Tags terms: Silip, Silip Horror, Silip 1985, Silip Hollywood Avi Movies, Daughters, Daughters Horror, Daughters 1985, Daughters Hollywood Avi Movies, Of, Of Horror, Of 1985, Of Hollywood Avi Movies, Eve, Eve Horror, Eve 1985, Eve Hollywood Avi Movies, 1985, 1985 Horror, 1985 Hollywood Avi Movies, Horror, 1985, Hollywood Avi Movies, Silip Daughters Of Eve 1985
Release Date: 7 February 1985 (Philippines)
Genre: Horror
Full Synopsis:
One need look no further than the subtitle of Silip to guess a central message to the madness. It's not the only message, but taken with the others it foments an environment ripe for cinematic exploitation. Which in fact is what Silip is being sold as - an exploitation picture. While there are exploitation elements a-plenty (and to list them would only further ghettoize the picture) the question remains, why was Silip committed to celluloid? Is Silip a high-minded excuse to shower the screen with a little sex and violence, or a trash epic for the penitent? I'm afraid I don't have the answers, but I can assure you that Silip is not your usual empty-headed sleaze show.
The Daughters of Eve in this case are Tonya and Selda. Tonya is a sort-of interim Catholic Priest in a tiny Philippine village in a desolate, desert-like coastal region. Selda, Tonya's sister, is the prodigal daughter, returning from untold iniquities in the big city of Manila. The villagers object strenuously to Tonya's brand of Catholic teaching, they believe she's leading what little flock that will listen straight to hell. Tonya was happier minus Selda, whom she believes stole Tonya's only love, Simon the village butcher, and a bit of an outcast himself. Though Simon lives on the outskirts doing unclean work, still he delivers the meat - in more ways than one.
Sultry Simon's propensity to fling a bit of sausage about when he's delivering the loins is just one leaf in this lexicon of lust and bloodletting. But as far as exploitative elements, it's not the only thing going. The bounty of bronzed Filipina/o flesh on hand must contend with a bit of brutality here and there; rape, murder, and sexual torture of young and old are all foreshadowed by the brutal onscreen slaughter of a live ox that opens the movie. For many this will put paid to any notion of watching the movie - it's a cruel and disturbing sight. But as Simon says, the animal's die was cast when it was born, and everything must die. Connoisseurs solely of crusty cinematic corruption won't get Silip, however. Other reviewers have complained of the long boring bits in between each scandalous act, completely missing the point. Blunt though its potentially disagreeable message may be, Silip delivers it in small-scale epic fashion, with a lyric beauty that's hard to argue against. Using the desert-like scenery to maximum effect, nearly every shot is beautiful to look at, fostering a meditative, sweaty atmosphere that's truly unique. Among many gorgeous shots is a standout sex-scene on a dune framed by the copulating couple in the upper right middle ground and a sun-struck ox in the foreground on the left. In this milieu a bizarre morality play of biblical ilk is played out, as the entire village is eventually swept up into mania and mob violence that points at two disparate themes. Theme one, of course, is the one hinted at by the title, and supported by the huge influence of Catholicism on the Philippines. In the minds of the villagers - and erroneously so, for the most part - all of the evil in the village is down to Tonya and Selda, the daughters of Eve. For those looking, there may be another more important (and empirically true) message to Silip; without clear, honest communication amongst people, and even in their own hearts, we are reduced to savage beasts. Yes, our die is cast on the day we are born, but how we go out may just be up to us.
Download Part 1
Download Part 2
