96 min, Philippines, 2012
In Tagalog with English subtitles
Cinema One Originals, Tito & Tita
Directed and written by Pam Miras
Stars Maria Veronica Santiago with Peewee O'Hara, Cara Eriguel, Alex Vincent Medina, Ian Galliguez, Danzon Sartos, Marija Vicente
Darkly comic even its tragic conclusion, Pam Miras's PASCALINA has been one of those few Philippine independent films that get shown in the US that demonstrates a Filipino filmmaker's capacity to push the boundaries of credulity without losing face.
In Miras's story of Pascalina, the misfit whose mere presence inspires derision among her family, her co-workers and even, contempt of her lover, the film has given us what appears to be one of the most intriguing characters ever written for Philippine screen, with a mesmerizing performance of its lead, Maria Veronica Santiago.
Through scenes largely shot in tight close-ups which capture effectively the character's distant affect, the hidden anguish of one who is unwanted, only once offered a glimpse of deliverance when bequeathed the power of invincibility by a dying aunt, PASCALINa strikes a heavy blow in the gut when Pascalina, the character finds her retribution, finally.
With this film, Pam Miras lends a singular voice that needs to be nurtured to its full fruition.
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PASCALINa was awarded Best Picture at the 2012 Cinema One Originals awards.
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XO (crossover appeal): **
A+ (arthouse potential): ***
C> (cult film fav): ***
H! (hometown prime): *
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Pam Miras, the director of PASCALINa
Is this your first feature-length film? If so, why this film as dark as Pascalina? What explains the urge to make this kind of film? Can you tell us the genesis of the film?
Yes it is. Most of my shorts were dark to begin with. I guess that’s just me and how I look at the world. Almost all my shorts from Reyna ng Kadiliman to Wag Kang Titingin all had supernatural elements in it too. I’d like to think I’m past that now. But who knows…
I wrote Pascalina a week after I got fired at work for the nth time for being late. Finding myself jobless again, I had the time to write and to write what I felt like writing. No outlines, just one event after another. Then I decided to enter the script to the CinemaOne fest that year (2012). Initially, I didn’t plan on shooting via digital harinezumi. But while waiting for the results, the idea to shoot the film entirely on it came to me. I had just bought a digital harinezumi 2 camera as a Christmas gift to myself and was toying around with it before I finished the script.
Maria Veronica Santiago as PASCALINa
There is a certain look to the film, makes use of lots of shadows, even during daytime. Was it your choice? What are the elements that help you achieve that look?
This “dark” look is mainly because of the use of the digital harinezumi camera. You need to google it to get the idea. I’m not sure where you saw Pascalina, but the screenings at Robinson’s Galleria and Shangri-La were close to the image we wanted. That was exactly the look I wanted and yes it could be achieved via any other digital camera with careful grading, but it won’t be the same. The technical team behind the film really found it challenging to blow up this lo-res SD image to HD for projection in movie theaters. It had never been done before. SBut we did it. Shooting was also a challenge. The harinezumi images were much better in exterior day, or exterior night (neon lights and headlights) but shooting in interiors posed a challenge too. But we did it. And being the first ( I think ha) film to achieve that in the Philippines is satisfying enough for me.
Later on, when the film wasn’t picking up internationally, I realized no one gives a shit about the feat of shooting an entire feature on a toy cam. But that’s okay. The crew and I are happy and that still counts for something.
Maria Veronica Santiago, Alex Vincent Medina in PASCALINa
How did you choose the cast? That particular scene with the three sisters and Aunt Polly, was it done according to script or improvised? As a whole, the cast is almost perfect, as to the kind of film you want to make, notably the lead actor and Aunt Polly. Were they from audition or pre-selected?
I didn’t audition. I hate auditions. It’s tough to turn down people who express an interest in joining your film. I picked the actors from the people I knew in real life, whom I thought best personified the characters in the film. Some are professional actors some are not.
As a woman filmmaker, what were the challenges you faced in trying to join a competition like Cinema One?
None really. The toughest part was defending the use of the digital harinezumi for the film. I cried when we fumbled during the test screening. I really didn’t want to shoot the film any other way. Luckily I was allowed to do what I wanted.
I noticed a lot of names in the final credits are filmmakers themselves, giving me the impression of a supportive film community. Is this a correct observation, how did it develop?
Yes we are supportive of each other’s films. We’re one big barkada, if you want to put it that way. I acted for Shireen’s Big Boy, and she became my DOP (with Malay Javier) for Pascalina. Timmy Harn acted as producer and AD for Pascalina, while I acted as producer & co-wrote Ang Pagbabalat ng Ahas.
Personally, what is the future of Philippine independents? What is the direction it needs to take at this time?
I think cultivating a new audience is just as important as creating new films. I also think we need more film producers who have a deep love for cinema.
Any new project, any future plan?
We’re working on Malay Javier’s “Di Na Sila Tatanda”, a finalist at this year’s Cinema One Originals. Malay worked as DOP for 3 of my films and I’m happy to help out with the final scripting of his film. I’ll be teaching again this sem at St. Scholastica’s Manila in addition to my day job of writing for ABS-CBN. Hopefully we can get a grant this year for a new film.
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