Jose Javier Reyes' "Dilim" - Short on Fright

Boy Abunda, who’s seemingly cured from his fungal hepatic abscess, was in top form and being himself one Sunday afternoon, i.e. trying to appear like an intellectual. “Why is your movie called ‘Dilim’ ?“, he asked with exhaustive gravity as though the fate of humanity depended on it . Kylie Padilla sat on her chair with stunned silence, as though slapped by bitter realization, or the dearth of one. She searched for answers, mouth half open, from The Buzz’s studio audience. Nothing.

She didn't know what darkness had to do with her character, it was almost comedic. Nada. Elvis left the building. She could've gone profound or lazily called it metaphor, but she instead looked electrocuted. Wasn't she the Padilla intellectual who was raised in Sydney, sang "Lonely Without You" and “Sulat” for her own CD outing, painted, wrote blog articles and dreamt of being an actress? The movie title would be the first clue if I were to embrace the character of Marites Almario. That same moment, I saw an expression that permeated throughout all the scenes in Padilla's movie debut.

HOME ALONE

In Jose Javier Reyes’ “Dilim”, Marites (Kylie Padilla) moves from Cagayan de Oro to Manila to pursue her college education. Two weeks prior to the start of her classes, she finds herself alone at the 3^rd floor of a four-story dormitory. Her landlord Mang Damian (Manny Castaneda) has to attend to a family emergency in Pangasinan, leaving the disconcerted girl by her lonesome. “Bukas may kasama ka na, yung taga Baguio,” Damian reassures Marites.

That night, as she navigates the empty hallways of De la Rosa Dormitory, Marites gets acquainted with her new home’s creaky floors and dark corners, acutely aware of the sound of a girl crying nearby. Soon there after, she finds Mia (Ella Cruz) who’s more than convivial to meet her. “Taga Nueva Ecija ako. Nagre-review para sa Nursing Board exams,” Mia shares. 

In the morning, after attending mass, Marites is spooked by an old lady who tells her that she has a special gift, and that spirits are drawn to her ("natatangi... tulay"). She shares this with new friend Emerson (Rayver Cruz), a cheerful Criminology student whom she met at Aling Payang’s (Ruby Ruiz) eatery. 

But when another student Ellen arrives a day later, Marites realizes that the Mia she earlier met was the same who disappeared 5 years ago, along with her friend Aya (Nathalie Hart). They were never found. Marites transfers to another dorm hoping to get rid of Mia, but the latter still persistently appears in her dreams, asking for help. When Marites gets hold of Mia’s diary, their back stories start to unravel; a story that leads them to the son of an influential personality, Quinito Castaneda (Rafael Rosell) and his friend Danny (Joross Gamboa). But why is Marites seeing puddles on the floor and sandy foot prints? Are these tip-offs from beyond the grave?

Regal Films once again delivers the story of a protagonist with a “third eye”. Remember Carla Abellana in Aloy Adlawan’s (hold your breath!) “Third Eye”, the movie that initially toyed around with Earth-bound ghosts that soon transformed into zombies that eventually became cannibals? (Someone got so excited he got confused delineating the differences among his monsters.) A not-so-original variety resurrects 8 months later in "Dilim" (Darkness). Exciting, right?

Kylie Padilla turns in a one-note performance framed by a single facial expression seen from scene one until the last frame. If she wore a mask, it wouldn't have made any difference (reference: Derek Ramsay in all of his film appearances). Padilla’s joyless demeanor is so dour you’d wonder why anyone would even bother to speak to her. While I was made aware of her back story (father left when she was a child; she’s estranged from her mother; her next of kin is an aunt who works as a nurse in Hong Kong), Padilla effortlessly captures the essence of somnambulism in all its clinical criteria.

When Marites tells the police about a new name that could lead them to solving the crime, the cop tells them, “Pakitaan nyo ako ng pruweba.” Wasn’t that his job? Does this mean that in criminal cases, such as this, common people should gather all the evidence and interrogate witnesses? Present the aforementioned to the police before they make arrests? Huh? Then the same police man contacts Quinito informing him of Marites’ interest on the case. Why did the cop even care for Quinito’s sake? The latter didn’t even seem to know him. There is a fragmented series of ideas here too indicative to be real.

