The unlikely masahista

His second and bigger movie break (after his movie debut, Jeffrey Jeturian’s long-delayed Pagkagat ng Dilim), Gee Entertainment Productions’ digital film Masahista directed by the also "debuting" Brillante Mendoza, is scheduled to be screened on Aug. 9 as one of the 20 competing video films at the 58th Locarno International Film Festival (Aug. 3 to 13) in Switzerland but lead actor Coco Martin’s grandparents and girlfriend haven’t seen the movie yet even if it has been previewed a few times. (Masahista is the first Filipino digital film to be shown in the 11-year-old Locarno filmfest devoted to video films.)

"I’m not sure how they will react to my nude scenes," Coco, 21, told Funfare during yet another special preview (for two people, me and The STAR Tourism/Nation Editor Tony Paño) at Brillante’s Mandaluyong City office, arranged by Coco’s manager Ihman Esturco. "They know that I am in the movie but they don’t have an idea how ‘bold’ my scenes are; I still have to explain those scenes to them," added Coco as Masahista unfolded on the TV screen.

In the movie, which runs only a little more than one hour, Coco plays a young man forced to work as a masseur for gay clients because he needs the money for his ailing father. In some scenes, although he doesn’t show anything "frontal," Coco strips to the buff while giving his favorite client, played by Allan Paule, a "special service."

But come to think of it, considering that his grandparents are certified movie addicts (who love watching old movies), Coco might not have to explain anything to them. They should be broadminded enough to understand that the role calls for those nude scenes (nobody gets a thorough massage all dressed up, ‘no?).

"I grew up on movies," said Coco. "My Lolo and Lola are fond of movies. I watched the same movies that they did."

Unlike other people his age who admire matinee idols, Coco looks up to the likes of Vic Silayan (whom he saw in many films, especially Mike de Leon’s Kisapmata) and Eddie Garcia (with Albert Martinez and Christopher de Leon from the younger set completing the list).

Although he comes from a comfortable middle-class family, Coco said his life story bears striking similarities to that of his character in the sense that Coco comes from a broken family. His parents broke up when Coco was a kid and divided the children between them, one went to the father and the other to the mother while Coco ended up in the care of his (paternal) grandparents.

Todel Nacianceno in real life, Coco (named by Ihman Esturco after Coco Simon, former manager of Aleck Bovick) is a Hotel and Restaurant Management junior at the NCBA. In person, he looks more like the schoolboy that he is than the bold actor that he is being groomed to be. He came to the special preview straight from school, carrying the backpack that contained his books and notebooks. He is the unlikeliest person to play such a daring role.

On the TV screen, a nude Coco is shown astride the back of an equally nude Allan Paule. So how was he convinced to do such a scene?

"It didn’t take long," said Coco. "The people behind and in the movie are respectable. I respect our director, Brillante Mendoza, and my co-stars who are good actors. Jaclyn Jose plays my mother. Lou Veloso, a respected theater/movie actor, is also in it. Allan Paule is an awarded actor."

As early as age 15, Coco has been doing commercials ("As second lead," he clarified) which became his stepping stone to showbiz.

Since the shooting of Jeturian’s Pagkagat ng Dilim has been put on hold, Coco was able to finish shooting Masahista in barely two weeks. But before that, he familiarized himself with the character by visiting a massage clinic, posing as a customer. "But I stopped the masseur when he was about to take off my briefs," Coco recalled with a smile.

Coco’s grandparents (and his non-showbiz girlfriend; other than actress Katherine Luna who has pointed to Coco as the father of her love child) will be happy to know that Masahista is competing at a prestigious international filmfest like the one in Locarno where the competing video-film directors include such famous names as UK’s Mike Figgis (of Leaving Las Vegas fame), Romuald Karmaker of Germany, and Denis Cote of Canada.

This is according to a report from Funfare’s Toronto-based international correspondent Ferdinand Lapuz (who plays a cameo role in Masahista) who will be in Locarno for the event with Coco, Brillante and Gee Entertainment producers Baby, Fedelyn and Edward Galang.

"Win or lose," reported Ferdinand, "we will stay on until Aug. 14 for the awards night, even after the screening of Masahista on Aug. 9. We want to ‘feel’ the Locarno Filmfest."

From Locarno, according to Ferdinand, Masahista will compete at the 16th Ljubljana International Film Festival in Slovenia in November, the first Filipino film to be included in that filmfest.

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