A ‘Near Death’ experience
SM Cinemas have announced the return of their mini-horror film festival Sine Sindak on Oct. 29, but as of the moment, the details are kept under wraps. Even so, I was invited to attend the special advanced screening of what I’ve heard is the only Filipino film in the Sine Sindak festival.
The film is called “Near Death,” and it stars Charlie Dizon, RK Bagatsing, Xyriel Manabat, Soliman Cruz, and Lotlot de Leon—and it is directed by the prolific director Richard Somes. The film is an independent release, produced by Somes’ RVS Studios, in partnership with CMB and Diamond Productions.
Pure Pinoy horror
“Near Death” is the story of Julia (Dizon), who attempts suicide but is revived at the hospital. As she recovers, she finds that crossing to the other side has given her the means to perceive a hellish limbo, where its inhabitants can also see her. A showcase of Somes’ craftsmanship as a horror auteur, “Near Death” features interesting directorial choices that set up striking jump scares and frenetic camera work, capturing the rush and thrill of Somes’ elaborate horror scenes.
This is pure Pinoy horror, meant to be seen with friends, with a full theater of people screaming in fright.
But unlike his other films, Somes enters new territory in subject matter and theme. It’s also a film outside the studio system, so it brings Somes closer to the start of his career in independent cinema. It’s a return to form, though he promises to break new boundaries in the genre of horror.
The cinema was packed with the cast, crew, members of the press, along with friends and family of all those involved in the production. Despite having seen a film that scared more than half the audience in the theater, there was a lot of good cheer afterwards. The dark, heavy world of the film stays on screen and it shows the kind of community that Somes has built in this production.
A return to form
I attend the talkback and was able to take the director aside to talk about his return to the genre. “If I wanted to do another horror, I wanted it to be a ghost story,” explains Somes. “Dream ko ’yung ghost [story] kasi lumaki ako sa aswang stories.”
“I was inspired by ‘Shake, Rattle & Roll,’ from the manananggal until the sequel with the aswangs. In fact, I directed some segments of ‘Shake,’” he adds. Yes, Somes directed a segment in “Shake, Rattle & Roll 2k5” in 2005, but his first full-length feature film debut as a director, “Yanggaw,” received critical acclaim and marked the arrival of a brand new voice in Philippine horror.
But most of his notable film and television works veered toward folkloric horror and action. He is currently one of the directors of the hit show “Batang Quiapo.” So, “Near Death” is a return to form for Somes, embracing his indie roots and working outside the studio system.
For his return to the genre, Somes got the idea for the premise of “Near Death” from an Ilonggo belief that when someone dies and gets revived, they bring something back with them from the other side. He tells a story about a second cousin who fell off a tree and lost consciousness, and when he was brought back, he found himself holding onto leaves.
Taking creative liberties
Somes says that the challenge in making a ghost story is that there are so many versions of them now “from Thailand, [to] Indonesia,” he enumerates. “So, the challenge for us is to come up with a new mythology.”
With co-writer Jim Flores, they committed themselves to researching and going through all these books and stories. It then occurred to Somes that there’s something about spirituality that clicked with him. He references Dante’s “Inferno” quite a bit, looking at the author’s journey in the book to form the spiritual journey his protagonist would follow and how the world of ghosts would manifest.
“Nothing beats the feeling of feeling free,” Somes exclaims when asked about returning to independent cinema. “Free to decide on the film. Free to decide how to end your film.” He then explains that his close friend, Erik Matti (who came onboard to consult with the edit), was able to see the film and the two endings—and yet both of them chose to stay away from the cleaner, more audience-friendly ending.
He goes on to say that even though the budget isn’t big as you would in a studio production, he felt like he was allowed to play around in it.
Refueling the tank
But his growth as a director can be seen in “Near Death.” His work is always energetic, the movements of the camera he describes as “kinetic.” There’s a lot of energy in his work and as an artist, Somes says, all artists must “refuel the tank.” Lately, he has been watching a lot of new movies, and his venture into action—like the work he does in “Batang Quiapo”—has given him a new approach to covering the physicality and danger in his movies.
“If you notice, I don’t use a lot of cuts in this film,” he shares, “so you can see the actors really going through these motions.” There are quite a few sequences when the ghosts in the film get violent, and Dizon and De Leon find themselves being thrown around the frightening halls of the apartment building that was the set of “Near Death.” The violence is brutal in this movie and we are not spared any of it.
I ask if he feels that it is harder to scare audiences now, with the way the world is today, and he agrees with my proposition. He credits this to streaming sites giving people access to all kinds of content that could desensitize the audience.
“What I’ve learned from something [Robert] Eggers said is that the most important thing to make your horror film successful is to have a character with a tormented soul,” he shares. Citing Eggers’ “The Witch” as an example, he continues, “The horror of the human spirit takes center stage and the ghosts really just become the backdrop and setting of the story.”
“I really want to push that boundary and storytelling, which is why I got really good actors so that I can amplify those horror moments,” he ends.
