Tandaan mo kung sino ka.note
"Ano ba ang halaga ng isang bayani?"note
Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral (Goyo: The Boy General), released September 5, 2018, is a historical biopic film starring Paulo Avelino as the titular Gregorio "Goyo" del Pilar, the youngest General during the Philippine–American War, who died in the Battle of Tirad Pass. It is written, directed, edited, and scored by Jerrold Tarog, and is the sequel to Heneral Luna.
The trailer can be viewed here
. Additionally, the short film Angelito, released for free on YouTube, bridges Luna and Goyo.
Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral contains examples of the following tropes:
- A Girl in Every Port: Goyo has had a long string of lovers before he arrives at Dagupan. Though he seems serious about his courtship of Remedios, his serenades are punctuated with scenes of Joven reading through the many love letters he has from his previous lovers.
- And Starring: Mon Confiado gets this citation, while Perla Bautista and Benjamin Alves both get "With Special Participation Of..." citations.
- Animal Motifs: Goyo is regularly referred to as a dog and an eagle. The former is used to mock him for his Undying Loyalty to Aguinaldo, while the latter is used to boost his morale."Ikaw ang Aguila."note"Mabuhay ang Aguila!"note"Tahol, Goyo, tahol!"note
- Antiquated Linguistics: Again like its predecessor, the Tagalog used through the film is accurate to the time period.
- Arc Symbol: Too much focus is given on Blood from the Mouth, whether from other characters or Goyo himself via his own Imagine Spot.
- Arc Words: "Tandaan mo kung sino ka."
- Artistic License – History: As with Heneral Luna, this is lampshaded in the opening text, pointing out how the film is a mix of historical facts and fiction.
- There are conflicting accounts and evidence about whom of two sisters Del Pilar courted, Dolores or Remedios Nable José. The movie goes with Remedios while a 1990s biopic titled Tirad Pass: The Last Stand of Gen. Gregorio del Pilar went with Dolores.
- There are basically two conflicting versions of Del Pilar's death, and other movies have used the more romantic one from a journalist attached to the American soldiers at Tirad Pass, while this uses the less romantic, even anticlimactic one from his own soldiers who gave similar accounts to each other.
- Continuing from the previous film, it is not actually clear (and may well never be) that Aguinaldo directly wanted or was directly involved in bringing about Luna's death, beyond command responsibility for the men who personally killed him, as clear "smoking gun" evidence about this has yet to be unearthed. What is certain is only that Luna was summoned to Aguinaldo's headquarters through telegraph, but the President was missing when he arrived and he was thus alone with Felipe Buencamino and Aguinaldo's presidential bodyguards (and this is all depicted in Heneral Luna). At the very least, Aguinaldo can be taken to task for not punishing Luna's immediate killers. But the films take the definite stance that he was complicit, and the repercussions continue in this film, where another of his generals, Jose Alejandrino, is depicted as relentlessly prodding him about the issue - until he finally admits that it was for the Republic's sake, or so he thought. Alejandrino then relays this to Mabini in a letter, but after Mabini is captured by the Americans, the letter is left behind and lost to history.
- Since Goyo is a ladies' man reputed to have a paramour in every town, some gossiping women say that his woo-and-run ways have led to the slang "nagoyo" (duped or fooled). In reality the Filipino verb "goyo" (to dupe/fool) and its derivatives "nagoyo", "manggogoyo" (deceiver), etc. is of unclear origin.
- Asian Speekee Engrish: How Garcia and his men taunt the Americans.
- A-Team Firing: The Filipinos during the Battle of Tirad Pass, who only cause 2 American casualties onscreen. Justified, since the former at this point were exhausted and low on food, not helped by them removing the rear sights of their rifles.
- Audience Surrogate: Joven serves as one, as he's a Non-Action Guy essentially caught in the crossfire between the Filipino and American forces.
- Back for the Dead: Lieutenant Garcia, the sharpshooter Luna promoted in the previous film returns in this one and is the first Filipino casualty at the Battle of Tirad Pass.
- Based on a True Story: The film is based on the final months of General Gregorio Del Pilar's life, up to and including his death at the Battle of Tirad Pass.
- Big Brother Mentor: Zig-zagged, Goyo's older brother Julian is supportive but he's a colonel, one rank below his brother, a brigadier general.
- Bilingual Bonus: Like its predecessor, Goyo is littered with foreign languages; if you know Tagalog, English and Spanish, you can watch it unsubtitled.
- Casual Danger Dialogue: The Americans make a few good quips while they're pinned at Tirad Pass, with Private Simmons telling his major that he could really use some company up the road and Lieutenant McClelland agreeing with the trooper next to him that he would indeed love some Pabst beer.
