‘And So It Begins’ Review – Political Documentary Misses The Heart Of The Matter [Sundance 2024]

With an undoubtedly heated US election coming up, And So It Begins feels very relevant and, even a bit sobering. Acting as a kind of spiritual companion to A Thousand Cuts, director Ramona S. Diaz’s latest documentary aims for eye-opening yet might make you fall into a nap.

The film centers around the 2022 Philippine election, which may decide whether the state can be free. We follow underdog candidate Vice President Leni Robredo. However, leading in the votes is Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., the son of former Filipino dictator Ferdinand Marcos. Meanwhile, we also follow journalist Maria Ressa, who is being harassed by the current government with threats of jail looming.

Diaz knows how to make a documentary that is devasting, timely, and above all engaging. It’s therefore very odd that And So It Begins is a misfire for the director. While yes, the topic is interesting, especially to someone outside of that culture, it never really finds its footing. Pacing and structure are the film’s biggest weakness, and at nearly two hours the film takes a really fascinating topic and sidelines it with filler material and a sub-plot about a journalist.

It never feels like Diaz is that interested in finding the nuance in her subjects. Apparently, Robredo has a few skeletons in her closet that the film never addresses. There is nothing wrong with showing a person who is ultimately good but flawed. And, maybe she isn’t a good person and is self-serving; Diaz only uses her medium to paint a saint-like figure. Hell, even when we get candid footage of Leni it feels very icy, and at arm’s length. We the audience never get a sense that we know the full picture.

As for the other candidates, we know even less about them, only that Diaz lets us know they are the enemies of freedom. For example, yes Marcos’s father was a dictator, however, we don’t get a grasp on his views and how they differ on a fundamental level. Roberto says she’s a friend to the LGBTQ community but never says how she plans on making their lives better. You never get a sense that the documentary is willing to push anyone on these serious topics. The result feels more like an overly long campaign film and not a serious-minded and well-rounded documentary.

Diaz also never talks to regular people, and how leadership has affected them in their everyday lives. This is simple, yet it would have gone a long way into showing what the stakes are at a more intimate level. All we see is the wheeling and dealing from candidates that, let’s face it, are not in touch with the people like they say they are.

Journalist Maria Ressa is also featured, showing how the current government is bullying the media. Yet, as vital as Ressa’s story is, it derails the focus on the broader topic. What she’s fighting for is very much symptomatic of politics, but it never meshes that well with the overall narrative of the film. There is enough story here for Ressa to warrant a dedicated follow-up documentary to A Thousand Cuts without being sidelined in this one.

After the big speeches are made, the parades have long since come and gone, and one is felt with a hollow feeling. The topic in And So It Begins is very important, yes. However, frankly speaking, it’s missing the heart, and never wants to get too controversial in how it depicts these people. Still, aspects of it were interesting, but it never adds to a complex picture of a country that needs a more progressive outlook.

And So It Begins had its World Premiere in the Premieres section of the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.

Director: Ramona S. Diaz

Rated: NR

Runtime: 113m