Finding the perfect balance for The Trial

MANILA, Philippines - Chito Roño’s latest opus, The Trial, is currently enjoying rave reviews from movie critics and moviegoers, who consider the film one of the most important releases in recent years.

Rina Jimenez David, in her newspaper column, wrote, “The Trial moves far beyond the confines of a courtroom and examines such issues as social attitudes toward the developmentally disabled, the plight of sexual minorities, the way the legal system is skewed to favor the rich and influential, and even the role of social media in creating and distorting news. But all this is told in an engaging manner, and we must credit director Roño for his deft handling of such ‘heavy’ matters, even the sprinkling of humor and bite in selected scenes.”

Even entertainment website Pep.ph lauded the film for giving the story greater dimension by presenting characters “whose imperfections both discredit and dignify them.”

The site also declared that The Trial, with all its merits, may usher in a new age for mainstream Philippine cinema.

The Trial story and screenplay writer Enrico Santos, who is also the head of Skylight Films, started work on The Trial by spending many afternoons interviewing grown-up “boys” for the intellectually disabled, several psychologists and trial lawyers, but for him, having an open heart was the biggest requisite.

He considers writing The Trial an almost impossible task since it involved tackling a sensitive subject matter in the lightest, clearest possible manner. This “fun” challenge, according to Enrico, occupied all his waking hours for months.

“Yes, fun like a circus performer, falling off a trapeze is fun, but it truly is,” says Enrico. “The sheer impossibility of the stunt is stunning — to write a light but poignant melodrama with a mentally-disabled character, several cross-dressers, a court case, a possible rape, and ‘oh, make it not exactly linear, but keep it cheerful, ha,’”

For Enrico, writing for the movies is always heart-wrenching, even in comedy or horror, because a writer needs to bleed a little in order for the story to be authentic.

However, Enrico admits having his soul bleeding with the challenge of writing The Trial.

“In such a formidable beast as a family-courtroom drama with multiple love stories like The Trial, it is extremely demanding. This time, the soul bled,” admits he. “It is easy to do tearjerker, but here we hope to achieve a different alchemy. You laugh. You cheer for the heroes. You celebrate the moments that make them human, then you fall in love with them. It will be hard-earned love.”

In fact, a month before the premiere of the movie, Enrico posted on his Facebook account a pronouncement that among the dozens of movie scripts he has written, he considers The Trial as the best work he has done.

Enrico also lauds director Roño for masterfully creating a modern classic in the movie, bringing out the best in all its actors.

“Direk Chito held back the punches until the right moment, and when the moments come, the audience will be in a whirlwind of love, anger, laughter, and finally the wonderful, exhilarating experience of a drama well told,” he notes. “The cast is so superb, you cannot point to a single weak link. Richard Gomez’s role is tailor-fit for him. He was our mental picture even from the first line on the script.”

Enrico singles out Richard’s “videocam” scene as his defining moment in the film, where he excelled as an actor of restraint and honesty.

“Gretchen Baretto is not a name you will associate with ‘event’ dramas like The Trial,” adds Enrico. “However, seeing her disintegrate onscreen, holding on to the barest dignity, is the best soul-baring performance you will see this year, perhaps for many years.”

He also lauds Jessy Mendiola’s ability to balance several personas while maintaining mystery.

“Throw in Sylvia Sanchez and Vince de Jesus in an exchange role of sorts, Sylvia as husband, and Vince as wife, and it is a never-to-be-missed phenomenon. It heartens me to see Philippine Cinema able to embrace this much ambiguity and nuance.”

After everything has been said, however, Enrico clarifies that The Trial is ultimately a John Lloyd Cruz movie. Here, the lead star begs the viewers the questions — is he a man or a boy? A villain or a victim? In love or in lust? Innocent or manipulative?

“John Lloyd keeps you transfixed, doubting your own judgment,” says Enrico. “His close-up in the devastating finale will stay in your head for days. “