1985 flick gets a re-do in Brillante Mendoza’s ‘Virgin Forest’

CEBU, Philippines —  It doesn’t take much for Sid Lucero to get excited for a project. All he had to learn was the director’s name and he was sold.

“I’ll work with anybody. But I really love working with people who I really feel how much they believe in what they do. The thing with Brillante, the way he works, he basically throws normal people into a situation and then he captures the action when we’re finally there,” said Sid, star of the Vivamax film “Virgin Forest” which will begin streaming this Friday, June 24.

He added, “I remember the last time we worked together, the way he worked really messed up with the way I thought the job was supposed to be done. That was a great learning experience for me. So when I found out who was directing it, I found out the premise, I knew there was no script, I basically emptied myself until I found out what was going on, who was part of the cast. You just open up and you let the rest take care of itself.”

A revamp of the 1985 film of the same title, VIVA Films and Center Stage Productions’ “Virgin Forest” promises to explore the luscious beauty of nature and the lustful greed of humans. Sid here steps into the shoes of a photographer mesmerized by a forest’s beauty but will get more than he bargained for when he discovers that the forest is not just replete with greenery.

Francis (Sid Lucero) is a photojournalist commissioned to take pictures of the largest flower of genus Rafflesia known as Rafflesia Schandenbergiana – a parasitic plant species endemic in the province of Bukidnon known as Bo-o to the Bogobo tribe or Kolon-Busaw to the Higaonon tribe.

Along the way, he discovers an illegal logging operation and a prostitution den. This is where he meets Angela (Katrina Dovey) and her younger sister Karla (Angeli Khang), who are both captive prostitutes. Francis’ professional endeavor takes a backseat as he musters all his courage to save both girls before it’s too late.

One part in the film’s trailer that got viewers abuzz was the waterfalls orgy scene with Sid the object of attention of a bevy of flesh-baring women. As much as male audiences might envy the position he was in, Sid laughingly lifted the veil of how uncomfortable it was to complete that take.

“It was very strange. When I found out there was going to be a scene like that, I thought maybe I can handle two people, three, I don’t know. But six?! When you get there honestly it’s not easy. It hurt,” he shared.

“That’s the first thing you realize – it’s painful. There’s nowhere to rest any part of your body, at the same time, there’s something the director wants to capture but the whole environment won’t allow it. The falls is so noisy, you can’t understand what’s happening because you can’t hear the directions. Three people standing on a tiny rock because the water was too deep.”

He continued, “As an actor the only thing going on in my head was, we’re all in this together. We’re naked, so respetuhan na lang di ba? Each one of the ladies, they had their own things they were comfortable with and I had to respect and remember of all that. You also had to make sure no one got hurt than they needed to be. Just lying on those rocks was painful. There was nothing to protect them, just skin.”

Not to disregard the ladies’ discomfort, Sid thought filming that waterfalls scene went as smoothly as it could get. But if it left any effect on him? “I think namatay yung fantasy ko sa ganoong klaseng orgy. Pass na siguro ako,” Sid chuckled. “But I can imagine how others would find it extremely erotic.”

Sid, who has won Gawad Urian Best Actor awards for his roles in the films “Selda” and “Muli”, was also pleased to reunite with his “Silip Sa Apoy” co-star, the fast-rising Vivamax Crush Angeli Khang.

“I love working with Angeli! I’ll work with her as many times as she would allow me to. I love supporting her,” he said. “She was already a formidable actress when we first worked together. I did not feel anything about her still starting out. Her bravery was uncanny. I’ve never seen anything in a packaging that’s so fragile-looking yet with a heart so amazingly tough. I fed off her so much.”

Angeli and Katrina, both first time under the tutelage of the Cannes-winning filmmaker, also talked about how the experience contributed to their growth as newbie actors.

“You really get to explore yourself as an actor if si Direk Brillante ang ka-work mo because you don’t have lines, just an explanation of your surroundings. Ikaw talaga magbibigay ng color sa mga ideas ni Direk,” said Angeli, who is hoping to be featured in at least one wholesome movie to show her potential.

“Virgin Forest” is Brillante’s fourth movie this year, after the success of “Palitan,” “Sisid” and “Bahay na Pula.” He has also been supporting younger filmmakers by producing their films, including “Kaliwaan” and “Pusoy.”

“Since there was no script, I just came on to set everyday ready for anything to happen,” Katrina quipped. “And then as soon as I knew the situation, it was just internalizing and getting into character. Because there was no script I was able to focus more on the acting, rather than memorizing lines.”