Teens sow trouble in suspense-thriller ‘Tenement 66’
“One of the hardest things to recreate as an actor is fear. It’s not kilig, not love, not sorrow, but fear,” began actor Francis Magundayao during a virtual conference for the film “Tenement 66.”
In this Rae Red-directed suspense thriller, Magundayao stars with Noel Comia Jr. and Francine Diaz as teens who will be held hostage after breaking into an old man’s apartment. Hoping to escape their miserable lives in the tenement, Lea (Francine) connives with her neighbors Teban (Francis) and Ron-Ron (Noel) into robbing Nando’s (Lou Veloso) suspicious unit after she witnessed the old man steal a large amount of money.
Teban, who is looking to start anew after being released from prison due to theft, initially refuses Lea’s bribe but agrees later on in a desperate attempt to pay for his sick brother’s hospital bills. As the three force their way into Nando’s eerie unit, they unexpectedly face a violent stand-off against evil criminals who viciously torment them and hold them hostage.
Continuing her streak of helming criticallyacclaimed films such as “Birdshot” and “Babae at Baril,” Red said that despite the awards and accolades, she never thinks her work to be of award-winning calibre at all times.
“Ewan ko kung ganito rin kayo, pero ako kasi yung type ng tao na I wanna expect the worst. Nung ginagawa ko ito parang feeling ko wala namang manonood. Parang dina-down ko yung sarili ko. Hindi naman dahil sa tingin ko ay pangit yung pelikula, parang ayaw ko lang nageexpect kasi ayaw ko nabibigo. I always lower my expectations with every project that I do.”
She continued, “I don’t want to sound pessimist naman ano, parang strategy ko lang yun para pigain pa kung anong meron ako. Kasi parang the moment na kakampante ako, dun papangit yung pelikula. As a director, I really don’t think of awards or festivals. Laging main priority ang pag-deliver ng message.”
On why she is often drawn to social commentary plot lines, Red shared, “I studied writing in UP and parang dinikdik talaga sa utak namin that if you can, try to make a political statement para may silbi yung art mo. If you can do more, that’s better. In terms of the horror genre, dun kasi ako pinalaki. I love watching horror and action because my dad’s a filmmaker and my whole family’s in film. Lahat ng ginagawa ko ngayon ay influences from my childhood.”
Working in collaboration with Kenneth Dagatan, Red said they first asked themselves what type of films they love watching. .
“We should create something that we enjoy watching and doing. So we got inspiration from our favorites like ‘Stranger Things,’ ‘Don’t Breathe,’ and of course, the location of an actual tenement in Pasay was an inspiration,” she said.
Out of 257 films from 47 countries, “Tenement 66” recently earned a spot in the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival in South Korea. Though humbled by the inclusion in an international film festival, Red said her craft remains targeted for the Pinoy audience’s enlightenment.
“Honestly nung sinulat namin ito, Filipino audience yung nasa mind ko,” she said. “Pero ang ganda ng fact na kaya rin pala nitong tumawid sa ibang nationality despite our original intention na pang Pinoy lang talaga.”
Originally conceptualized as a series, Red had to adjust when the pandemic struck since the film was written before that. “Ginawang one-location series. Tapos nangyari yung ABSCBN shutdown kaya ginawa naming pelikula. I’m so thankful for Dreamscape because all throughout those challenges, parang gusto pa rin talaga nilang ituloy yung project, which I really appreciated. Lahat ng preparations ay over Zoom, including script analysis. And it was my first time shooting during a pandemic. Malaking bagay na supportive yung production. Thankfully, walang nagkasakit sa amin. Lahat ng protocols were followed.”
As her first movie without her fellow Gold Squad members (Kyle Echarri, Seth Fedelin and Andrea Brillantes), 17-year-old Francine said she discovered more about herself. Known for her sweet and shy personality in “Kadenang Ginto,” the actress had to study how to be the opposite of that.
“Nasanay kasi ako kay Cassie. Tapos yung character ko dito na si Leah, maangas siya, may pagka-siga. Kaya nanonood ako ng mga movies kung saan pwede ako makakuha ng ugali ng isang karakter na pwede kong magawa kay Leah. I also worked out every day in between reading my script.”
Francine scares easily and actually had her third eye opened before. “Buti nalang ngayon closed na siya, kaya yung takot po medyo nabawasan na kahit papano, pero nandun pa rin mga 98 percent, konti lang naman ang nabawas,” she said.
Asked to assess her main cast’s performance, Red shared, “Super galing nila. Yung workshops nila ay over Zoom lang but yung nakita niyo sa trailer ang intense talaga nila. Kaya nga hindi ko kayang maging actor eh, hindi ko kaya ang mga ginagawa nila. Hanggang sa likod lang talaga ako ng camera. Talagang they worked for it. Wala akong masasabi sa commitment and hard work.”
“For Francine in particular, I think we can all agree na ang sweet talaga ng face niya. So how do we turn her sweetness into someone who’s tough? Yun yung naging challenge niya on how to break out from her sweet exterior and to bring out her toughness. So tinulungan namin siya sa wardrobe niya na laging nakatupi yung sleeves. But I think as an artist and as a person, she’s really tough. Binabatukan nga niya sina Francis eh. I think it’s just a matter of bringing that out – which she did.”
Co-produced by iWantTFC, Dreamscape Entertainment, and Epic Media, the movie had its international premiere at the 25th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival under the Bucheon Choice category. It also stars Jess Mendoza, Topper Fabregas, Raffy Tejada, Martha Comia, and Ross Pesigan.
“Without spoiling too much, karamihan kasi ng kontrabida sa pelikula ay mga adults tapos bida yung mga bata who are forced to do a crime na hindi naman talaga nila gustong gawin,” said Red. “So parang yung younger generation na na-iinherit and mundong ito are forced to do bad things for them to survive. In the end, gusto kong i-break nila yung cycle. Yun yung gusto namin ipahatid sa pelikulang ito, ang pag-break ng cycle of ng kahirapan at violence,” said Red.
For Francine, the “Huwag Kang Mangamba” star shared that her take-away from the film is: “Hindi porke’t nakagawa ng masamang bagay ang isang tao, hindi ibig sabihin na masama na siya. Mas maging kind ka sa mga unkind na tao kasi mas kailangan nila yun.”
Viewers worldwide can purchase their tickets on iWantTFC’s website (iwanttfc.com) or mobile app for Android users, KTX.ph, and TFC IPTV for P249, and in the Philippines via SKY Pay-Per-View and Cignal Cable Pay-Per-View for P250. Access to the film will be valid for 48 hours only. Worldwide streaming will start on July 23. —