‘Green Bones’ review: Dennis Trillo, Ruru Madrid turn in worthy performances

MANILA, Philippines — If last year’s ‘Firefly’ was a tearjerker, GMA Pictures’ "Green Bones" is a heartwrenching entry to the 50th edition of Metro Manila Film Festival that a box of tissues should be on hand to those who easily cry at the movies. 

GMA Pictures’ collaboration with Brightburn Entertainment, a production outfit by the husband-and-wife tandem of Dennis Trillo and Jennylyn Mercado, has earned raves days before it opened today, Christmas Day, and it rightly earned the glowing reviews. 

“Green Bones” tells the story of Domingo Zamora (Trillo), a soon-to-be released inmate in San Fabian just waiting to regain his freedom and live as a free man. 

His dream is threatened by the appearance of new jail guard Xavier Gonzaga (Madrid), who is hellbent on proving that criminals do not change. Gonzaga believes that Dom Saltik, the man incarcerated for killing his sister and niece in cold blood, will never turn a new leaf. 

Dennis is undeniably a good actor; he is one of those handful in his generation to truly have an admirable filmography, boosted by his ability to deliver complex roles in films and movies.

His most recent fine performances were as the principled protagonist-turned-antihero Crisostomo Ibarra in the 2022 hit series “Maria Clara at Ibarra” and as the ruthless Japanese Imperial Army colonel Yuta Saitoh in “Pulang Araw,” which is now on its finale week on GMA-7. 

Dennis is no different in “Green Bones.” In fact, he is the film’s heart and soul, for if it had been miscast for an actor with a limited acting range, the movie would be a fluke even with a script by National Artist for Film Ricky Lee and Anj Atienza. 

The actor’s range is evident, as he introduces his Domingo on screen: the story is non-linear but even then his many facets as a man toughened up by the rules of the street and as a person trying hard to make good in a cruel world is clearly differentiated in Dennis’ nuanced acting. The actor even learned sign language for his MMFF movie. 

Ruru, meanwhile, can be proud of his performance in “Green Bones.” He has snagged a marked role in his film career, and this one will probably be a role that people would remember him by. 

He held his own against Dennis, and the remarkable cast of “Green Bones.” Ruru is pitted against the likes of Michael de Mesa, his criminology professor-turned-superior in San Fabian; Ronnie Lazaro as the cat lover inmate; Wendell Ramos as the corrupt jail guard; and Alessandra de Rossi as the NGO worker who regularly visits Domingo. 

Ruru had been panned for his acting before, but the actor can truly be proud of his work in “Green Bones,” although he still has to loosen up a little bit and stop acting for acting’s sake. He has to learn to lessen that wide-eyed look and scrunched face to convey emotions. 

Dennis had praised his co-star, and Ruru has rightfullly earned it in “Green Bones.” 

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Ruru’s contemporaries, Royce Cabrera and Mikoy Morales, have shown why they are in-demand character actors. They play the gay lovers incarcerated for killing an uncle, but even with their limited time, viewers were still convinced that they were indeed a couple whose backstory was interesting enough to be fleshed out for another story. 

The chemistry of Dennis with child actor Sienna Stevens worked, and their dynamic is crucial to the story. They shared scenes, with the instrumental version of SB19’s “Nyebe” on the background, that when looked back on in circumspect, would add more tears to be shed upon reaching the story’s finale. 

As mentioned, the screenplay by Lee and Atienza wove a tight story of hope and redemption. The National Artist’s proficiency in humanizing his dark characters added layers to a story that would have been otherwise a familiar melodrama. Their non-linear screenplay was evenly paced and sequenced that it will not easily confound or confuse viewers. 

Zig Madamba Dulay’s eye for details and great imagery complement and add drama to a story well-told. Like his works in “Legal Wives” and “Maria Clara at Ibarra,” Dulay’s composition and direction elevates dramatic moments. 

In a festival that puts premium on commercial box-office and star-studded ensemble, “Green Bones” has the potential to be a box-office success with its stellar cast and story. 

It presents themes most Filipinos are familiar with: corruption, family, redemption and social justice. At the moment, two of these might be futile exercises in a democratic country, but “Green Bones” showed that these can be satisfyingly redeemed even for just under two hours inside the cinema. 

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