In another scene, Danny tracks down Marites’ whereabouts. He then invites Marites and Emerson to go with him to Sirena Beach Resort in Cavite – the same night they were introduced. What was so urgent five years after a disappearance that the meeting would have to be done on the same evening they first met? And why all the way to Cavite? If you were Marites, would you allow a complete stranger to take you to a distant place – just to discuss something that transpired 5 long years ago? Can’t they discuss this over, hmmm, coffee? I’d say a Starbucks scenario would be convenient for a mysterious disappearance, right? (wink wink) So if a stranger took them to Mars, they wouldn't think twice about it? The sense of urgency is baffling.

If Marites indeed was a magnet for ghosts, why was she being pursued by Mia alone? Aya didn't even bother talk to her. Selective affinity, perhaps? Maybe the other ghosts smell something rancid in her - or she just wasn't a very personable seance?

When Marites and Emerson finally meet Quinito, gunfight and fisticuffs ensue. Marites and Emerson were dragged to the sea, a scenario that duplicates Mia and Aya’s fate five years ago. Just before drowning them, our restless ghosts suddenly walk up from the bottom of the sea to help Marites and Emerson. Hell hath no fury like a couple of scorned ghosts, debah? Ay, so kaaliw. Mia and Aya, decked with sea weeds hanging down their heads, attack their murderers as our hapless bidas watch in horror. Then the story abruptly ends. Credits roll.

Quinito and Danny frequent the same beach resort where Mia and Aya were murdered. And why not? Quinito seems to own the resort. But what prevented the "ghosts" from attacking Quinito and Danny before? They obviously don’t need Marites to exact revenge, do they? In fact, Marites did not do anything special to coax our restless ghosts to rise from the bottom of the ocean. No magic spells nor special incantations were cast. What was Marites’ raison d’etre for this story then?   

Jose Javier Reyes is no stranger to horror films. He’s done half a dozen of the genre in the past, including “Malikmata”, “Spirit of the Glass”, “Matakot Ka sa Karma” and “Kutob”. Though not particularly innovative as a film maker, Reyes tells engaging stories. I was looking forward to his insight on the genre. After all, this is one film maker who can dish out about film language as eloquently as the scholars and cineastes. 

Moreover, the director is also a self-proclaimed fan of Stephen King (not to mention Edgar Allan Poe) whose short story inspired Peter Askin’s recent film “A Good Marriage” (2014), thus I was hoping for an unsettling time at the movies. In “A Good Marriage”, a contented wife (Joan Allen) wakes up one morning and realizes that her husband (Stephen Lang) of 25 years could be the serial killer who’s been murdering women all over the state. 

“Dilim” isn't just derivative. It is short on “fright” as well. The narrative details don’t mesh like hand in glove. Detail is usually Reyes’ strong suit, but in a genre where he obviously grasps at straws, Reyes gets desultory. He is technically ill at ease weaving his narrative, especially when he starts building up suspense. At the peak of what could have been the climax, he loses steam and fails to find an appropriate narrative denouement. The sudden ending stunned me as much as it did Kylie Padilla when she was asked by Abunda why her film was called “Dilim”. Here is one unfinished story. Budget constraints? Or just plain lazy film making?

In an interview, Reyes discusses his thoughts, “As a filmmaker, your mettle and technical skills using film language are brought (???) to a test when you do horror projects.” Someone just failed his test.

Rayver Cruz and Kylie Padilla

Pretty Kylie

Rayver Cruz

Rafael Rosell

Jose Javier Reyes' Mga Munting Lihim - Acrimony and the Ties That Bind

Mariel and Carly (Judy Ann Santos and Iza Calzado) have been inseparable since they were little girls; they might as well be sisters. As adults, their exclusive circle has grown when Sandy and Olive (Agot Isidro and Janice de Belen) decided to join them.

