While looking out a plane window several years ago, a man
saw high-rise buildings in a city that seemingly sprang out of nowhere. When he
landed, the man excitedly told his friends and relatives about his discovery.
His nephew was convinced about that what his uncle saw was Biringan, the
enchanted city of engkantos located somewhere within Samar.
Now all grown up, that nephew happens to be director Chito Roño and his uncle,
the former manager of Philippine Airlines (PAL).
During the press briefing of T2 (Tenement 2), Direk Chito told
PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal) how he got the concept for the horror
film that will star Maricel Soriano and child star Mika dela Cruz, the younger
sister of Angelika dela Cruz.
"I wanted to tell a modern story na close to reality sa mga
kwento...yung mga kinalakihan ko na mga kwento ng mga tao na hindi tulad natin,"
says Direk Chito, referring to engkantos or enchanted beings.
"May uncle ako na nakita niya yung Biringan from an airplane. Ang uncle ko
hindi basta-bastang tao yun...dating manager ng PAL [Philippine Airlines]. Nakita
niya yung city ng enchanted...Kasi pa-landing na sila sa Calbayog, ang sabi niya,
‘Hindi Calbayog ‘to.' Walang high-rise, walang skyscrapers sa Samar at ang
dami-daming kotse sa city na nakita niya."
That eyewitness account inspired Direk Chito to
conceptualize the movie T2 and write the screenplay with Aloy Adlawan. T2
refers to Tenement 2, one of the buildings in FTI located in Taguig City. Some
scenes are shot in the building but, according to Direk Chito, T2 is a
road movie that will have show the characters leaving Manila to go to Samar and
back.
This Star Cinema movie starring the Diamond Star is
scheduled to open in cinemas nationwide this April 2009.
In the movie, the engkantos appear to be different
from humans because of two characteristics: the lack of the philtrum (the
indentation below the nose and above the upper lip) and the upside-down
reflection of humans in their eyes.
"Itong T2 actually was born out of...the concept of the
other world, yung kabilang mundo. Hindi kamatayan kung hindi yung mundong
‘tinatabi-tabi po' ng mga tao, yung mundo na iniiwasan dahil may nakatira o
merong naghahari. So in short, yung enchanted world na parallel to our world.
Ngayon, in the context of the movie, it's a world na parang ire-rediscover ni
Maricel, whom I haven't worked since Dahas [1995]...so parang pagbabalik
din namin ni Marya," recalls Direk Chito.
What kind of Maricel did he see while making this movie?
"Magaling naman talaga si Marya. Pero talagang for me, ang
character niya dito mas may challenge kasi sa kanya naka-anchor yung hindi
naniniwala pero biglang nakaka-experience ng something unusual. At hindi pa
niya muna ma-explain sa umpisa kasi wala naman logic ang experience. It's magic
to work with her kasi makikita mo, nung na-edit ko na yung pelikula ang lakas
talaga ng performance niya."
Out of all the young children who auditioned for the role of the ward of
Maricel in the movie, why did he choose Mika dela Cruz? "Magugulat kayo sa bata, I think I have not
worked with the kid na at this age na 8 or 9 years old, iba ang mata ng batang
‘to, ibang-iba. Hindi pa ko nakakita ng ganitong klase since Serena
[Dalrymple]. Saka nag-iinternalize ‘tong bata."
In T2, Mika will play Angelie,
the young orphan who is being taken care of Claire (played by Maricel). Derek
Ramsay plays the husband of Maricel while Eric Fructuoso is the driver who works
with Claire in an NGO.
The other residents of the tenement who will serve as neighbors of Maricel
include Tetchie Agbayani, Camille Prats, K Brosas, and Mon Confiado.
How different is the enchanted world
from the real world?
"Pagpasok nila sa
engkanto world, right then and there kita mo iba't ibang klase ng buildings,
ibang iba lahat. Buong ending, halos 11 minutes ng pelikula nasa Biringan
[using computer generated imagery or CGI] kaya nga doon ang laki-laki ng budget
namin. Kung gaano naman katipid yung aming live shoot, dahil halos sa tenement
lang kami nag-shoot, ganun naman kamahal yung sa engkanto world.
"Isa pa sa in-avoid ko, I didn't want it to go the way of Okay Ka Fairy Ko.
Sabi ko, ‘No, it cannot be, it's not a fantasy.' In every frame of the engkanto
world there must be a sense of dread, a sense of ‘hindi ako taga-rito' and you
know you don't belong there," describes Direk Chito.
T2 is scheduled to open in time for the Holy Week this April 2009.