Inhalte(1)
Nettie Wild first had the idea of making A Rustling of Leaves when she taught drama to the leftist guerillas in the Philippines. She had planned to make a documentary about the New People's Army (NPA) 'from within' by following the army for a few months. She then left for Canada to arrange the production of the film. When she returned to the Philippines, the political landscape was changing drastically. Cory Aquino ran for the presidency and eventually succeeded in beating Marcos. Now, the black and white opposition in politics was replaced by a continually changing multi-coloured spectrum. For Wild this was a dilemma: should she stick to her former plans or tell the story of Cory's election who, Wild thought, did not bring about essential alterations in the structures of power.
She chose the first, set in a wider context. In the new scenario three different groups are being followed: legal left, illegal left, and radical right. Thanks to Nettie Wild's contacts with the guerillas the film-crew was allowed to shoot for two months the daily dealings of a guerilla-unit on Mindanao. A Rustling of Leaves clearly shows the problems of the left under president Aquino: to become legal or not, to continue the battle or make peace. This is what makes this documentary interesting and poignant, giving a Western audience a clear view of the difficulties of the left in the Philippines.
(International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)