The original screenplay by Ricky Lee rings an unmistakable auctorial note (it is interesting that Mendiola’s character is named after a main character from his debut novel Para Kay B) it is rather sparse or patient or both in the first half, building up individual characters who are, like in the thin-spine novels, to meet at a crossroads of sorts-in this case Ronald’s trial. In such an innocuous setup one could build much confidence on how Roño can elevate the film or by least give it due justice. The story surrounds a developmentally delayed man named Ronald (John Lloyd Cruz) whose romantic advances to his tutor Bessie (Jessie Mendiola) incriminates him of rape, a case that is to be filed against him, hence the film’s title. With a plot that is curious (and exhaustive) in keeping unconventionally un-mainstream, The Trial seems to fall on the former category. Is there a difference betweenactively striving for unconventional elements and passively letting a well-written story subvert said conventions? Yes there is, and the dividing line is thread-like thin. But then enters the sidenote, which is, again, you know, welcome-the film’s seeming embrace at unconventionality. To get it out of the way: Roño’s work here as film director reflects a terrific technician and efficient storyteller whose skills have been honed in years of disciplined work of studio filmmaking. This active refusal and swerving away from the native normality are not (and should not be) indicative of the film’s craft.
And perhaps that is just it: welcome as its daring is, The Trial feels ultimately muddled with indispensible caveats. Roño’s The Trial is a welcome enlightenment to our native mainstream cinema-the kind that pushes boundaries and rediscovers for its audience elements other than what they have long since grown accustomed to the kind that tries to push through somewhat fresher material the kind that will not conform to filmic constraints the kind that actively refuses such constraints, which is simply a separate classification.
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