Nowhere else in the world can one find a business as eccentric and humorously sad as "coffins for rent." Only in the Philippines. And why is that so? This is one of the few questions that beg to be answered by the indie film Ataul for Rent (international title: Casket For Hire). Directed by Neal "Buboy" Tan, this movie is co-written and produced by Anthony Gedang of Artiste Entertainment Works International.
The story revolves around a decrepit funeral parlor and the myriad residents of Kalyehong Walang Lagusan where the parlor is located. In this alley of squatters with a one-entry passage, death is a joke, a seeming respite from the horrors of living.
Set in the poorest of the urban slums in Metro Manila, in a typical kalyeng walang lagusan (dead-end street), Ataul for Rent fuses the eclectic taste of art critics with the conventional tastes of the urban masses—social commentary packaged as entertainment. The scenes, the dialogues, and the urban lifestyles show a niche in Philippine society that is seemingly devoid of morals. In the midst of it all, the viewers are left wondering how the Philippines and our fellow countrymen came to such a devastating state in the first place.
Taking the lead as proprietor of the business Ataul for Rent is Joel Torre, an accomplished thespian, who proves his acting prowess as Guido. He is the pot-bellied and scruffy embalmer of his own funeral parlor that leases cheap, used, poorly constructed coffins. This unscrupulous owner of a morbid business thrives on the ills and pains of his fellow slum dwellers.
More societal ills are shown as the film progresses: drug pushing and addiction, theft, prostitution, murder, gambling, illegal water and electric wire tapping, among others. As the camera pans from one scene to the other, capturing drunkards in narrow alleys, blackened canals, rats as large as cats, and the lack of clean water and electricity in the slums, one can almost smell the sweat of drunkards and the reek of urine in the canals. The viewer overhears the domestic squabbles over drugs, gambling, and thievery.
Also part of the talented cast are Jaclyn Jose, on-call make-up artist, and common-law wife of Guido, the funeral owner; Irma Adlawan, who plays an ovation-worthy role as laundrywoman and gambler who goes insane when tragedies come one after the other; and Ronnie Lazaro, Batul the taong grasa and narrator of the film.
They are also joined by Pen Medina and Nonie Buencamino, the leaders of a gang of drunkards and thieves. Young stars Coco Martin, Denver Olivares, Aleera Montalla and Viva Hot Babes' Irish Contreras make their own mark in this indie film. Ataul for Rent was the last movie appearance of the late Ramon Zamora before he died of a heart attack last August 26.
The script uses the vernacular Tagalog street language, peppered with a whole lot of gossip, lewdness, and swearing. Thus, Ataul for Rent faithfully captures the speech of the slum-dwellers: it is a film about them, their struggles, their heartaches, their dreams.
One can feel a variety of emotions while watching the film: humor, for the decidedly Filipino jokes that are incorporated in the script; disgust over the evils prevailing in the dark and narrow alleyways of the slums; revulsion over their numerous vices; fear for the danger posed by slum dwellers; pity for the circumstances that may have led these individuals to become a burden on society; and compassion for the strength of spirit that each character in the film shows.
In the end, the viewer is presented with the ills of the Philippines, and we are all part and parcel of this disease. Is there hope? Is there redemption?
Ataul for Rent will open in Philippine cinemas beginning November 7. It has been graded "A" by the Cinema Evaluation Board, and is the official selection to the Montreal World Film Festival in November. It has also been selected for competition in the 31st Cairo Film Festival and the 12th International Film Festival of Keral this December.