Although Gamitan is not a perfect film and is not slated to win Best Picture in next year’s awards race, it is undeniably quality work. In fact, it will put to shame the works of some of our directors today – especially those who have yet to learn the craft after so many years in the business.
Quark is very young at 21. If he can maintain the quality of his work in his succeeding films, he’ll join the ranks of our major directors in no time at all. When this happens, he’ll no longer move under the shadow of his famous grandfather, Larry Henares, and parents Atom Henares and Dr. Vicki Belo, who, of course, needs no further introduction in show business.
Last Thursday, I ran the first part of my interview with Quark. Below is the conclusion.
Looking at the finished product, what would you have wanted changed?
Maui’s hair at some points. Hahaha! In retrospect I think I should have been a firmer director. While directing I was very intimidated by some of the people I worked with, since they were in the industry longer than I was. So a lot of the times I’d give them leeway to what they wanted, even if I didn’t feel good about those decisions. Because of that there are some points in the movie that make me really cringe. Sometimes because they stick out like a sore thumb, other times because they just don’t suit my tastes.
Also, I think the next time I’ll really be more prepared, and take more risks. I was really paranoid because I could only make three takes, so when something was okay but not great, I’d let it slide. That‘s why if you pay close attention there are some really awkward moments in the movie.
Lastly, I definitely should have more persistence of vision. I shouldn’t get myself stressed to the point that I don’t pay attention to the flow of the story. The scenes may work well separately, but there are some that put sequentially don’t really mesh well.
How did you manage to get the best from your young cast?
Direk Marilou taught me that every actor has to be approached differently, so all the actors required different methods of directing. Wendell is a really sharp and talented actor. All I have to do is say a few words, and he gets it. The great thing about him is that he asks questions about his character, and we end up debating about certain motives and actions. There was one time that he went up to me and said "direk, medyo malabo na sasampalin ko si Ryan (Rivera, who plays the conscientious friend in the film) sa eksenang to diba? Feeling ko hindi siya masyadong in character e." I simply answered by saying "tama ka. Pero pabigyan mo na lang ako dito. Gusto ko talagang sampalin yang character ni Ryan e. Nakakaasar na kasi." And that was that.
Jordan really had a hard time acting in the beginning, so we put him through a lot of workshops. What I noticed is that Jordan is really good when he needs to be intense, but awkward when he has to act naturally. That’s what we’d work on. But Jordan will go a long way, because he’s a good worker, and a good guy. One time we were up till 7 a.m. and he was just bouncing around and memorizing his lines telling me, "Direk, para sa’yo to."
Maui likes to reserve her energy. She is very lax during rehearsal but she really lets it loose during takes. That scene where she starts going wild really took us by surprise. We were all shocked by her intensity. She also likes being given instructions throughout the take.
Patricia is really a darling. She’s great at improvising. That "happy p-p-" line came from her, and feeding the hot dog to Maui.
How did you handle characters in love scenes?
I shot Cathy getting devirginized first on purpose. In essence it was my and Maui’s first love scene. I went up to her before the shoot and said "Kinakabahan ka ba?" "Oo." "Ako rin." I didn’t give Maui any instructions. I just said, "Do what feels right." Then I went to Wendell and said, "Manyakin mo sya ha. Bahala ka na." That’s why Maui is very awkward and scared and conscious during that love scene, because she should be. For Jordan’s scene I did exactly the same, but this time it was Maui who I told to take charge of Jordan.
Would you say that some of your love scenes were based on your own fantasies?
Dear Lord, no. I don’t think I ever fantasized about having sex beside a corpse!
How are you preparing for your next project?
I don’t really believe in mass production because I honestly want to take time with film projects. I’m going to start writing film called Keka, which I’ve been wanting to do ever since I was 15. It’s a story that’s very unconventional, but I hope the producers will let me do it without having to insert some flesh. A lot of the time that’s the compromise when you want to do films that are dark and subnormal.
If you were to evaluate Gamitan, what rating will you give yourself?
I don’t want to rate Gamitan because I don’t think I can ever be objective about this film. Suffice to say, I am proud of the film. There are many faults, and the story was rushed (I had to write the script in a week!), and I wouldn’t even consider it a masterpiece. But I worked hard on it, and I kept working even though there was a time I’d go home every night... or early morning... depressed. I fought many battles, and I won most of what I’d consider to be the important ones. I survived. And hey, I told a story that thousands of Filipinos from every corner of this country could get to see. And that’s a major source of joy for someone who’s wanted to tell stories all his life.
How do you react to criticism?
Well, a lot of critics I’ve spoken to apparently have many filmmaker enemies. I’m not one of those people. For me, that’s the price I have to pay for getting my film out there. Of course some people will hate it. It’s part of the game. And I’m also not one to turn a blind eye to negative reviews. Being a critic myself, I do realize that there is a certain importance to how people receive your work. And it’s not just journalists. I look all over; the Internet, tv, etc. Sometimes I go up to people who’ve just seen the film and ask them if they like it. And I don’t do this so that next time I know what people want and I can just cater to their wants. You can’t please everyone right? What I look for is if I got my message across; how people identified with the characters, if they saw any holes in the plot, if certain things didn’t make sense, if the style got in the way or enhanced the film’s mood. Of course, there are some reviews that really go below the belt and even do personal attacks. But then, people who do that prove that they don’t have the objectivity or intelligence of real film critics.
How about the CBCP?
I think the CBCP is probably one of my favorite critiques of all time. It’s so funny! Especially the one part where they say, "Ang pelikula ay mukhang tungkol sa apat na sira ulong tao". (Laughs) And honestly? If I had like a DVD poster or something I’d definitely put "morally disturbing" as one of the rave reviews. It’s a rare thing to be able to make people question their morality. I consider it a personal achievement!
I hear your mom, Dr. Vicki Belo, is the one who reacts violently to negative reviews. Is this true?
If it is I haven’t seen her do it. The one who always reacts violently is my grandfather, Larry Henares. I even had to stop him from attacking the CBCP!
Incidentally, your mom appears in the film. How did you convince her to do it? I didn’t have to do much. She visited the set one day, and I asked, "Gusto mo bang umekstra?" and she said yes without batting an eyelash. Ang showbiz talaga nun! (laughs)
What are the advantages/disadvantages of being Vicki Belo’s son?
There are no disadvantages. I couldn’t have asked for a better mom.