The director who loves telling stories

(First of two parts)

A film director’s first movie is crucial because this will determine his future in the industry. Film directors who started their careers in the ’70s and ’80s were actually lucky because – back then – they were given more artistic liberties with their works. Even if their first films failed at the box office, they were still given a second or third chance for as long as they were able to prove to their producers, the public and the critics that they knew what they were doing.

It’s a different ballgame now, however. Considering that it’s very expensive to produce a movie today, the first work of a film director doesn’t only have to be "quality," it also has to make money.

In most cases, producers today no longer care about quality. They’re okay – for as long as their film products hit it big at the box office.

Fortunately for new director Quark Henares, he hit the jackpot on both counts. His Gamitan, starring Maui Taylor, did not only make a lot of money for Viva Films, it was also generally well received by film critics.

At 21, Quark must be the youngest film director in the history of local cinema. (Eddie Romero started writing scripts in his teens, but with the outbreak of the Pacific War, he had his solo directorial debut – Ang Kamay ng Diyos – in 1947 when he was 23 years old.)

Quark began his training during his undergraduate studies in the Ateneo where he took up Management of Communications Technology, which offered a lot of subjects dealing with production work. Among his professors was Marilou Diaz-Abaya who handled the subject Filipino Feature Film Directing. He also often sat in the classes of Ruel Bayani and Raymond Red.

After finishing college in 2001, he became an intern for Bagong Buwan and, later, took a two-month film course at the New York Film Academy. Quark also did a lot of short films and music videos, but it is the full-length feature film Gamitan that served as his passport to the motion picture industry. And with the commercial and artistic success of his first movie, Quark Henares is already assured of a "future" in the local film business. Below is an interview I recently had with the industry’s new kid on the block.

At what point in your life did you realize you wanted to become a director?

Pretty much all my life I knew I wanted to tell stories and I spent a lot of time trying out different mediums – comics, print, fiction, even radio. It was when I first saw a film called Pulp Fiction, though, when I was 14, that I realized I wanted to make films. That film showed me everything I wanted to see in a medium; it was funny, challenging, and showed real people talking about the most inane things while doing things normal people wouldn’t dream of doing. Gamitan was dedicated to my friends Myrene and Diego, and it was with them that I’d talk about Pulp Fiction for days on end.

Whose works did you admire then?

After watching Pulp I really got into film. Before I was a film fan, however, I was already a major David Lynch fan from watching Twin Peaks in my grade school days. The Gamitan scene with the lola looking for her dog is my little tribute to him, my favorite filmmaker. My other favorite directors abroad are David Fincher (Se7en, Fight Club) and Hal Hartley (Amateur, Flirt). Much of the prevalent style in Gamitan was inspired heavily by the works of Steven Soderbergh (Traffic, sex, lies and videotape) who I consider to be an excellent storyteller. Locally, for me, Mike de Leon is the greatest. Batch ’81 is one of my favorite films of all time. I also look up to Ishmael Bernal, because I think one of his most underappreciated qualities is a very sharp and satirical sense of humor. Marilou Diaz-Abaya was my teacher and taught me most of what I know and I love and respect her as both a filmmaker and a teacher.

If you’re looking for great modern Filipino film talent, though, you should look underground. People like Toppel and Rox Lee, RA Rivera, Erwin Romulo, Chris Costello, Khavn de la Cruz, Robert Quebral and Mes de Guzman are doing great stuff, and it’s a shame not many people get to see (their works).

Did you watch local films a lot?

Back then, no. I started watching local films regularly when I was in college. And I still make it a point to watch local films that are interesting. I just saw Jologs, and really liked it. We should have more of those types of films. I think this proves that telling the story in unconventional ways doesn’t mean the public won’t get it.

Who are your favorite actors?

