Quezon: Evaluating the Film’s Portrayal

Anja Cordero, Timmi Romero, & Thirdy Pleyto

FEBRUARY 3, 2026

Official poster of the movie “Quezon”. Photo from TBA studios.

Since the release of Quezon last October 15, the film has already been receiving mixed reviews. While some believe the movie shows a more accurate side of Quezon, others find it to be misleading and an inaccurate representation of his life. These critiques beg the questions: Who is right? Is the movie an inaccurate depiction, or is it a brilliant political satire of Quezon’s life?

In this movie, Manuel L. Quezon is portrayed as someone who craves power. Someone who wants the Philippines to be independent, but has a corrupt intent to gain control. He has rivals along the way, but he defeats them nonetheless and reaches his goal.

While the movie humanized him, it simultaneously depicted him as a villain. Instead of showing Quezon’s achievements, the movie focuses on his wrongdoings, such as the manipulation and the political ruthlessness he showed to his rivals. One aspect the writers overlooked was how he made Filipino the national language, and laws that he enacted to help the Filipinos. 

One of the reasons for its success is how the story presents its scenes. It captures the attention of the audience and is written in a way that people would be interested in what’s happening. This film presents a diversity of genres, ranging from comedy to drama. One scene that demonstrates this is when Quezon goes directly to Leonard Woods to make him step down from his position. The scenes before it implied that the interaction would be bloody, but the scene itself was more of a comedy.

“Quezon” is the third and final movie of the Bayaniverse trilogy, which was made by director Jerrold Tarog. The other films, “Heneral Luna” and “Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral,” have also been subject to discussion by viewers and the community. The two films both differ from the style Quezon is presented in. “Quezon” is about his striving for power, while the other movies focus on the Philippines’ rise to independence. Compared to the other two movies in the trilogy, this film has a significantly less amount of physical violence, but it still finds a way to keep people intrigued. 

Altogether, Quezon was a fascinating movie. While it may not be the best biopic to be created, it can be enjoyable to watch for some people. The lackluster action will leave some of the audience uninterested and the incorrect information would make some people confused. Because it showed the flaws of one of the national heroes, it caused people to dislike the movie. With all that said, it is still a great movie about his life.