Film review: Nilalang, into the dark side of Manila

MANILA, Philippines – An entry to the Metro Manila Filmfest, Nilalang is an action/horror thriller that can boast of aiming for a multi-cultural approach to storytelling — merging ancient Japanese legends with contemporary Filipino crime-fighting.

Blessed with a committed approach to cinematography — an inspired bleak, almost colorless veneer to the modern Manila landscape, it combines this singular look with strong visceral images that should satisfy those who are watching more for the horror/suspense elements the film promises. Produced by WeLovePost, along with Parallax, Haunted Tower and Viva, the film is a bold step in raising the standards of production values for the film of this genre, as created here in the Philippines.
Tony (Cesar Montano) is an NBI agent and forensics expert who believes he brought down a serial killer with Japanese roots some three years ago. When killings of the same nature occur in the present day, Tony and his partner Jane (Meg Imperial) are forced to face formidable possibilities — a copycat or has the same killer resurfaced in another person?

Cesar with Nilalang leading lady Maria Ozawa

This supernatural premise brings them to Miyuki (Maria Ozawa), daughter of a Japanese crime boss who resides here in Manila. How this all connects to a book that has its origins in the period of feudal Japan, and that there is something other-worldly at the core of the bestial crimes/ritual sacrifices being committed, are what drive the plot of this film.

Gallows humor punctuates the screenplay of this ambitious film. The casting coup here is getting Ozawa, a well-known adult film star in Japan, to play one of the major roles in the film. Of course, she is known for a particular genre of film, so finding her more often than not dressed, and doing action scenes, may be unfamiliar to her legion of fans.

Cesar, on the other hand, throws himself into his role, speaking Japanese with credibility and playing the gruff charmer with ease. The action sequences, and the horror scenes, deliver in a manner that augurs well for the filmmakers behind this enterprise. If anything, the film could have had some brisker editing and a tighter storyline.

Both Korea and Thailand have gone down this path — aiming to excel and export films of a particular genre. It then remains to be seen if this film will find an audience beyond these shores and encourage similar types of co-productions — or have quality projects from abroad filmed here with regularity. Like how many know that The Martian was filmed primarily in Jordan? Given the pool of creative talent here, it is this type of film and its success that can lead to the Philippines being considered regularly as a prime location for film production.