The Philippines is no stranger to colonial rule. After centuries under the conquest of Spaniards and decades under the Americans, Pulang Araw shines the spotlight on the short yet wartorn-period when Japan occupied our country.
A collaboration between GMA Network and Netflix, Pulang Araw is a period drama series that follows the friendship of four characters—Hiroshi Tanaka, Teresita Borromeo, and siblings Adelina and Eduardo Dela Cruz—as they navigate the challenges that come with the Japanese invasion of the Philippines.
In this High Five review, we’ll see how the series is shaping up with the release of its first batch of episodes. Spoilers ahead.
Unique Framing Device
Pulang Araw begins its story through the lens of present-day Eduardo (Alden Richards) as he narrates how, in the last few years, the Americans have improved infrastructure and opened the free market for Filipinos under their rule. The next scene cuts to his sister Adelina (Barbie Forteza) and her friend Teresita (Sanya Lopez) performing a vaudeville act and showing us the vibrant colors of the bygone era.
This lively scene suddenly turns ominous, as Eduardo narrates, “Walang sino man ang handa sa panibagong panganib” (“No one is prepared for the new danger to come”). The screen then cuts to present-day Eduardo running away from enemy fire while leading fellow revolutionaries into the woods during a mass shooting event by enemy aircrafts.
Pulang Araw uses this nonlinear narrative throughout to great effect, interspersing the past hardships of Eduardo and Adelina before the war, the bloodshed during the war, and the good times in between. It effectively shows us how the pieces have all lined up for present-day Eduardo to be embroiled in the conflict, while reducing the need for exposition through the creative use of framing. And if this first batch of episodes is anything to go by, this smart approach to storytelling is something we’ll look forward to in future episodes as well.
Period Accurate Dialogue
When it comes to period pieces, how actors speak helps immerse the viewer in the setting. The problem arises with the attempt to use period-accurate vocabulary while maintaining a natural speaking style. Pulang Araw navigates this by mostly letting its actors speak with modern intonations while using conversational words and phrases from the 1940s.
An example of this is the scene above. The characters all maintain a natural flow of speech that would not sound alien to present day viewers, while using words like kerida, sundang, alibugha, and spuling, which were more commonly used at the time. Another thing to note is how the actors avoided modern language trappings such as contractions, which made their dialogue sound that much more authentic.
Authentic and Immersive Costumes
Another aspect of period pieces that can either make or break a viewer’s immersion is the wardrobe. The show takes great care in differentiating the roles that each character plays, ensuring that their outward appearances reflect the period and social class that they fall under.
The show features two types of military uniforms from the 1940s—the first one is a light brown uniform with a prominent beret army garrison cap that American soldiers wore at the time, while the second one is a mixture of Tagalog and native insurgents army uniforms, with blue polos, baliwag hat with cockade or salakot, ammunition pouches and rifles. The attention to detail really makes the action scenes all the more striking, seeing characters in action wearing full military attire.
The show also takes great care to contrast social classes, showing how the young Eduardo, Adelina, their mom, and their neighbors wore plain colors with the traditional bakya, baro at saya, while later in the series, we see Teresita’s mother (Angelu de Leon) sporting a victory roll hairstyle and wearing colorful dresses to signify her high social standing. These little things make a great difference in showing us the conditions that these characters live in, how this affects their motivations, and the gap between the privileged and the oppressed.
Cinematic Presentation
Guided by the creative vision of director Dominic Zapata, Pulang Araw does not disappoint when it comes to prestige presentation. The perspective shots of Eduardo at war pull you in, interspersed with wide aerial shots and close-ups that portray the chaos of a battle. And from spacious warzones to more enclosed interiors, the set design and lighting is always on point. Traditional houses look airy and lived in, thick forests feel heavy with dread, theaters look lavish and vibrant. The series also makes use of expositional text, which is presented creatively by overlaying them on overhead shots or wide angle terrains to maintain a dynamic look. The series also makes use of color grading for its flashbacks and flash forwards—a cool bluish tone is used for events happening in the past, while a warm yellow bathes scenes set at the present. All in all, these elements come together to help make the presentation feel fresh while being easy to follow.
Complex Portrayal of the Filipino Experience
At the end of the day, Pulang Araw is a teleserye, which means that we can expect just about all the drama and trauma that we can think up. Broken families, dead-beat dads, martyr moms, cheating and abuse—you name it, they have it. The series portrays these subject matters by committing to them fully, showing the full spectrum of complexities that Filipinos had to live with under colonial rule. And as the main characters face these challenges, the war that’s about to come leaves you with a feeling of dread, wondering how this will complicate matters more for our protagonists.
Overall, Pulang Araw is shaping up to be another period piece that’s integral to our history. As the series takes off the ground running, we see the red sun slowly rising from the horizon, showing us more of what’s to come just before our nation is flooded with scarlet. SEA Wave rates Pulang Araw 4 out of 5 waves.