Carly (Calzado) is a prosperous, albeit ball-busting lady executive who gets whatever she sets her mind to. Despite her triumphs, Carly feels incomplete. Her view on most things is met with apprehension and she jadedly believes people have unflattering motives for the things they do. In fact, when a relative asks for help, her thoughts would meander: “May mga kamag-anak ako, pero walang pamilya.” More than anything, she’s envious of her friends for having started families of their own. Meanwhile, romance seems to keep its distance from her.

On the other hand, Mariel (Santos), with feet firmly planted on the ground, is happily married to Vince (Roeder Camanag) - with children to boot. Her life is so domestically chaotic, she frequently bemoans her hectic routine and the absence of personal space. She hasn't even been to nearby Hong Kong because more urgent priorities always supervene. Sandy (Isidro), who’s eternally and intentionally late for their soirees, is married to a filthy rich geriatric. She doesn’t waste time flaunting her designer wardrobe and her jetsetting lifestyle. Olive (de Belen) is married to a much younger guy whom she met from a chatroom. He now works in Dubai, so money is occasionally scant. Though the girls occasionally squabble and annoy each other, they all manage to thrive in their respective domestic anarchy.      

SPOILERS

One day, Mariel drops a bomb. She has pancreatic cancer, a proverbial death sentence in most cases. This brings the friends closer than ever. But when Mariel eventually dies, she leaves a box full of journals. And she has tasked Carly to peruse through her entries – entries that contain her deepest thoughts about each of her friends; entries that reveal specific moments in their lives, underlining the weakest links in their relationships: like when Mariel had to clandestinely sequester Eman (Gino dela Pena) from Carly, just to prove that Carly does not always get everything. Sometimes, these friends aren’t always emotionally supportive: they tell thirty-something Olive that her 21 year old chatmate (a former actor) is a “kabit ng bakla”; that she never pays what she owes - and even lies about them. Carly muses that Olive isn't the smartest girl. And they even conclude that Sandy’s marriage to an older guy was merely for convenience, inferring that Sandy’s an inveterate gold digger. What’s happening here? With friends like these, who needs enemies? More importantly, is this friendship even worth keeping?     

Mariel

Carly

Olive

Sandra

It is instructive how scriptwriter and director Reyes is able to delineate his characters with luminous contrast. Mostly, it’s thanks to the intuitive performances of Santos, Calzado, Isidro and de Belen. Iza Calzado confidently glides through the cinematic palette with persuasive charm. She reminds me of Bea Alonzo’s character in “Sa Yo Lamang” – the iron butterfly with an emotionally-charged back story. And why not? She lost “the one” who could have given her happiness – from her deceptive best friend. Judy Ann Santos’ role is surely a walk in the park for the effulgent Santos who doesn't succumb to the theatricality of Mariel’s situation. She displays adequate control of her emotions, avoiding mawkishness. Agot Isidro is venomous without being irritating, while Janice de Belen is compelling. And it is high time de Belen, one of our better actresses, graces our celluloid dreams once again. A regular date with the treadmill would have her in perfect form.

INABILITY TO CHOOSE

While it is true that the four actresses provide a variety of clamorous and symbiotic emotional landscape for this narrative, it is also clear that Calzado and Santos’ roles weigh more than their co-stars. It is thus ridiculous not to be able decide and pick a single “Best Lead Actress” from the four actresses. Iza Calzado stands out from this amazing ensemble. What I’m saying here is, giving the Best Actress and Supporting Actress plum to the four actresses is a cop out – and the product of lazy or inferior minds. It’s a matter of discussion among the Cinemalaya judges to peel through the individual aptitude and merits of each actress. Kaya nga contest para may isang mananalo... then we end up with FOUR winners for TWO categories! If this isn't ridiculous, then it’s hilarious!

