The opening credits of Astig already give moviegoers an idea that they are in for a wild ride.
Utilizing his years of experience as a music video director, GB Sampedro heightens the excitement of viewers by showing a montage of photos in the Manila area as the catchy song "Astig" plays in the background.
Astig (international title: Squalor) focuses
on four men all deemed worthy of being called astig. In the film's subtitles,
the term astig is translated as squalor survivor. In colloquial language, astig
is Pinoy slang for the word tigas (which translates to being tough).
In this film, we meet four tough men: a con artist named Ariel Darlucio (played
by Dennis Trillo); a young expectant father named Boy (Edgar Allan Guzman); a
Zamboanga native named Ronald (Arnold Reyes) who is trying to sell a decrepit
building in Escolta; and Baste (Sid Lucero), a university student and
overprotective brother of Elgine (played by Glaiza de Castro).
RECTO AVENUE. Episode 1 tells the story of Ariel, a conman who works for
a shop at C.M. Recto Avenue, selling fake diplomas and other documents.
Dennis Trillo gives an angst-ridden performance in his first indie film. He
swears, hea beats up guys just for the heck of it, and he sells his body to all
kinds of women. He's the all-around bad boy but with a heart.
Ariel's tough guy exterior melts when he meets Elgine (portrayed by Glaiza de
Castro). The young girl gives up her virginity to him and the look on Glaiza's
face after their deed is truly priceless. It conveys the look of a bride who
has just saved herself for her groom but it's a gift that is underappreciated
by her jaded partner. As they leave that dinghy motel room, Elgine's life is
drastically altered, paving the way for a climactic ending.
Technically, Dennis gave a good performance but he could have been more
effective if he was made to look more brusque and rough-looking. He was just
too clean-cut for his role as a kanto boy making a living hoodwinking other
people.
OROQUIETA STREET. Boy (Edgar Allan Guzman) is a teenage father who sells
beauty products given to him by his mother (portrayed by Chanda Romero).
When the camera shows a closeup of his wife (portrayed by Angelique Urquico),
viewers can clearly see her pimples, underscoring the youthfulness of this
teenage mother.
When Chanda's character is apprehended for shoplifting, Boy does not hesitate
to use his savings to bail her out. Penniless and desperate, Boy offers his
services to Tanda (Arman Reyes). As he humbly kneels down to "service" the old
man, we could actually hear the young moviegoers gasp and beg Boy not to do it.
Such is the ability of Edgar Allan to evoke sympathy from moviegoers.
BINONDO. Ronald (Arnold Reyes) is part-Chinese but he has been living
mostly in Zambaonga. When his Chinese father died, he was bequeathed a building
in Escolta. However, the area is surrounded by squatters, making it very
difficult for him to sell the building.
Humor is injected into the story when mainstream stars have cameo roles as
potential buyers. Even the co-producer of the film, Boy Abunda, appears briefly
sans speaking lines.
Finally, Gardo Versoza's character takes a look into the building and offers to
buy it but in return, he takes advantage of the probinsyano. After the deed,
Ronald is shown butt naked with moonlight illuminating his chiseled body. In an
effort to regain his sense of masculinity, Ronald hires a prostitute (portrayed
by Keanna Reeves) but he ends up being taken advantage of-again!
With his two love scenes (with a male and a female) and skin baring scenes in
this movie, Arnold shows that he can do such scenes without being sleazy in the
process.
ARRANQUE. Baste (Sid Lucero) stands as a father
figure to his siblings since their father is serving time in prison in a
foreign country. He has a tendency to be overprotective, especially when it
comes to his sister Elgine (Glaiza de Castro).
My favorite moment in the movie was when Baste sarcastically asked Elgine,
"Meron bang pokpok na nagbabasa ng pocketbook?" To which, Elgine quickly
retorted, "Bakit, wala na bang karapatan magbasa ng pocketbook ang prostitute?"
Oo nga naman.
It's just too bad that during the last sequence, Sid Lucero was giving an
intense performance but he could barely be seen by viewers since the room that
he was in was too dark. The scene took place during a brownout but of course,
he could have been given candles as props so he could have been properly
illuminated.
Astig will take viewers on a wild ride along Manila's busy intersections,
cramped squatters' areas, seedy motels and theater houses as well as anomalous
hospitals. Since Direk GB Sampedro used to study in Colegio de San Juan de
Letran in Intramuros, he is able to capture the dirt and filth of the
"Distinguished and Ever Loyal City."
Even though the movie has an ensemble cast, each character is given his/her
time to shine onscreen. It's a fast-paced story yet viewers will be able to
connect the dots and realize how our actions can greatly affect the lives of
other people—whether we realize it or not.
Personally, I've lived in Manila for a long time already but I rarely think
about the lives of the kanto boys, street vendors and other people that I pass
by on the street.
In the same manner, the four protagonists lead distinct
lives but their stories are interconnected without them even knowing it. But
through the masterful editing, viewers won't get lost by all the twists and
turns of the plot.
In life, everything indeed, comes full circle.
Astig is rated R-18 by the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board. It is currently being screened in Robinsons Galleria IndieSine (Cinema 8).
