Superb acting ensemble in Mana

MANILA, Philippines - There is something unusual as siblings reunite in what looks like their ancestral home in Negros.

The matriarch (played by Fides Cuyugan Asencio) is heard wailing and coughing all over the place and she sounds like she is on her death throes.

The siblings (played by Cherie Gil, Mark Gil, Epi Quizon, Tetchie Agbayani, Jaime Fabregas and Ricky Davao) have disquieting conversation about something they should now take up with the matriarch — this urgent thing about who is going to inherit what.

Mark is bent on taking up the subject; Jaime says this is not the time for that. The politician (Ricky) — who is in the middle of a political campaign — is also for settling the issue once and for all.

Jaime insists that the matter of the nature of the matriarch’s illness should be kept from the public — especially from the inquisitive press.

And no outsider from the family should set foot in that house.

Watching Gabby Fernandez’s Mana was like watching a ’50s thriller with the audience initially in the dark about the nature of that inheritance (“mana”).

As the dialogue between siblings goes on, you see the disparate and disquieting status of the members of the family. Cherie, who owns a boutique in the big city, is the voice of liberated city dweller; Mark is obviously a habitual drunk; Ricky is the seasoned politician who will use everything to enhance his political strategy; and from the mouth of the babe, we realize that Tetchie is a daughter from another relationship. But as the camera zeroes in on the house and its dwellers and mysterious visitors, you realize at once there must be some kind of family skeletons in the closet lurking in this ancestral house.

Indeed, the film has powerful images to strike both horror and fascination from the viewer’s eye. The sight of three veiled women in black entering the house through the backdoor with piles of old books in the background was a scary sight.

From beginning to end, the film has a superb ensemble of actors who blended with the mysterious story of the film. Ensemble acting was at its best in the performances of Archie Adamos, Dwight Gaston, Bart Guingona, Leo Rialp and Joel Saracho. Who can forget the image of Joe Gruta who gives you more mysterious clues about the goings-on in the house? Even Rene Durian as the family doctor looks like the old-world physician indeed.

The actors who portrayed the siblings were a remarkable lot from Cherie to Mark, from Jaime to Epi, and specially the politician in Ricky. Cherie delivers an acting coup in all her confrontation scenes with members of the family and so with Ricky. When the latter come to terms with his family roots, he is a different persona altogether and the character disintegration all at once convinces you he is an actor for all seasons.

Fides as the matriarch has a commanding presence in the film with close-ups of her ailing body. Wailing day in and day out, Fides carves a portrait of a matriarch trying to settle a family issue. Her speaking and wailing voices are simply operatic and as she rises from the bed to finally part with her inheritance, you get to know the family’s best-kept secret. It is a distinguished piece of acting from La Asencio.

Throughout the film, you see the superb production design of Rodell Cruz and the competent cinematography of Lee Briones–Meilly, giving the film an overwhelming layer of grace and patent old world-charm.

Of course, the film’s other most engrossing features are the film editing of Lawrence Fajardo and the musical score of Von de Guzman.

But the most welcome sound after all the family altercations is the voice of Dean Martin singing You Belong To Me. It is enough to bring one to that gentler time when life was easy and family harmony was all that mattered.

The direction and screenplay of Gabby leave nothing to be desired.

This is a film that showcases the legendary illustrados of Negros and how the present cope with the past.

No doubt about it, Mana is indie film at its best.

This film is a school production of the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde where Gabby is a faculty member.

With Mana, the school has something to be proud of on its 25th anniversary.