IDIOCY vs GENEROSITY - CINEMALAYA'S INEPT JUDGES

The awarding ceremonies of Cinemalaya have always been sketchy. Jim Pebanco won "Best Supporting Actor for "Patikul", remember? Ina Feleo won Best Actress for whatever role she played in any Cinemalaya entry. Heavens, where has delicadeza gone, amigas y amigos? Next thing you know, sister Ana Feleo would headline another entry - and win an award! We then have one award-winning happy family, don't we?

Back to the topic at hand, we have 4 winners for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress. Does that make sense? Once upon a time, people used their cognitive functions to choose one that's best among the rest. After all, "best" usually denotes a singular presence or entity, NOT FOUR! People used to "boo" at contemptible ties during awards night. Remember Sharon Cuneta and Nora Aunor sharing the award? How do we react to an atrocious FOUR-WAY tie spread between two categories? More importantly, what's the need for judges if they can't even decide on a singular winner? The world is sometimes full of lazy minds, isn't it? Next year, they should open up the categories to Best Actresses, Best Actors, Best Pictures. We've opened the flood gates of generosity, anyway. Let's all be generous and give everyone awards. Para masaya, debah?

Back to the movie, the pacing of the story is brisk, and the editing (by Vanessa de Leon) is dynamic. The atmosphere is bright and breezy, unlike most movies that deal with mortality. Among the Cinemalaya entries, Reyes’ “Mga Munting Lihim” (Those Little Secrets) is the most accessible for mainstream viewers. In fact the sensibility of the film is too far removed from what we perceive as "indie" fodder.

I also have to mention the participation of former Survivor castaway Gino dela Pena who captivates with his short, but attention-catching cameo as Eman, the “man that got away”. Dela Pena maybe tentative at times (it's his film debut), but there’s no denying his strong screen presence. More of Gino, por favor!       

Director Jose Javier Reyes fills his plot disclosures with a hundred and one acrimony. Some issues leave you with mouth agape; others leave you laughing hard on the floor. Countless times, you weep like a baby. Such is this cinematic dilemma. The narrative is a roller coaster ride of emotions filled with insightful situations reflective on your own relations. You find situations that are easily identifiable among your own group of friends. This makes the viewing so much entertaining because of its "participatory" characteristic.

On point of logic, revealing the unpalatable details of Mariel’s diary seemed pointless. Intimate thoughts of a dearly departed friend should never create dissension among the living. The act itself is counter productive. People should never dwell on the negative aspects of their past. Besides, which friendship is free from altercation and disagreements? Moreover, isn’t it clear that despite their differences, they still end up lending hand whenever one of them needs it? You may not always agree with each other. You may scoff at their choices. You may cringe at their manner of deduction and call them simple-minded. But you will always pick them up when they stumble. That is the magic of friendship.  

The revelations

Iza Calzado, Judy Ann Santos, Agot Isidro and Janice de Belen.

Gino dela Pena invites you to his table. Where do I queue? :)

Gino dela Pena: Captivating!

I'd prefer this more apropos theatrical poster over the more commercial one they are using in cinema lobbies.

Wedding Tayo, Wedding Hindi - Left Over Ideas and Annoying Turns

There are two dissonant stories in Jose Javier Reyes’ “Wedding Tayo, Wedding Hindi”. But we feel that the film was originally meant to focus on one. Then Eugene Domingo became too big to take on menial side stories, thus the project evolved into two equal parts.

When Music teacher Maribel (Toni Gonzaga) finds greener pastures in Japan, her co-teacher Oca (Zanjoe Marudo) suddenly proposes: “Pakakasalan kita pagbalik mo.” And three years isn’t that long a wait. The catch is, Maribel and Oca weren’t even a couple to begin with. Meanwhile, Belay’s cousin Precy (Eugene Domingo) has had it with husband Benito (Wendell Ramos) when the latter fails to recover P250,000 from a business deal gone sour. The money was Precy’s savings meant to finance their very own house and lot. Moreover, she didn’t even know he took it.

Three years later, the meek and unassuming Belay comes home a changed woman. She is loud, impulsive and uncouth; she wears sparse garments and streaks her hair. Oca, on the other hand, remains reserved and indulgent. Bel is expectedly thrilled and raring for the pre-nuptial jitter.

