action carries unspoken meanings, from the raising of a loaded rifle to the lighting of a cigarette—it’s only a matter of time before things go south.
By the time we reach the inevitable denouement, the characters are completely unrecognizable, with Del Rosario’s transformation proving particularly chilling. It is the culmination of the power play, and it ends in as brutal a manner as the violence that begat it.
The three actors handle their roles well, navigating the dense dialogue to peel back layers, revelations, and plot twists with nuance and emotionality. Here, as in previous productions, Anino’s strength lies in how the narrative manipulates the audience into discovering each character’s reality—not through large set pieces, soliloquies, or musical numbers, but through superb dialogue, superbly performed.
As Joel, Del Rosario cuts a striking figure, and his interactions with Pesigan and Españo’s rural couple ring true in the opening scenes. Indeed, with the knowing looks Joel and Emma share whenever they think Nardo’s not looking, it would be easy to believe an affair as the most concerning thing the play has up its sleeve. But then, it would be difficult to imagine anyone being as outright dense as Nardo.
Of the three, Españo bears the brunt of the story’s emotional heft. As the connecting tissue between the two male characters, Emma is in touch with her humanity, yet Machiavellian when she needs to be. Españo handles the balancing act brilliantly, going from nurturing to gaslighting and back again at the drop of a hat. While much has been written about her character’s willingness to use her wiles to get what she wants, it must be noted that all three of Anino’s actors enter various stages of nudity before the play is over.
While the notion of sex as a fulcrum to leverage power isn’t new, Robles-Lana’s use of it here is as masterful as it is provocative. When Joel and Emma pair off within moments of Nardo leaving the house, it is with the impassioned urgency of the forbidden—this clearly isn’t the first time they’ve done this, nor will it be the last. Far from exploitative, these sequences are impressive in how they build on what we know of the characters, continuously forcing the audience to reevaluate the information being presented.
Thirty-two years after it was first written, Anino sa Likod ng Buwan has lost none of its power to speak truth to the abuses that ail Philippine society. As the play progresses, and character motivations shift in brilliant, subversive ways, the genius—and necessity—of Lana’s text becomes even more apparent. Bold, violent, and gut-wrenching to witness, Anino sa Likod ng Buwan is a work that will linger with audiences long after they leave the theater.
While the physicality on display may dissuade the faint of heart, nothing of what happens here is prurient for the sake of prurience—this is a story that’s as relevant now as it was three decades ago, and therein lies Anino’s true tragedy: If all one takes away from this is titillation, they’re probably a part of the problem.
Anino sa Likod ng Buwan is showing at PETA Theater Center until Nov. 9. Get your tickets here.
Editor's Note: PhilSTAR L!fe was given a complimentary ticket to watch Anino sa Likod ng Buwan as its media partner.
