Why doing slasher film ‘Talahib’ an accomplishment for Gillian Vicencio

For actress Gillian Vicencio, playing lead in Alvin Yapan’s slasher-horror film “Talahib” has given her the opportunity to accomplish one of her acting goals—to be able to work on an indie movie.

“Talahib” is an entry to the 2024 Sinag Maynila Film Festival, which runs from Sept. 4 to Sept. 10.

“Acting in indie movies is very different from what we do in mainstream. I’ve always believed that I will learn so much from working on an indie project. I’ve long been curious as to how things are done in indie productions,” said Gillian, who has already worked on a number of big-screen projects, like “Eerie,” “Hellcome Home” and “A Very Good Girl,” which are produced by big player Star Cinema.

Gillian assessed that after working on “Talahib,” she has become “more comfortable being myself.” The actress explained: “Before this, I would approach a role intellectually. Now, I’ve learned to let go of my feelings a little more, to really be in the situation that my character is experiencing. I feel that my acting has become more natural after that.”

However, Gillian said she doesn’t really think there’s a definite line dividing indie and mainstream movies, especially when it comes to how passionate industry people are about filmmaking.

Liberal approach

“I’m not sure if my observation is correct, but I think the difference only lies in how things are executed. Take camera blocking as an example. In indie movies, the camera follows the actor wherever he goes. How the scene is executed is really up to him. He just has to make sure that whatever is supposed to happen in that particular scene will happen. Everything is more liberal. I don’t think this is a bad thing. It’s just different. I learned so much in that sense,” the actress said.

On TV, Gillian was seen in the defunct TV series “2 Good 2 be True” and “What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim.” She is part of the comedy “Padyak Princess,” which is currently airing on TV5.

Gillian said she was pleased that, even though she has already done several horror films, she was still able to learn new things from working on “Talahib.” “Both my heart and mind are pleased. I have to admit that my role here is physically demanding. It didn’t help that we had to shoot most of our scenes at night,” she said. “It’s also good that they didn’t make me run in heels. I’m happy that I’ve met an indie filmmaker like Direk Alvin. This is my first. It’s an achievement for me. I want to make more indies.”

Tradition in PH cinema

Meanwhile, Alvin described his latest project as “a slasher-horror film in the tradition of ‘Nightmare on Elm Street,’ or the Caparas films in the 1990s.”

“There’s a tradition in Philippine cinema of the slasher genre. I just want to contribute to that genre, because I’ve been part of this industry for a long while. I also want to give back to my producers and investors. I’m trying to balance making art house and films with mainstream sensibility,” he pointed out.

A series of killings in a vast grassland surrounding an abandoned subdivision sends police officers Bong (Joem Bascon) and Roman (Jess Mendoza) into a criminal investigation. They are aided by a group of friends, led by Joyce (Gillian), who are caught loitering in the area, as well as the mysterious character named Stephen (Kristof Garcia), who holds the key to the possible origin story of the killer.

“I will always make time in case I get another offer to do an indie movie. I’ll just give up sleep,” said Gillian, laughing. “Direk Alvin is very collaborative. I appreciate it that I was given freedom to tackle my character the way I wanted, with his permission, of course. We would talk lengthily about the characters and scenes. As an actor, I found that very helpful. It’s easy to work on a project if you have a director and coactors who are willing to help bring out the best in you. I enjoyed making this project because we shared one goal, to make sure we come up with a good one.”

Alvin said the Feast Foundation, producer of “Talahib,” recently signed a distribution deal with Hollywood-based EST N8. “The company’s effort is to expand the market for Filipino films around the world.

“So far, they’ve already bought the rights to screenings in all Asian territories—expect the Philippines, of course, that’s why we were able to join Sinag Maynila. They’re actually waiting for our premiere here before they start showing it elsewhere,” said Alvin.

“Majority of the employees of this distribution company are Koreans and Thais. I think they’re interested in penetrating the Philippine market. Their focus is really Asian cinema, and the Philippines should also be represented,” Alvin declared.