But Maribel and Oca’s road to matrimony hits a snag when their parents don’t agree on a sundry of details: She wants a Boracay wedding; he can’t afford it (he’s an ignoble Social Studies teacher); she insists on purple as motif, but her mother-in-law finds it tacky. He wants a cousin as ring bearer; she prefers a different boy! The list of disagreements piles up like a bomb waiting to explode. And when it does, Bel is slapped with a rude realization that Oca’s proposal could have been a knee jerk proposal offered out of haste than affection. What’s a girl to do?

Precy, on the other hand, walks out of her family. She wants an annulment and his sincere apology. But egos are soaring high. Benito pleads for her return saying he’s forgiven Precy, all the while failing to own up to his mistakes. So Precy keeps her resolve, but barely so. Her hubby’s a hunky catch and his allure provides too much of a temptation for the homely wife. Will she eventually take him back?

Once again, Eugene Domingo displays the enviable antithesis of comedic flourish and thespic restraint that has made her an unseemly Philippine Sweetheart, appearing in half a dozen TV shows from 3 warring stations; fielding blockbuster flicks one after the next. Her hole-plugging role becomes a more engaging, better threshed out performance when we expected another variety of “Mamarazzi”. As the months lay on, Domingo becomes a living testament that talent alone can summon success. You don’t need youth, beauty or a well-oiled machinery to make it big.

If you’ve been watching Toni Gonzaga’s spiels in the Sunday gossip show, “The Buzz”, you would agree with me that she has been such a delight. She has developed an affectation that’s gratifyingly felicitous as she faces her guests or when she delivers cheerful quips as she opinionates. This particular boobtube persona is being taken on screen, personified in Toni’s Japayuki Bel. Would this translate satisfactorily on celluloid?

Unfortunately, it was a failed experiment. Toni inconsistently vacillates, if a tad too annoyingly, in her characterization. Her performance straddles between demonic possession and constipation. Yes, we know that living in Japan has toughened her up, but did she really have to be that loud and eccentric? Has she transmogrified into a transvestite or evolved into a sexy Martian? She desperately wanted to offset Domingo’s scene-stealing knack as though amplifying her voice was the ticket to succeed in this endeavor. She was schizopheric at best. This development disappoints because we see her as the ultimate romantic-comedy heroine of this generation.

As for Zanjoe Marudo, he could have nailed his Oca had it not been for that scene where he enlists the intercession of Precy at a restaurant. We’ve always found him a comfortable actor: as besotted Caloy in Cathy Garcia-Molina’s “You Got Me!” (also with Toni Gonzaga); as former boxer Anton in Rico Maria Ilorde’s spine-tingling indie,“Altar”. But when tasked to deliver a dramatically emphatic spiel opposite Domingo, he seizures like fish out of water. It was an awkward moment that highlighted Marudo’s weakness – truly among the year’s worst performances.

Wendell Ramos delivers a winsome turn as lazy, albeit attractive husband Benito. Wendy Valdez, Regine Angeles, Teddy Corpuz, Miriam Quiambao, and Ramon Christopher provide short but adorable supporting performances, while Irma Adlawan (playing Zanjoe’s mother) fails to believably capture the frustrations of a mother who’s not quite pleased with her son’s choice for a wife. Adlawan mostly frets and appear stolid, a thoroughly guileless interpretation of her character, while Odette Khan (as Wendell’s mother) joyfully cavorts into her spiteful character with such unabashed glee. Adlawan should take pointers from Ms. Khan.

“Wedding Tayo, Wedding Hindi” represents the leftover ideas that didn’t quite make it in the final cuts of Jose Javier Reyes’ successful “Kasal, Kasali, Kasalo” and its sequel “Sakal, Sakali, Saklolo”. Way until the rolling of credits, we were waiting for the rousing cinematic payoff that made wedding romcoms mostly irresistible, but this one failed to deliver. It ended as blandly as its mediocre script. Reyes’ creative juices suffer from having to deal with discordant stories and forcibly piecing them together into an uneven fit. Domingo’s character could have provided the foil to subvert the trite comic formula, but her story only highlighted the sheer disparity of the stories.

