Ryza Cenon gets film break
Not too many may be aware of it, but a 1927 silent movie called “Manananggal” starring Mary Walter and directed by Jose Nepomuceno was the first ever Filipino horror feature.
As depicted in the film, the manananggal was a mythical vampire-like creature capable of detaching its upper body to fly and attack unsuspecting villagers. The said creature proved to be a hit with film audiences that over the years more horror flicks with or about the manananggal were made including “Lipad! Darna! Lipad,” “Impaktita” and “Manananggal in Manila” with Gloria Romero, Jean Garcia and Alma Concepcion playing the flying bloodsucker respectively.
But the gold standard by which all manananggal films are measured remains Peque Gallaga’s “Manananggal” episode in the very first “Shake, Rattle and Roll” in 1984 starring former actress Irma Alegre in the title role.
Now, partly inspired by Gallaga’s “Manananggal,” indie filmmaker Prime Cruz and writer-producer Jen Chuaunsu have taken the manananggal myth a step further with “Ang Manananggal Sa Unit 23B,” an entry in the Circle Competition section of the ongoing QCinema International Film Festival.
“Even back in my college, this was already my concept for the film. I’ve always been a fan of horror films, particularly the ones about manananggal. And Direk Peque’s episode in ‘Shake, Rattle and Roll’ remains one of my favorites. So when I decided to do a manananggal film myself, I wanted to do it from the point of view of the creature herself. What’s her story? Why does she transform? And how does she feel when she has not yet transformed,” Cruz said in a recent interview.
“The title suggests that it’s a horror film but it’s really not scary. It’s actually more of a love story with the manananggal as the starting point,” Chuaunsu added.
“Ang Manananggal Sa Unit 23B” is the story of Jewel (Ryza Cenon), a mysterious, independent woman by day and a manananggal by night who leads a lonely life until she meets Nico (Martin del Rosario), a brokenhearted, down-and-out guy who also feels unloved like she does. As Jewel starts to develop feelings for Nico, she becomes torn between loving him and wanting to save him from herself.
Cruz and Chuaunsu know a thing or two about nocturnal creatures. They worked together in last year’s “Sleepless” about two call center agents who made the most out of their insomnia by talking about zombies, love and everything in between. Those who saw the film, which won Best Actor for Dominic Roco and the NETPAC Jury Prize for Best Picture at QCinema, should understand where and why the hugot factor comes into play in their new movie.
“There are similarities between ‘Manananggal’ and ‘Sleepless’ in the sense that you’re talking about characters who are both living in the city and isolated. There is that sense of urban loneliness. But it’s still a love story, a genre we call, ‘rom-gore’,” Chuaunsu noted.
Cruz added that the film is part of his planned “lonely girl’s trilogy” of which he is already writing the third in the series.
As “Ang Manananggal Sa Unit 23B” is also produced by The Idea First Company of Perci Intalan and Jun Lana, Cruz and Chuaunsu worked closely with Lana who acted as the film’s creative consultant.
Having directed his own successful horror film in “Haunted Mansion,” Lana’s touch was also quite evident in “Ang Manananggal Sa Unit 23B” particularly in Ryza Cenon’s much talked about daring scenes that partly recall the steamy scenes of LJ Reyes in “Anino sa Likod ng Buwan.”
“I was really all out here,” Ryza declared. “You have to see to believe.”
The 28-year-old actress, a staple in FHM’s coveted 100 Sexiest Women list, confessed that she actually auditioned for this project as she also saw a lot of herself in Jewel’s character and personality. She admitted, however that doing her first ever love scene with Cholo Barretto felt uncomfortable at first.
“I was afraid but then everyone from Direk to the rest of the crew and my coactor were all supportive and made me feel safe,” she confessed.
But having passed her baptism of fire, so to speak, Ryza said she’s ready to do more daring roles.
“I’ve already reached this point. Why go down if you’re already on your way, so to speak,” she added.
Asked if they all believe in the manananggal, Cruz responded that to him, it’s more metaphorical.
“For me, they are peo- ple who have secrets, people who are depressed, who are pushed into a dark corner,” he pointed out.
“I haven’t seen one personally but I have this feeling that someday, I might see one for real,” Chuaunsu added.
As for Ryza, she really believes the manananggal does exist for real.
“They’re the ones who kill chickens for their blood. I have a playful imagination, when I hear something moving on my roof, I could not sleep with the lights off. And the whole thing tends to stick in my mind for days,” the GMA-7 actress said.