- Contrasting Sequel Main Character: In contrast to General Antonio Luna, who is a professional and experienced general hated by a number of Filipino soldiers and officers, General Gregorio Del Pilar is a far less experienced, younger general, who is generally admired and liked by the Filipino army.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: Not that they've performed particularly well prior but following Luna's death, the Filipinos are so badly outmatched that they lose every single battle against the Americans after. Not even able to wound or kill a single American in some of them.
- Death by Disfigurement: Goyo met his end via gunshot to the left jaw.
- Defiant to the End: Manuel Bernal is utterly defiant to the torture and coercion he's put through after he's captured. Up to his death, he continues to insult Del Pilar.
- Deliberate Values Dissonance: The lowlander Filipino soldiers look down on the highlander tribesmen whom they employ as porters, calling them monkeys ("unggoy") to their faces. This bites them in the ass when a tribesman guides the Americans to higher ground at Tirad Pass in order to foil the Filipino defenses, rather like the Battle of Thermopylae.
- Demythification: Compared to how his life is generally taught in schools (to the extent it is) and how previous Filipino movies have portrayed him, the film goes for a Warts and All approach and avoids putting him on a pedestal. This goes all the way to the moment of his death. Previous films showed the more romantic image of him being shot on horseback, saber upraised, charging at the foe (and the 1990s version even had him as pretty much the last man standing), which ultimately comes from an American newspaperman's account. This film follows eyewitness accounts from his own soldiers (including a Spaniard, identifiable in the film because he's called by name and only speaks Spanish) who said he was sniped rather suddenly and unceremoniously while standing on the ground, and this leads to a panicked retreat by his men. Some contemporary Filipino historians thus say the first version of his death was myth-making in action, and the second version should be given precedence, judging his own soldiers as closer, more reliable sources than the American journalist who could have spiced up his story to sell better. But historically the first version is the one most taught in schools and known in Filipino pop culture, and most illustrations, statues etc. of him are on horseback, naturally recalling this version of his death.
- Dirty Coward: The second Carrasco announced Goyo's death, some Filipino soldiers fled the battle, only to be shot down by the advancing Americans.
- Distant Finale: While the film is set in 1899, The Stinger and Sequel Hook is set during 1935.
- Divide and Conquer: Generals Otis and MacArthur mused that they thought about doing this at some point though it ended up being a non-issue because Luna was killed by his own side for reasons unrelated to the war.
- Downer Ending: Del Pilar dies at the Battle of Tirad Pass as in history, and while Aguinaldo manages to escape, he eventually gets captured by American forces and is forced to give up the Philippines to the United States. Apolinario Mabini also gets captured by the Americans and is soon exiled to Guam.
- Dropped a Bridge on Him: Both Del Pilar and Lieutenant García are killed by snipers when they least expect it.
- Due to the Dead: At first, the Americans loot Del Pilar and leave his naked corpse at the pass. They later come back to give it a military burial.
- Facial Horror: Goyo was fatally shot on the left side of his jaw.
- Famed In-Story: Goyo is a celebrity for his earlier exploits in the Philippine Revolution, as well for his youth and ladykiller ways, and at one point he watches a play about himself held in his honor.
- Foregone Conclusion: Del Pilar dies at Tirad Pass and Emilio Aguinaldo is captured eventually after two years of pursuit.
- Gorn: We get a pretty vivid look of Del Pilar being shot through the jaw. Earlier, a soldier gets shot through the neck and the shot lingers on the large gaping wound.
- Gory Discretion Shot: When the film never shies on the aforementioned Gorn, Manuel Bernal's execution is only audible with the scene showing Goyo hearing it just outside the torture chamber.
- Gratuitous English: The Americans, General Alejandrino's translator and Garcia and his men.
- Gratuitous Spanish: Aside from orders and Alejandrino and his translator, Carrasco exclusively speak in Spanish.
- The Hero Dies: Via surprise shot through the jaw.
- Heroic BSoD: Goyo suffers from some shell shock that seems to have started from when he got a grazing head wound from a previous battle years ago in the revolution against Spain, though he's also haunted by Bernal's accusations. It leads him to accosting a senile old man and nearly drowning in a stream.
- Hold the Line: The fortifications that Goyo and his men put up at Tirad Pass was pretty effective in keeping the Americans back. It took them bringing up their sharpshooters up a hidden path that led them even higher up the pass to break the defenders.
- Immediate Sequel: The film starts just a day after the murder of General Antonio Luna.
