Robin’s ‘swan song’?

"Kung isang singer ako," says Robin Padilla, "Kulimlim would have made a good swan song for me."

Kulimlim is the new movie Robin has just finished shooting. It is Viva Films’ Manila Filmfest entry this year. He is teamed up with Tanya Garcia for the first time.

Robin had earlier revealed his decision to quit showbiz for at least one year. He wants to further his knowledge of English and Arabic. He will take a crash course on both languages with wife, Liezl (nee Sigangco).

He elaborated, "Sa isang school sa Australia ako mag-aaral ng English with Liezl. My wife is based there with my children.

"The next six months, gugulin naman namin ni Liezl ng pag-aaral ng Arabic. As everyone knows, Liezl and I are now true-blooded Muslims. Feeling namin, the best way to communicate with our fellow Muslims is to learn the language."

Robin, who has had the chance to portray all kinds of action roles, described his role in Kulimlim as something new. "Kaya nga, when I read the script, kaagad, sabi ko sa sarili ko, kailangang magawa ko ito, naiiba kasi. In fact, I could hardly wait for the shooting to start," he said.

In Kulimlim, Robin plays Jake Cabrera who finds himself possessed by the evil spirits of his own wife’s rapist.

As the story goes, the three rapists known as tres demonyos are freed after eight years in prison by a Supreme Court verdict which finds them not guilty.

With the help of a retired colonel, Jake takes the law into his own hands and decides to, so to speak, wipe the tres demonyos from the face of the earth with the help of the colonel’s men.

But a strange thing happens to Jake on his way home. His car is hit by a truck and he emerges from the wreck with his forehead profusely bleeding.

Back home, he starts acting strangely, assuming the characteristics of the three evil men. He starts to limp like the first rapist, to stutter like the second rapist and to shave his head like the third rapist. In short, Jake is possessed by the spirits of the tres demonyos.

The rest of the story focuses on how Jake’s wife and children try to escape his wrath and to "exorcise" him of the three demons’ spirits.

Kulimlim also stars Ryan Eigenmann, Jhong Hilario and Omar of the Maskulados as the rapists. Ronaliza Ching and Joshua Dioniso play Robin’s daughter and son (actually conceived by Hannah courtesy of the rapists) respectively.