Building a Beautiful Purgatory
What the cast and crew of ‘Hintayan ng Langit’ have to say about making the movie.
MANILA, Philippines — What’s waiting for us after we die? Or, as Hintayan ng Langit asks, who is waiting for us? Taking place in a stylized purgatory, this film takes a look at the afterlife of Lisang (Gina Pareño), a troublemaker who is due to finally make her way into Paradise. But as she is set to leave Earth, she meets the new tenant of her soon-to-be-empty room: Manolo (Eddie Garcia), her ex-boyfriend from years back, now newly dead. The two get a second chance to know each other, and as they recount the stories of their lives, they can’t help but wonder if there’s room for love after death.
The film made waves at this year’s QCinema International Film Festival, garnering the Audience Choice award as well as a Best Actor honor for Eddie Garcia. The film can credit its success to the multitude of talents involved in its production. The film’s leads, Gina Pareño and Eddie Garcia, are both multi-awarded legends of Philippine show business. The screenplay is by Juan Miguel Severo, renowed spoken word artist, based on his one-act play for The Virgin Lab Fest. The film was helmed by Dan Villegas, who won Best Director at the 2014 Metro Manila Film Festival and directed English Only, Please, Never Not Love You and Changing Partners. In anticipation of its nationwide release last week, we sat down with the director and two leading performers to discuss shooting the film.
Turning a small stage play into a full-length feature film was a production challenge. “’Yung first step namin was to make it bigger. Kasi ‘yung original stage play, isang room lang eh, and one-act play lang siya so sobrang ikli lang niya. So the challenge was to make it bigger but at the same time manageable and within budget,” says Villegas. “First, wala kang research. Di ko alam paano mag research sa ‘Heaven.’ Our production designer, si Ana Lou Sanchez, she interviewed someone who had a near-death experience. Sinabi ko sa kanila, ‘yung mga costume designers, and the cinematographer, if magkaroon ng Purgatory, nasa point of view siya ng kung anong era ka lumaki. Lahat ng objects na makikita mo sa film, nakabound siya within the age group of Tita Gina (Pareño).”
The two lead actors, playing the roles of Lisang and Manolo, reacted differently to the unorthodox script. Pareño recounts “Nung unang binigay sa akin ‘yung script, hindi ko masakyan. Siguro after pangatlong beses kong binasa yung script nagkaroon ako ng behind my back na imagination. Kakaiba kasi ‘yung istorya eh, at napakaganda pala, kaiba sa mga ibang pelikula na binibidyo natin.”
“It’s something new. A lot of local films have been produced, but they’ve never touched on the afterlife,” says Garcia, “It was very well-directed and well-acted. The producers were able to, you know, get the sense that’s required in the film.” Villegas was worried that veteran actor Garcia would not like the film’s concept. “Pitch pa lang pinapawisan ako. Meron siyang stare na nakaganun lang. Parang jina-judge ka lang niya. Naka ganun ‘yung fingers niya sa table, so baka ‘di niya tanggapin ‘yung pelikula.” To Dan’s surprise, Garcia had no qualms taking on the role, and described working with him as an enjoyable experience.
“Dan is a very meticulous director. And he knows what he is doing. And Gina is a very competent actress. I’ve worked with her before in Sampaguita and in another indie film,” says Eddie. His co-actor also offered high praise for the director. “Si Direk Dan, masinop. Talagang details ah, maalaga siya, ‘yung consistent siya sa character. Di siya yung paanu-ano lang. Di siya titigil. Masarap pag kasama siya, si Direk.”
The film’s setting of Purgatory is visually grabbing, a fact not lost on the three working on the film. When asked about the film’s outlook on death, Villegas said “Medyo positive ‘yung outlook niya sa death eh. Na hindi ‘death is not the end.’ It’s just part of a journey. Okay ako sa mas restorative outlook sa mga bagay-bagay.” When I asked him about his personal views on the afterlife, he had a few things to say. “I believe we’re part of something bigger na hindi ko siya mapromise... pero at the end of the day, if you did good, who cares if there’s Heaven or Hell? For me, regardless of religion, ang point lang ng lahat is, don’t be a dick. Be a good person to others. Love of God through love of others. Simple lang siya eh. Diyan ako mas naniniwala.”
As the interview came to a close, it was Eddie Garcia’s love for the craft that stuck with me. Well into his 80s, he continues to work hard on several movies a year, churning out one powerful performance after another. “Well, to me, whether I’m working on an independent film or mainstream, I give the same performance. Because to me, doing a film, no matter how small the role is, do it well, because it’s the best recommendation for the next project. I always think of the audience, how they will react to a particular performance. I always think of Aling Sima in the market, will she enjoy it? Or Juan who sells cigarettes, will he enjoy it?”
