Why ‘2 Valid IDs’ is on track to make PH film history - Rappler

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MANILA, Philippines – Independent movie 2 Valid IDs is on track to make Philippine film history, as it recorded P80 million at the box office, the film’s director, Ma-an L. Asuncion-Dagñalan, disclosed on Sunday, November 1. 

The film grossed P80 million in its first 18 days after opening in cinemas nationwide on October 14. It is expected to cross the P100-million mark this week. 2 Valid IDs was the top-grossing film in the 22nd edition of Cinemalaya last August, and Marietta Subong, more popularly known as “Pokwang,” won the festival’s Best Actress along with Ruby Ruiz (for Status: Rejected). 2 Valid IDs also got Cinemalaya’s Audience Choice Award (full-length film category).

And since the movie will likely extend for another week considering the strong support from moviegoers, 2 Valid IDs’ success at the box office is likely to continue. 

“Nadagdagan pa tayo ng mga sinehan! ((We’ve got additional cinemas.) We are on our third week strong and still showing in 100 cinemas nationwide! Maraming maraming salamat, mga ka-#2 ValidIDs!” film outfit Super Entertainment, which has been promoting the film, posted on Sunday. 

Ticket prices for 2 Valid IDs are P200 for a student/teacher; P275 for regular patrons in Metro Manila; and P230 for regular patrons in the provinces. Seniors get a 20% discount. Assuming a ticket price of P250, P80 million at the box office means that roughly 320,000 people have seen the film. 

What makes 2 Valid IDs success unique is that it’s a social drama; most commercially successful indie films are love stories. It tells the story of Sylvia and her ailing farmer-husband, Ramon (played by Joey Marquez), and how red tape, corruption, and a broken health system fails a poor family. 

Most cinema patrons don’t spend their hard-earned money for social realism, as movie-going is generally a form of escape.

The movie that holds the record at the box office is the 2017 romantic comedy, Kita-Kita, starring Alessandra de Rossi and Empoy, the love story of two migrant workers in Japan. 

Kita-Kita started with a whimper at the box office, but ended with a bang as word of mouth about the movie spread. Kita-Kita earned a total of P320 million at the box office. Given a production cost of P10 million, the film gave a windfall to producers Piolo Pascual and Spring Films, and catapulted comedian Empoy’s acting career. Kita-Kita even got an Indonesian remake in 2017, Cinta Itu Buta (Love is Blind).

Unlike Kita-Kita, 2 Valid IDs is a drama that makes its viewers angry and frustrated over the Philippines’ broken hospital system and bureaucracy. The movie is more comparable to the second most successful indie film, Heneral Luna, than to Kita-Kita.

Starring John Arcilla and helmed by Jerrold Tarog, the 2015 surprise hit about the hot-tempered military general Antonio Luna during the Philippine-American war, is the country’s highest grossing historical indie film. It earned around P250 million, allowing it to break even given producer Artikulo Uno’s high budget of P240 million. The film resonated with lines that evoke patriotism, including,“Negosyo o kalayaan? Bayan o sarili? Pumili ka.” (Business or freedom? Country or self-interest? You choose.)

Most indie films don’t last a week in theaters, especially now with streaming platforms becoming the preferred platform for watching films and other entertainment content.

Critics and analysts have lauded the film for portraying an issue that resonates among Filipinos: the difficulties often encountered when they deal with most front-line government agencies.

“The film is a searing ethnography of cascading exclusion. Each door that closes on Sylvia also closes the next. Without an ID, she cannot claim money that is already hers. Without the money, her husband cannot be moved up for surgery,” said UP professor emeritus and political analyst Randy David in a recent column.

Edielyn Mangol, writing for People, Places, Plates, said: “Films tackling poverty, bureaucracy and access to public services can sometimes be perceived as difficult or niche compared with mainstream commercial releases. 2 Valid IDs is showing that a story rooted in an everyday Filipino problem can still attract paying audiences when it is told in a way that feels personal and relatable.”

Asuncion-Dagñalan, in a film director’s statement on Cinemalaya: “It’s only in the Philippines that we are asked to show 2 valid IDs to get another ID. What happens to those who don’t have any? What happens to the people trapped in a chaotic and inhumane system? 

“2 Valid IDs is more than a story of bureaucracy, it is a reflection of the truth where access to basic needs is hindered by poverty, excessive red tape, rigid rules, and a system that demands documentation rather than urgency and compassion. Hence, many Filipinos are pushed into a world of ‘fixers’, forged identities, and moral compromise. They are doing this not because of selfishness, but out of necessity and love….

“Ultimately, the film 2 Valid IDs is a cry for empathy, reform, and a more humane way of treating the most vulnerable. It’s a film that calls us to look at our institutions and ourselves with a greater kindness, some added sensitivity, and more humane concern.”

The movie’s popularity prompted Akbayan Representative Chel Diokno to remind the public that only the National ID is needed for transactions with the government and private companies under Philippine laws, and requiring other IDs can penalized by up to P500,000.

“Sa ilalim ng PhilSys Act (RA 11055) at Executive Order No. 162, opisyal at sapat na patunay ang National ID sa anumang transaksyon sa gobyerno man o sa bangko at pribadong kompanya. Ang sinumang tumanggi rito nang walang valid na dahilan ay pwedeng magmulta ng hanggang P500,000,” he said in a social media post following the film’s surprise at the box office.

After the film crossed P50 million in ticket sales last week, its producer reminded the public to vote wisely in the elections: “P.S. Sana ay pagdating ng botohan ay makapag-desisyon tayo para mabago ang sistemang nagpapahirap sa mga Pilipino.”

(Hopefully, when we vote, we are able to decide to change the system that impoverishes the Filipino.” – Rappler.com