Repeatedly, director Pepe Diokno emphasized that “Engkwentro” did not represent any particular city or place in the Philippines. The film is supposed to show the prevalence of extrajudicial killings that is happening everywhere in the country. And yet the trailer itself during Cinemalaya fest said it all. The cut of Mayor Duterte of Davao practicing in a shooting range was only for a few seconds but was unmistakable. There was no footage of the Mayor or even a mention of his actual name in the film. The dialect used by the actors places it in either Davao or Cebu. The oppressive and ever present voice over by Celso Ad Castillo who plays Mayor Danilo Suarez may be mistaken for the tough real life mayor in terms of content. Diokno himself admitted that the script for the Mayor Suarez character speaking through the radio had been based on real life speeches made by local politicians.

Obviously the judges were unaware of these and many more “statements” that only locals and Filipinos would recognize. And yet “Engkwentro” was able to garner the Orizzonti award purely from a cinematic assessment by the judges at the 66th Venice film fest. One of the most remarkable achievements of the film is to employ the one long continuous take. It is similar to the style of “Rope” employed by Alfred Hitchcock in the 1950’s. Locally, Paolo Villauna was also able to mimic it with his short film “One Shot” from the Imahenasyon series. The illusion of creating one long shot without cuts was successfully created in this piece.

Instead of cutting the film or using transitions between scenes, the camera follows one character after another. The effect is exhausting on the viewer especially in the case of “Engkwentro.” The desperation, the chase scenes and fear in the crowded alleys of the slums seem even more inescapable. The treatment Diokno chose for shooting includes Cinema Verite style, a movement from Europe that attempts to capture scenes and truth as they are. Hence, there was less attention to lighting. This may have lead to Cinemalaya judges not giving it an award, saying it was “technically rough”. Although, they acknowledged the courage with which Diokno chose his subject.

The cast was a combination of actors and actual gang members from the slums. The film begins with Raymond (Daniel Medrana) preparing for school, his brother Richard (Felix Roco) warns him about cutting classes. And yet Richard himself is the leader of a gang called “Bagong Buwan.” The two characters are based on two brothers and real life juvenile delinquents who are named Richard and Raymond. The director also paid homage to filmmaker Jim Libiran who has a very brief but important cameo appearance. Libiran himself made “Tribu” by casting real life gang members as his actors. “Tribu” however, emphasized rap music as a means for the youth to express themselves.