I think the whole cast of Utang Ni Tatang is excellent. Ronnie Lazaro and Joel Torre are two great actors who I’d direct for free and Epi Quizon has never given a performance that was disappointing. He’s the most talented and exciting young actor for me today. Christopher de Leon is another person I really admire, and I want to see him get more challenging roles like he used to in the ’70s.

Ever since I was a kid I’d had a big crush on Sharon Cuneta, and I’ve had the honor of working with her for the Viva Relaunch ad. I think Vilma Santos is one of the greatest actresses ever and she’s never stopped experimenting, which is admirable. Among the young actresses I’ve already worked with are Mylene Dizon, and I can’t wait to do another project with her. I also have great respect for Judy Ann Santos because she never goes overboard and she really treats her characters with respect.

Gamitan was obviously inspired by Cruel Intentions. Do you think that kind of psyche is prevalent among Pinoy youngsters?

Actually Gamitan was hardly inspired by Cruel Intentions. When I started writing the film the producers told me they wanted a younger sex film in the vein of Cruel Intentions, but personally I don’t like the film (except that lesbian kissing scene with Selma Blair and Sarah Michelle Gellar, wooh!). Also, Cruel Intentions, having been inspired by Les Liaisons Dangereuses, is really too baroque and idle rich to fit in a Filipino context. Pretty much the bet is the only thing that closely resembles the film, and even that was more in the vein of She’s All That which is closer to the Pinoy psyche. Pinoys are very mabarkada, and believe me, when guys get together, they talk just like Nick and his friends talk. Not everyone makes bets to devirginize young girls, though.

Did you see the situations in the movie happen to anyone you know in real life?

The bet; no. But I’ve seen many girls in pain over guys who just use them and let them go. A lot of my friends who are girls tell me the scene where Wendell gives his speech in the car really strikes a nerve, and I’m really happy it did. I know many girls who have gone through so much pain and heartbreak after giving away things important to them, and it was very very important to me to show Cathy’s character go through that mix of anguish, confusion and betrayal.

Don’t you think Maui’s character should have been developed more?

Yes. Definitely. And it’s really my fault as a director that I didn’t see that. Her change was smooth enough in the script, but shooting was so hectic (I had a 15 day shoot) that I failed to make the connection onscreen. Cathy’s character really is supposed to become that evil in the end, but there was a point... from the makeover to her seduction of Lui, specifically... that she just went from tweetums to Bella Flores – to quote Peque Gallaga.

Did you base Jordan’s character on somebody you know?

Yeah. I based Lui on myself. On the script, at least. Obviously onscreen he’s miles away from myself. I did eventually still try to put a little bit of myself in the Lui character. The most glaring proof of this is Jordan’s wardrobe. He wears a lot of band T-shirts, and in a vital scene he even wears a "not radio" shirt, which is a radio show I co-host. He also uses the word astig a lot.

A scriptwriter/director’s first work often has shades of himself. Which one were you in Gamitan?

All of the characters had a little bit of me, actually. I have Cathy’s hopeless romanticism and tendency to daydream, Nick’s (Wendell) sense of humor, Lui’s (Jordan) weirdness and Diane’s (Patricia) crassness, as exemplified by people’s comments on the film’s language ha ha ha.

Which situations happened in real life?

Actually, there’s only one scene I really remember as a true story and it’s one of the weirdest situations in the film. It’s the scene that concerns Jordan, a dog, and mayonnaise. My friend Zach told me a friend of his did it. For the life of me I don’t know why, since you’re majorly risking an important part of your body by doing that.

What about the sex scenes? Where did you get the inspiration?

With Gamitan I really wanted to make "anti-bold" sex scenes; sex scene that pretty much challenged your libido. A person’s being used. This is her first time. She’s the object of a bet. She’s giving her virginity to someone who will leave her the next day. Will you get turned on? Two people are having sex, and there’s a dead body right there in the room. Will you get turned on? Yes, people will. But maybe later on they’ll realize what was really going on, and maybe they’ll feel a little disturbed about that. (To be concluded)