‘Wag Kang Lilingon (Don’t Look Back; 2006)
Confessions (2010)
Director: Jerry Lopez Sinengneng, Quark Henares Starring: Anne Curtis, Marvin Agustin, Kristine Hermosa Country: Philippines
Director: Tetsuya Nakashima Starring: Takako Matsu, Yoshino Kimura, Masaki Okada Country: Japan
Buy one, take one
Russian nesting dolls as pawns for a mental chess battle
Photos taken from the internet
‘Wag Kang Lilingon is not purely a psychological thriller—some of its horror aspects deal with the supernatural, and although the twist becomes predictable at the second part of the movie, the shots and lighting techniques are commendable compared to other Filipino horror movies that live only on screamers (a.k.a. the scary faces that suddenly jumps on the screen). The film is divided into two parts: Uyayi (Lullaby) and Salamin (Mirror). Uyayi’s story focuses on a hospital where many patients were being found dead from causes not related to their condition. Noticing that all the said patients were male and died at three o’ clock in the morning, Melissa, one of the hospital’s nurses, suspects the deaths were works of a serial killer. However, disturbing apparitions of ghosts suggests the killings were done by supernatural forces, confusing both the characters and the audience. Salamin’s story, of course, involves an antique mirror hidden in an old house where a family had just moved in to have a fresh start. The family consists of a mother who had just separated from her husband, and her two daughters who unknowingly released the spirits from inside the mirror. As the family struggle from the angry spirits now haunting them, the story gives clues on the answer to the riddles of Uyayi—why all the victims were males, and why their deaths always happen at three in the morning. The plot twist is predictable but the story itself is quite satisfactory. But what gave it three stars were the direction of cinematography and the attempt to make a psycho-thriller for a horror film. It is rare for a mainstream Filipino movie not to focus the camera on the actors’ faces, and even rarer to incorporate psychological thriller with supernatural fright. Admit it, most Filipino horror movies revolve around vengeful ghosts as frequent as teledramas revolve around missing children. Some scenes in the film may consist of poor acting, but the shots almost make up for it. It is also rare for a Philippine modern mainstream film to have a title that is not named after the movie’s theme song or after an object that was repeatedly shown on screen. ‘Wag Kang Lilingon means two things, one was literal (because seriously, no one would dare look behind him when he’s being chased by vengeful ghosts) and one was metaphorical (as it should be in all films), which suggests not to live in the past, because (spoiler alert) dwelling in her tragic past and its traumatic effects is what drove the main character to commit the murders. So, if you’re a fan of buy one, take one, maybe you’ll like this film with its two-stories-in-one-movie and two-kinds-of-horror-in-onestory package.
LA SALLEÑO
42
Originally titled Kokuhaku, Confessions follows the revenge master plan of a bereaved mother, Yoko Moriguchi, to punish whoever killed her daughter. The story was narrated through a series of confessions from Yoko’s students and from herself, making it psychologically thrilling in its own approach. It’s not the usual guess-who’sinsane or the predictable surprise-it’s-all-happening-inhis-head film—it’s a psychological warfare between the witty adult and the conceited adolescents. In fact, it was also sometimes considered as a drama mystery, since it is compelling as it is exciting. The story is made up of different heart-breaking stories that show major character developments: from an enduring teacher turned cold-hearted enemy to an apathetic boy turned depressed. The film is a rare marriage of a dark, clever storyline and an intense but deliberate cinematography—after all, the movie was directed by the same guy who directed Suicide Girls (2004). On the other hand, the acting is not as superb as Oscar-winning actors and actress’ skills, and some lines were delivered in an overly dramatic manner. Some of the students’ confessions were unimaginable and absurd, but it just indicates how frightening a person’s thoughts may be, regardless his age and his social self-presentation. Confession redefines the psychological thriller genre with its Russian nesting doll or matryoshka of plot twists within plot twists. It’s a break from both mainstream Hollywood psycho-thrillers and mundane Asian melodramas.