- Informed Ability: While Del Pilar can handle himself and his men in a fight, his reputation as an outstanding heroic soldier and commander is largely spoken of but not really backed up by onscreen events, due to his deeds which made his reputation, eventually leading to his high rank and getting Aguinaldo's favor, all happening before the movie's timeframe when the Filipinos were rebelling against Spanish rule, and due to the Filipinos constantly getting their asses kicked by the Americans at present. In a flashback to one of his earlier battles against the Spanish forces, the Filipino rebels are already beaten and in panicked retreat. The movie uses the contrast between his reputation and what's only shown onscreen by having Goyo be haunted by self-doubt until he gets a handle on himself by the end and resolves to embrace his role as "the hero"... then he's unexpectedly and immediately killed without truly living up to it further, at least in cinematic terms.
- Job Title: The film's subtitle means "The Young General" (or traditionally, "the Boy General") since he's only in his young 20s.
- Killed Mid-Sentence: Goyo's last words in the movie, cut short by a gunshot, are "Tapusin na natin— [ito]" ("Let's finish— [this]" or "Let's get this over— [with]").
- Lady in Red: Remedios wears a scarlet saya during her and Goyo's (subverted) Dance of Romance.
- The Magnificent: "Ang Aguila" ("The Eagle").note
- Mr. Fanservice: The eponymous protagonist is a good looking man, knows it, and majority of the women pine over him.
- Negated Moment of Awesome: Goyo's death. Immediately prior, he quietly stares off into the distance during a relative lull in the battle, self-reflects and resolves to do his duty and live up to his reputation, one of his men hands him a rifle, he does a Dramatic Gun Cock while striding away and saying what would otherwise have been a Pre-Asskicking One-Liner—then BANG.
- Non-Action Guy: Joven. He's the only notable character who never wields a weapon onscreen nor attempts to shoot back at the Americans, only being a photographer hired to take pictures of Filipino officials.
- Overranked Soldier: General Jose Alejandrino is of the opinion that there is no proper soldier in the Philippine military, himself included. This is because Antonio Luna was the only one to study military science and many others are either appointees or competent but otherwise unqualified.
- Patriotic Fervor: Lieutenant Garcia makes it clear that he will continue fighting for the Philippines. When asked if he hates Aguinaldo, he answers with this:"Kapag bumagsak si Aguinaldo, may ipanibagong titindig. Pero ito (gestures to Mount Tirad), hindi ito mapapalitan."note
- Pet the Dog:
- The American soldier that catches Joven, and Garcia's son fleeing Tirad Pass opts to let the boy go after Joven slips and falls down the mountain path.
- The American commander makes sure to get Del Pilar's reply letter to Remedios.
- Precision F-Strike: There is less swearing compared to the previous movie, mostly due to the lead figure not being a pottymouth, but there are still some zingers.
- Goyo lets out one "Putang-ina!" ("Whore-mother", but used more like "Fuck") when he notices another general is giving his troops formation orders during a parade, and he rides up and yells at him that only he can do that ("Where Gen. Del Pilar commands, you do not command!")
- Aguinaldo, usually quiet and reserved, angrily says "‘Tang-ina, isang linggo na tayong ngumangata ng tubo!" ("Fuck, we've been gnawing on sugarcane for a week!") after his wife had fallen sick and his men bring her that to eat, but since they're on the retreat deep in the mountains, they have little else in the way of food on hand.
- Present Absence: Antonio Luna's death, the circumstances behind it and the characters' different stance over it are felt throughout the film.
- Protagonist Title: Three guesses who the main character is.
- Robbing the Dead: The American soldiers stole Goyo's clothes and medals after they saw his corpse.
- Scenery Porn: Mount Tirad gets many gorgeous, lingering shots of its beauty.
- Sequel Hook: The film ends with some kids putting up posters for Manuel Quezon's 1935 presidential campaign and proclaiming support for him.
- Shell-Shocked Veteran: Goyo is revealed to be one as the film goes on, having traumatic flashbacks from the Philippine Revolution as well as recent battles.
- Shown Their Work: The American soldiers at Tirad Pass are depicted as doing the Rebel Yell. The unit in question, the 33rd Infantry Regiment of the United States Volunteers, was known as the "Texas Regiment" and so they were likely the sons, grandsons, etc. of former Confederates.
- Warts and All: The film presents Gregorio Del Pilar in both good and bad lights. He's a courageous fighter and with some tactical talent, but he's also shown to be self-doubting and reckless womanizer. The first few scenes has him liquidating Luna's close allies, not exactly dissuading the accusations of him being Aguinaldo's loyal attack dog.
- We ARE Struggling Together: The remnants of Luna's troops do not integrate well with the rest of Aguinaldo or Del Pilar's command. They get into a brawl with some Kawit soldiers during the march north and refuse to volunteer to reinforce Tirad Pass until Lieutenant Garcia arrives.
- There's marked friction between Jose Alejandrino and Emilio Aguinaldo, with their scenes together punctuated with the former demanding answers about Antonio Luna's death.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: We're not shown what happens to Julian after he's deployed to Bulacan.
