The carabao carried the Philippines on its back for centuries. Long before tractors and trucks, the water buffalo was the engine of Filipino agriculture, pulling plows through flooded rice paddies, hauling timber down mountain trails, and transporting entire families to market on wooden carts that creaked under the weight of the harvest.
Every farming family knew their carabao by name. Children grew up riding on its broad back. Farmers spent more hours with their buffalo than with their neighbors, talking to the animal as it worked, resting under the same tree during the midday heat. The bond was so deep that losing a carabao to disease or theft was considered one of the worst misfortunes a family could suffer.
The carabao was declared the national animal of the Philippines in 1993, but its place in Filipino life goes back thousands of years. Ancient carvings and early Spanish colonial records describe a society built around the rhythm of the water buffalo's workday. Even today, in provinces where modern machinery has not fully arrived, the carabao remains the most reliable worker in the field.
The annual Carabao Festival in Pulilan, Bulacan honors these animals by having them kneel before the church in a gesture of gratitude that blurs the line between Catholic tradition and agricultural reverence.
Did you grow up around carabaos or is your connection to them more through stories and memories?
Meanwhile, here's a Filipino Movie about a Talking Carabao
𝗕𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘁: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗝𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆, 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
𝙍𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬 𝙗𝙮 𝙀𝙧𝙞𝙠 𝘾𝙝𝙪𝙖
𝑃𝑢𝑟𝑒𝑔𝑜𝑙𝑑 𝐶𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑝𝑎𝑛𝑎𝑙𝑜 𝐹𝑖𝑙𝑚 𝐹𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑎l has come and gone, but Beast remains an interesting entry to look back to, given how audiences where kept in the dark beyond the premise that it is a story about a talking carabao and his owner. Perhaps it is in this vagueness that Beast has drawn audiences and myself to checking out this heartwarming social-surrealist comedy drama.
Beast follows Lolo Omeng (𝐽𝑜ℎ𝑛 𝐴𝑟𝑐𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑎), an aging farmer who is forced into one last harvest by his landlord before leaving the fields behind. With only Bob, his loyal and surprisingly talkative carabao, for company, he heads to Manila in search of a niece who slipped out of his life years ago. What begins as a humble road trip soon drifts into the magical and the ghostly, turning the journey into a chase after the years that can’t be taken back. This is the limit of what I can share about the plot without diluting the essence of the journey of the story.
One of my personal favorite genres of storytelling is magical realism. With Lolo Omeng talking to his carabao Bob, magical realism was front and center not only in this plot point but also in the cinematography throughout the film. There is whimsy in the idea that an old man travels for days only with his carriage and his carabao, and that feeling was conveyed succinctly by 𝐷𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟 𝐿𝑎𝑤𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝐹𝑎𝑗𝑎𝑟𝑑𝑜. But the magic ends in light of the speculation that the animation used with Bob the carabao is generative AI. Understandably, the film is working with a lower budget than mainstream films, but the possible use of generative AI, and the rough rendering of the end product that made it to the big screen, seemed to be a poor decision knowing that Filipino animators are already performing with the best in the world in hollywood blockbusters.
Furthermore, this is another film that would benefit strongly with further script trimming. Several scenes in the film lost its value due to them overstaying their welcome. Without diving deep into spoilers, the third act of the film, in its attempt to be profound, may have negatively affected the emotional weight that the rest of the film has spent a considerable amount building.
Thankfully, John Arcilla as Lolo Omeng was brilliant, but perhaps that is expected. Once again, Arcilla disappeared into his role and perfectly portrayed the lonely but optimistic personality of Omeng. Arcilla carried the film to heights it may not have deserved.
Beast is worth watching for shedding light on Philippine provincial life, the fear of aging and irrelevance, and the love and optimism for adventure. I appreciate the attempt, and John Arcilla gave another phenomenal performance. Catch it for the love of farms and carabaos. Skip it for the poor animation of the same carabao. We can only hope that it becomes available for streaming online soon so that more people can ride behind the wings of Bob.
Finally, My Photo of the Day: Cawit Port, Boac, Marinduque, Philippines
Note: The Building with the Red Roof in the Top Middle Left in the Picture is my Chateau Du Mer Beach House and Conference Center, Amoingon, Boac
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