The inspiration behind Bwakaw

MANILA, Philippines – Director-screenwriter Jun Lana said that his drama-comedy Bwakaw is a tribute to a former mentor, with its central character, played by Eddie Garcia, heavily based on the person who “taught me everything I know about writing” — the late multi-awarded playwright and author Rene Villanueva.

Lana said, “Rene Villanueva was my writing mentor. He taught me everything I know about writing. When he died in 2007, my greatest fear was forgetting him. At that time, I wanted to start a writing project, which would pay tribute to him. Then I thought of using him as a character the way I remember him. Rene can be harsh, at the same time, generous. Using that character, I built a story around it.”

Sharing the most important lessons that Villanueva taught him, Lana said, “Professionalism is one — that you don’t have to wait for inspiration to write a script. The moment you are commissioned to write a script, you have to deliver. Then, love and respect for your craft. You have to be mindful of the craft of writing.”

Bwakaw, which Lana also described as a return to his roots, is now commercially released by Star Cinema, after earning awards at this year’s Cinemalaya including the Best Actor trophy for Garcia.

In Bwakaw, the veteran actor is Rene, a 75-year-old man who carries with him that feeling that things are too late — including his coming-out — and appears to look forward to nothing except his death, with everything he owns neatly packed in boxes while keeping a perpetually updated list of where his possessions will go to once his end comes.

Despite his seemingly incurable sarcasm and cynicism as he goes about in his “twilight years,” Rene shows that he is actually capable of caring for the few individuals in his life, including his officemates at the local Post Office, whom he continues to serve despite being long retired; a long-time ex-sweetheart he religiously visits at a house for the aged and whose spinsterhood he feels guilty about; and most especially, his one and only companion, a stray dog he names bwakaw (Tagalog slang for “greedy”).

Bwakaw then gets sick. As he starts losing his beloved dog to an illness, Rene, however, learns to love — and perhaps, live (again).

Lana said that while he knew he had a good material, he had no idea how an audience would react to a film that tackles old age. Nevertheless, Bwakaw emerged as the audience favorite at the Cinemalaya.

“I think the story of loneliness, of friendship resonated with the people,” said Lana. “When I did Bwakaw, I wrote it the way it should be written. Nagkaroon siguro siya ng mainstream appeal because it’s comedy.”

Then there’s Garcia, who deserves all the critical praise he has received for his performance in the film. Lana said, “From the very beginning, Eddie Garcia was really our choice. He signed on to the project without even asking how much he was getting. I’m so honored to have worked with Eddie Garcia. He is such a professional. In fact, nahihiya kami sa kanya. Sometimes, we would end our shoot at 12 midnight, then our call time the next day would be 3 a.m., but he would be there at 2:30.”

It also helped that Garcia developed a bond with Princess, the dog in the title role, which they discovered via YouTube.

“The dog was a diva, pag ayaw na niya, wala akong magawa. We have to be very, very patient,” mused Lana.

Other cast members like Rez Cortez, Gardo Versoza, Bibeth Orteza, Soxie Topacio, Allan Paule, Joey Paras, Beverly Salviejo, Luz Valdez, Jonathan Neri, May-I Fabros and Armida Siguion-Reyna had their shining moments in the film. Even Soliman Cruz, who had a single scene, was a scene-stealer as the owner of a funeral parlor closing shop, trying to persuade Garcia’s character to already claim his coffin. 

Lana, who apart from being a TV director at GMA 7, is a Palanca Hall of Famer, who wrote the screenplays of such award-winning films as Jose Rizal, Muro-Ami and Bagong Buwan, said: “It was liberating, writing and directing Bwakaw. For the first time, there were no templates. All I had to focus on was the story and how to best tell it visually.”

The director will be away for two months as Bwakaw competes and screens at different international filmfests, including the Toronto Film Festival and New York Film Festival.