Ultimately, it was one narrative that went to town wearing a pair of dissimilar shoes. And Toni Gonzaga limped all the way through.

Winsome, loathesome...

Perhaps a bad performance wouldn't matter in the long run because the theater had an impressive crowd when I watched. To some, making dough is the sole essence of the film making business. It is an enterprise after all. And Toni Gonzaga has proven her mettle as a reliable crowd drawer. A better project next time, Toni?

Zanjoe Marudo: from modelling to acting.

Wendell Ramos: Delightful as a cad.

Working Girls 2010 - A Dizzying Parade of Little Women Stories

Thirty minutes into Jose Javier Reyes' updated version of the 80's Ishmael Bernal classic, "Working Girls", you find yourself catching your breath and tuning your senses to accommodate its myriad of characters. In fact, enumerating all the characters here for its synopsis is already a daunting task in itself. So I won't even try.

For some people, "Working Girls" is an emotional nostalgia - seeing the returning original cast in various side stories: Gina Pareno, Rio Locsin, the still-hilarious Carmi Martin, but where's Hilda Koronel?

Eugene Domingo fills her character Paula with her usual comedic schtick, and for the most part, she pulls this off with wanton verve. Her manic energy tends to go overboard at times, but this is pretty forgivable as she invariably takes you on intermittent laughing spells! Ruffa Gutierrez plays her Marilou Cobarrubias with the endearing modesty of a seemingly brain-dead ex-beauty queen. Gone are her annoying kolehiyala posturings (it's about time) evident in her previous works ("My Monster Mom" and "Desperadas"). She actually reveals moments of Anna Faris-brilliance in her small scenes (one was while reading the "annual report" of the company she acquired from her dead husband).

There are stark references to pop figures: Eula Valdez's Dr. Cleo Carillo is obviously patterned after Dr. Vicky Bello; Jackie Lou Blanco's Head of News and Current Affairs is ABS-CBN's tough chick, Maria Ressa; Mylene Dizon's acid queen-cum-TV host Connie Valderama is Korina Sanchez; Rafael Rossel's Atty. Rodney Camacho is a loose characterization of cute lawyer Adel Tamano (though I'm not aware of his clandestine womanizing activities); Jennilyn Mercado's single mother-cum-call center agent is culled after, well, Jennilyn Mercado minus her loopy moments as Jennilyn Mercado. LOL

Bianca King's Berkeley-bred Dara de la Vega storyline is a tad too predictable but the pretty Miss King does her struggling journalist well! And finally, Cristine Reyes is luminous as the bed-hopping model Wendy. It's a tailor-made role that perfectly suits her. One of the high points of this dizzying array of little stories is the bittersweet chapter on Paula's (Eugene Domingo) love triangle with her lazy husband Bobby (Antonio Aquitania) and car-for-rent guy Nelson (the amiable Ricky Davao). Several cameos include: Cherie Gil, Maria Isabel Lopez (as a Liza Maza-styled activist); Katya Santos as Wendy's girl friend; Andrea del Rosario as a bitchy news producer. There's Joel Lamangan, Biboy Ramirez, and Carlo Aquino too.

Finally, there is Iza Calzado who's once again brilliant as heartbroken nurse Teresa, although her scene with a cancer-stricken patient (the wife of her former boyfriend - played by Jao Mapa; the same boyfriend who dropped her like a hot potato) is a tad too sappy and malamya for my taste! In fact, the movie sags every time their portion plays.

Director Jose Javier Reyes has been doing these omnibus projects and he almost never meanders into mediocrity - except for "My Monster Mom" which was horrible. His last 2 projects - "Status Single" and "One Night Only" - had numerous characters that focused on the plight of contemporary women. Though "Working Girls 2010" is a bit too random and unfocused (too much stories to really invest your empathy), it still manages to draw insight (though a bit superficial) and entertainment from its audience.