May 24, 2023
Galo (Joshua Garcia) was an orphaned teenager who lived with his demanding uncle Tiyo Dindo, his wife Auring (Ricky Davao and Melissa Mendez) and his bratty cousins. He liked to write on his notebook journal, where he would record his nightmares about a faceless woman in black, as well as his daily routines at school with his friends (Kelvin Miranda, Patrick Quiroz, Henz Villaraiz) and crush Andrea (Sarah Edwards).
One day, when he received news about his long-estranged father's death, he went back to his hometown in San Ildefonso island. He stayed at the big old house of his grandmother (Angie Ferro). While he was there, he met two children Nico (Ynigo Delen) and Jezel (Jewel Milag) and townspeople (Vangie Labalan, Mon Confiado, Archi Adamos, Soliman Cruz) from who he would learn more about his late father and his mysterious grandmother.
The story of this book was derived from a best-selling 2010 novel by Bob Ong, his first time to delve into the mystery-horror genre. The book was a very engaging read, written in the first person in the style and vernacular of a typical smart Filipino teenager. The trademark humorous, conversational tone taken by Ong here makes this a easy read you can finish in one sitting, but you'd slow down because you do not want it to end so fast.
Bob Ong (only a pseudonym, he's not Chinoy) was also the one who adapted his novel for this screenplay. By and large, all the major scenes in the book also made it on the screen (perhaps not in exactly the same order). He changed the reason why Galo went back home to the province, but that is minor. The ending is the biggest departure, and perhaps the one reason why fans of the book would be disappointed with the film version.
Joshua Garcia was quite good as Galo, making him a likable lead character. He was very natural in his acting, his attack on the role being restrained with no hysterics. Angie Ferro, with her gaunt face and quivering voice, made for a perfect Mama Susan. Her eerie delivery Mama Susan's long monologues of doom can make your skin crawl. Her most unsettling scene would be that key scene when she wore a veil with black embroidered roses.
The performances of the two child actors, as well as veterans like Labalan and Cruz, were accurate to the book's descriptions. Jerann Ordinario's production design on Mama Susan's house was spot on, with all those intimidating religious icons, especially those purple-robed life-sized black figurines ("mga itim na lolo") found behind the altar. Cinematographer Eli Balce's pale washed-out color palette contributed to the overall atmosphere of dread.
The book was written in an episodic style of a teenager's diary, which, while entertaining to read, made for disjointed storytelling as a film, even in the hands of veteran director Chito Rono. There were plenty of scenes which led nowhere which was frustrating. While the build-up of the suspense was good, the ending sequences was rushed so badly and haphazardly edited together, it made absolutely no sense, and that was a pity. 5/10.
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