Karnal Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Karnal Blu-ray Movie Review

A haunting Filipino family drama taps a vein of psychological horror...

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown January 1, 2025

Carnality and brutality have a long, complicated history. Without civility, morality and consequence, human beings would be little more than talking animals, taking what they wished in an evolutionary clash of the fittest. That thought should horrify any of us. If it doesn't... perhaps start with some therapy? Female Filipino filmmaker Marilou Diaz-Abaya's unflinching, highly disturbing Karnal tells just such a story, with a man so enraptured by his son's new wife that he's driven to unthinkable ends. And that's just one plotline. It's a film of extreme acts and soul-rending emotions, exceptional performances and harrowing plights, haunting cinematography and beautiful vistas. Karnal isn't just a morality tale posing as a horror film, nor is it exploitative. It's a Filipino masterpiece that was nearly lost to time before being resurrected by a welcome restoration and re-release. It's a difficult watch but a worthwhile one; a film unafraid to explore the darker realms of the human heart and ask frightening questions about who we are when society isn't looking and self-control is drained away.

A middle-aged spinster (Charito Solis), serving as a narrator, unfolds the tragic drama of a prominent 1930s Filipino family ruled by a wealthy landowner. Newlyweds Narcing (Phillip Salvador) and Puring (Cecille Castillo) arrive from the city to settle in the groom’s hometown of Mulawin, but his father, Gusting (a suitably creepy Vic Silayan), is struck by Puring’s resemblance to his dead wife. The similarity drives Gusting to lust after his new daughter-in-law, toward whom he begins to make sexual advances. Puring, disturbed by his behavior, resists her father-in-law's aggression, pushing Narcing to become more assertive. Puring also has difficulty with her barrio neighbors' indignation over her friendship with a deaf-mute named Goryo (Joel Torre). In the violent family quarrel that ensues, Narcing attacks his father, the authorities descend, Puring gives birth to a child, and the couple's lives are changed forever. Directed by Marilou Diaz-Abaya, the 1983 film also stars Grace Amilbangsa, Crispin Medina, Joonee Gamboa, Rolando Tinio, Ella Luansing, Rustica Carpio, and Vangie Labalan.

When the Fukuoka Asian Cultures Prize presented its 2001 award to Marilou Diaz-Abaya (who passed away in 2012), it wrote, "She conveys the Asian spirit to the world through works that depict the joy and sadness of common people with great vitality. Her superb films are indictments that harshly examine the reality of the Philippines today, and are filled with warmth and affection for the common people, surviving on their strength." Some may take umbrage with labeling Karnal a horror film, but it's filled with horrors, all mounted on the backs of burdened, everyday men and women thrust into extraordinary circumstances by their baser instincts. Rape, incest, murder, deformities and other extremes combine to create a disquieting experience that will no doubt leave any thinking, feeling person with chills. The film's slow creeping dread mounts with almost unbearable weight until everything comes crashing down, and the ensuing exploration of a family beset by grief, lust and envy left me pressing pause, in need of small breaks. The raw performances it all hinges on so powerful that I was sometimes even left breathless and shaken.

If Karnal missteps it's in its use of narration and its bookended subplot involving a mysterious woman (the narrator of the tale). We're meant to ponder her identity throughout the picture but it's a cheap gimmick, and one whose reveal turns out to be something of an anticlimactic disappointment. It certainly doesn't ruin the film -- think Saving Private Ryan's unnecessary bookends with an old veteran visiting a cemetery -- but it does detract from Diaz-Abaya's otherwise laser-focused narrative. Others have complained about its slow first act as well, but I found it reasonably compelling; knowing full well that hell was inevitably going to break loose, I was fascinated with the dynamics that emerged that slowly but surely began to threaten any semblance of peace.

Karnal Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Karnal (1983) was restored in 2015 by ABS-CBN in partnership with the Central Digital Lab (CDL). It took 1,120 hours to clean the evident marks on the picture, particularly its watermarks and splices. The existing 35mm archive print from the collection of ABS-CBN was used to scan the film in high definition. Although there were a few missing frames in the print source, CDL was able to fix several and eliminate jerk and breathing. However, Reel 2 was found to be problematic due to off-framing and was thus replaced with a better copy taken from the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP). The cinematographer and husband of the director, Manolo Abaya, was consulted for the color of the picture, and attended to the first quality checking of the film to give his inputs on the grading. The restored film had its premiere night at CCP during the 2015 Cinemalaya Film Festival.

ABS-CBN's restoration is nothing short of a small miracle, painstakingly restoring a film with more challenges than the average remaster faces. Karnal's elements weren't just in poor condition, they would have been deemed by some to be unusable. However, the end results, though not perfect (assuming perfection was even possible, which I can't imagine it was), are quite striking. Colors have been given new life, skin tones are lovely and carefully saturated, contrast is dialed in beautifully, and black levels are deep and satisfying. The film is home to quite a number of darker-than-dark nighttime scenes and these occasionally prove problematic. Crush and middling delineation are present, though thankfully infrequent and fleeting on the whole. Detail is largely exceptional too. Optical softness and some print wear take a toll, but by and large, edges are surprisingly refined and fine textures well-resolved. Many scenes look magnificent, so long as expectations are properly set. Moreover, I didn't notice any significant instances of banding, blocking or errant noise. A filmic veneer of grain is visible and there aren't any signs of problematic sharpening or overeager restorative techniques.

Karnal Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Blu-ray edition of Karnal features a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 presentation of the film's original mono mix. Voices are clean and clear overall, with only minimal air hiss and noise floor. Effects and music sound very good as well, with nothing in the way of prioritization mishaps. The track suits the film nicely.

Karnal Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Blu-ray release of Karnal includes two interviews, the first with screenwriter Ricky Lee (HD, 15 minutes) and the second with actor Joel Torre (HD, 13 minutes). A restoration featurette would have been welcome, but beggars can't be choosers I suppose.

Karnal Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Karnal is a tough film; brutal, efficient, harrowing and ultimately tragic. The Blu-ray edition honors it well too, with a terrific and difficult restoration, a strong video presentation, a solid lossless mono mix, and a pair of extras. I do wish more supplemental content were available, particularly in detailing the film's restoration, but that doesn't make the release any less worthwhile. Recommended.