A lot of you may not anymore remember, much less know, the late, great Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining,” where Jack Nicholson played a deranged dad click-clacking on his typewriter all day, every day, only to later on turn out he was filling up pages upon pages with a one-liner: “All work no play makes Jack a dull boy.”
Scary? Hmmm… well.
The movie was not really that hairy at all during the opening sets till the scenes closed in and built a crescendo, riveting the audience in their seats, popcorns falling on the floor.
Lamentasyon, which was recently shown for two-consecutive nights at Dubai’s Reel Cinema in Ghurair Mall, reminded me of that psychological thriller which was based on “Horror Guru” Stephen King’s novel of the same title.
Award-winning Director Chino Pereira and writer Engelbert Chua, who together worked on the script, did not fail to keep the audience’s heartbeats leaping as the duo masterfully crafted the film to leave them wondering what’s going on, unleashing incipient ghastly hauntings for instance, till finally, after much begging from the viewers, executing the coup de grâce, if you will, that answered everyone’s damning question.
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Not to sound condescending but it amazes to learn that the cast were all overseas Filipinos in Dubai, whose current day jobs range from being accountants to waiters and bartenders, office secretary, professional dancer, singer and comedians (there were some students, too) – and they did a helluva job, doing it because they love what they do and do what they love! They were not professional actors, but they certainly got the knack of it. Kudos!
I was told that at the time of production, which was some 10 months ago, half the cast were jobless due to the pandemic. And they hopped on board the project not because they wanted something to be busy with else they lose sanity during those quarantine days, rather the storyline gripped them like there’s no tomorrow.
Main actors include Jiro Tejero (Samuel), Arnold Briones (Gerry), Vhie Laurilla (Magda), Mariah Jewel (Mika), Virgo Cueto (Cheska), Rachelle Melchor (Kathryn), Engelbert Chua (Dr. Mendoza), Dr. Yasmin Balajadia-Cortes (Mrs. Torres), Kevin Ocampo (Brent) and Mark Diokno (Roman)
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Not to be a spoiler here but the first few scenes can be confusing: a ghost in the room… and so on – which is precisely the point: the film is a psychological thriller depicting what’s going on in the head of a man who snapped. Confused. Lost it.
Along the way, the film struck deep on the viewers as it touched issues that overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) could very much relate to, among them, the notion back home that they are leaving the life here when in fact a decent dinner would be nothing more than ready-to-cook noodles. Another issue is of relatives incessantly asking for money who are quick to disown once turned down.
Direk Chino and Engelbert couldn’t have done a better job, indeed, as the rave reviews claimed.
There are talks of a re-run at Reel Cinemas in Dubai for those who missed it, and of registering Lamentasyon as entry to international film festivals.
“Confident enough naman po na at least ma-nominate. Sobrang confident po ko na yung naging performance ng mga lead actors ay talagang may mararating. (I am confident enough that the film will at least be nominated. I have full confidence on the performance of the film’s lead actors),” Pereira said of Lamentasyon’s chances at the festivals.
According to Consul General Paul Raymund Cortes, who, along with spouse, Dr. Balajadia-Cortes and kids, watched the film during its recent red carpet premiere, ABS CBN’s KTX has extended the streaming run of Lamentasyon.
Originally running only from April 9 to 11, 2021, KTX is streaming Lamentasyon again from April 15 to 19, 2021, he said.
Cortes said KTX told him the performance of the film in the streaming service was “phenomenal” especially for an independent non-mainstream project.
“This proves that the artistic elements provided by Overseas Filipinos are indeed worthy of note and definitely mai-pagmamalaki sa mundo,” he said.
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Lamentasyon, done in the likes of Kubrick’s “The Shining,” is a story about the perils of Filipinos working abroad, of trust and taking chances, of struggle, of keeping your hard-earned money where it should be… of – if you play your cards well – winning against the little demons in you.
A lesson on staying psychologically balanced as you live thousands of miles away from your comfort zone.
So, now the question is: Is that you reading this? (Ikaw pa ba ‘yan?)
The Daily Bread 