7 Questions for Emerson Reyes: The bumpy road to independence

Manila, Philippines - There are things about Manila that we tuck into the folds of yesterday’s newspaper; the kind of grime that sticks to the fabric of your clothes like the smoke from the barbeque stand or the burger joint at the end of the block. For the rest of the day, we are creatures of the city marinated in the language of its streets, teeming with the chug of exhaust pipes, ‘80s back-catalog cheese, and the unpleasant physics of third-world proximity. These are all parts that make up the city’s existential sweep, something that Emerson Reyes’s MNL 143 approximates within the codes of a road film. The result is a bittersweet love letter to a city that sizzles with the delight of a three-year-old, and the anxiety of the entire university belt.

MNL 143 coughs up an ensemble of characters that are all too familiar; personalities you’ve probably brushed knees or elbows with during the daily grind: the hyper-religious manang who comes up with the most delicious expletives, the slutty girl with A-grade thumb dexterity, pa-deep college dudes who swindle their own parents, and seafaring hopefuls who emptied their bank accounts for a shot at The Great Filipino Dream. It’s easy to fall into the trap of exploitation when you have cards like these, but Reyes treats them with the right amount of precariousness, spiking them with their own set of faults, eccentricities, and levels of normalcy. Reyes gets Manila just right, his perspective not too mired in the syrupy end of the spectrum.

Director Emerson Reyes (left) with MNL 143 assistant director Jet Leyco

Met with positive reviews from its premiere at the Edinburgh Film Festival, Reyes readies MNL 143 for its Philippine leg, starting with its official premiere at the UP Cine Adarna tonight at 7 p.m. Transcending its origins as a film about the search for a lost love, MNL 143 has become a burning torch that heralds the shape of things to come in independent filmmaking.

SUPREME: The city itself is a character in the film. What were some of the things that you explored or discovered about Manila that you put in the film?

EMERSON REYES: Manila is a romantic city. Amid the chaos, noise, and busy streets, at the end of the day, everyone goes home, everyone wants to love and everyone wants to be loved.

With such common themes about the daily lives of Filipino, how did you approach the material without being too clichéd?

I guess everybody has a different story to tell. And those stories practically avoid the clichés. I wasn’t always conscious of being a cliché. I just wanted to make an honest film.

The soundtrack also plays an integral part of the film.

We’re really proud of the soundtrack. Most of the songs were composed and recorded specifically for MNL 143. In the film, stories are also told by the lyrics of the songs. The radio of the FX is also a character in the story since we didn’t use musical scoring.

Besides the acting and visuals, we also like to share the sound of Manila. I’m very thankful for the great local musicians who lent their original music to the film, namely Jensen Gomez, Peryodiko, Carlos Castano, Rya Petines and Ling Lava, Boogie Romero, Fando and Lis, Archievals and Dalisay Cortes. The music is a big help in making the international audience experience Manila through the film.

MNL 143 is really a landmark film considering the odds stacked against it. How did you manage to pull through and finish the film?

During the controversy, we didn’t stop with our regular pre-prod meetings. Our focus is on finishing the film. Of course, the seed grant that we were supposed to get was a big loss — well, at first. But when overwhelming support poured in from friends, actors, and production companies, everything went better than what was originally planned.

It all boils down to (the fact) that I have a story I really want to share. I am very happy to have collaborated with generous and talented artists to be able to make this film. I believe this is the true meaning of independent cinema.

Paolo Bertolin of Biennale de Venezia calls MNL 143 a “convincing debut that hails a talent to watch.”

How was the experience premiering the film at the Edinburgh Film Festival?

It was fantastic. It felt really nice when people approached me after screenings and told me about their favorite characters in the film. They loved the acting, especially Alan Paule’s performance. Someone told me that it’s his first time to watch a Filipino film, and after watching MNL 143, he’s really excited to see more.

Now that the film is gaining positive reviews from the early screenings, do you think that the pressure has decreased or does this scare you even more?

Well, I never really think of the pressure since day one. For me and the team, the goal has always been to produce the film and do it the best way we can. Of course the positive reviews are great bonuses.

As much as we love getting amazing reviews from international critics, we still want Filipinos to enjoy the film more. MNL 143 is not an ordinary film for sure. Just like other independent Filipino filmmakers, we strive to give our local filmgoers an alternative to what they see in theaters and on television.

It’s really not easy finishing a film outside a big studio or a film festival. Do you think Filipino filmmakers can be truly independent in that regard?

Definitely. The story of MNL 143 will go beyond the controversy it experienced. The film is never about proving people who disqualified us wrong. MNL 143 is about doing things right. If there is one thing our little film has achieved, I would like to believe it simply demonstrated that Philippine cinema, mainstream or independent, need not rely on festivals and grants to succeed. We need great stories and dedicated filmmakers to complete one good Filipino film.

Yes, it is true that our theaters here are dominated by the mainstream studios that make it almost impossible for independent films to be shown regularly. But this shouldn’t stop us from making indies. Why settle for showing our films in malls locally if we can show our film to the world at large? The success of independent Philippine cinema in various festivals around the world created another way in showcasing Filipino films. This should be an inspiration for us to do more films for a larger audience.

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