Delikado Review

The stunning landscape drone work on display here hides a dark underside to the Palawan forestry industry; but Delikado does a fantastic job of shining a spotlight on the heroes protecting this gorgeous environmental paradise. 

Directed by Karl Malakunas, Delikado is a beautiful and engaging documentary that focuses on the protectors of the Palawan rainforest in the Philippines. This gorgeous environment is at risk from loggers, chemical fishers and development, frequently against the law. The protectors of this space come from nearby towns, and shut down this illegal destruction when they find it - confiscating their chainsaws and creating sculptures from the equipment. However, as Delikado so robustly shows, it isn’t always the criminal element that these self-appointed citizen protectors are fighting; often it's their own government. 

Delikado is a somewhat hazy, hedonistic blend of stunning visual environments, and a real life political situation that reads like a fantasy novel. 

Let’s start off with the visuals. Resplendent drone footage showcasing some of the most incredible landscapes in the world looms large in this piece, and it’s matched very nicely with the lower rent, more handheld vibe of the body of the footage. This is a gorgeous piece of filmmaking, and cinematographer Tom Bannigan does a tremendous amount of legwork to elevate the film to a cinematic experience. Bannigan’s blend of a full spectrum of footage - from shaky go-pro style POV content and news footage, to the stunning drone work and the wider shots of the forest - feels lived in and natural, and crafts a strong visual narrative that works just as well as the actual one. 

The story itself is not just interesting, but shocking. Malakunas has hit on a fantastic blend of environmental conservationism, everyday hero, and one of the most lawless political systems in the world. The actual logging and environmental destruction on display is heartrending, and the involvement of Philippines former President (and absolute madman) Rodrigo Duterte leads to some shocking revelations about how stacked the odds are against our heroes. 

Then it comes to the heroes themselves, and here Malakunas has really excelled. His band of fighters are endlessly interesting - from the small town Mayor targeted for death by the President of her own country, to the reformed military man who spent his youth cutting down the very trees he now defends. Their methods are so wonderfully pacifist - despite the tragic violence visited on them midway during the piece - that you are left feeling both a strong sense of wonder and admiration, and with a new appreciation for the capacity of man.

Delikado is a wonderfully interesting, and extremely compelling piece of documentary making that shows that truth really is stranger and more wild than fiction. One only hopes that it penetrates the collective consciousness to create real conservation in this fabulously beautiful part of the world. 

This APSA-nominated documentary Delikado (Philippines, Australia, Hong Kong) has been nominated for Best Documentary Film at the APSA’s as well as shortlisted for a Walkley Award. Delikado will also be screening at the Asia Pacific Screening Awards on Friday November 11 at HOTA with the Director Karl Malakunus attending