GIVE UP TOMORROW

GIVE UP TOMORROW

Jeri Jacquin, Movie Maven

On DVD from director Michael Collins and First Run Features is a riveting story of injustice with GIVE UP TOMORROW.

This film tells the story of Paco Larranaga, a 19-year-old boy accused of a heinous crime. On the island of Cebu in the Philippines, sisters Marijoy and Jackie Chlong disappear in the night. The island is in an uproar as the family seeks justice when Marijoy is found in a ditch raped and murdered.

Quickly law enforcement go into action and seven suspects are rounded up and charged with the murders. One of these arrested is Paco – but there is one slight problem. On the night the murder took place, Paco was with friends in Manila. Manila is a totally separate island from Cebu and hundreds of miles away.

Providing the police with photographs and dozens of eyewitnesses placing Paco at school taking exams – it’s to no avail. Now begins the journey of this boy and the corruption of the judicial system of Cebu.

Paco’s mother is dedicated to bringing freedom for her son while the missing girls mother is dedicated to the death of all involved. It is a fight that will separate families and an island.

FINAL WORD: I have to say I am appalled by what has happened to Paco (and perhaps even the others accused of this “crime”). Never in my life would I have expected such mounting evidence of Paco’s innocence be ignored. As the Larranaga family believed that justice would free him – they could hardly have known that corruption would be their son’s undoing.

I am also horrified by the actions of Mrs. Chlong. It appeared to me rather quickly that she fell into the pit of fame and became consumed by it. Her actions made no sense and her behavior was horrifying. This is not a mother who is struggling to deal with the possible death of her daughters but instead a woman who has turned it all into a sideshow with Mrs. Chlong as the circus leader. Absolutely horrible and horrifying to see a mother behave in such a way.

Paco himself is an amazing young man. He holds on to his family and never waivers in his testimony, and neither do his classmates for that matter. Such a quiet young man it is stunning that he doesn’t lose himself in the madness.

This film has won so much recognition along with being a Audience Winner at the Tribeca Film Festival, Audience Favorite #2 at the Hot Dogs Film Festival, winner at the Sheffield, winner of the Activism Award at the Traverse City Film Festival, winner of Audience Award from Sam Sebastian Film Festival, and winner at the Los Angeles Asia Pacific Film Festival.

TUBS OF POPCORN: I give GIVE UP TOMORROW three and a half tubs of popcorn out of five. This truly is a documentary about the worst kind of injustice. There are so many people who have their hands in it that just watching it made me feel disgusted. It is so hard to believe that so many could participate in the destruction of such young lives.

The DVD also includes the filmmaker’s interview, highlights and deleted scenes. The 95-minute documentary is another one of the FIRST RUN FEATURES wonderful collection of stories that need to be told. For more go to www.firstrunfeatures.com.

In the end – in the case of injustice no one is safe.