Photos courtesy of Mike Alcazaren
The psychological thriller Puti will be screened at ManilArt on Saturday, Oct 12 at 6pm at SMX Aura Convention Center, Taguig. Puti, starring Ian Veneracion, Jasmine Curtis-Smith and Lauren Young, follows the story of an artist/forger who gets into a freak accident rendering him colorblind. While it is branded a suspense/psychological thriller/horror film, director Mike Alcazaren explains it’s actually a film about “finding truth and seeing the truth.” This is the commercial director’s first foray into filmmaking, and in this exclusive interview, Direk Mike reveals how the movie is really inspired by Schubert’s opera The Erlking, how its title is a homage to Mike De Leon, and how artist Geraldine Javier plays a huge part in his directorial debut.
First, why the title?
It’s an homage to Mike de Leon’s Itim, which was his first film. Itim is not exactly horror, more like a psychological drama and it was also his first. When I was in college, I got the chance to apprentice for him, and it was there that I was introduced to his style of filmmaking. So insofar as the title is concerned, it was influenced by Itim.
Where’d you get the artist/forger idea?
We live in a family compound and most of my friends are my brother’s friends, who are all painters. He himself is a painter. I move in the circle. But also, because film is a visual medium and I was trying to marry the theme of finding and seeing truth with the visual medium. Originally, the story was about a lawyer, but it didn’t jive, kasi nga, visual.
Because the film follows an artist/forger, for sure there are a lot of art featured here.
It features several paintings. I borrowed the paintings of Roy Veneracion, Ian’s father, who is a popular visual artist as well. I borrowed paintings from my brother, Johnny Alcazaren and Bernie Paquing. I also commissioned a student, Pam Celeridad, to do a painting, but the main one is by Geraldine Javier. I used two originals by her, and the one that we had to duplicate. The original Geraldine Javier that I wanted, “Black Bird Singing” was already bought by the time I got funding, so she let me borrow one of her paintings, that was included in her show in Korea. It probably cost more than my movie, ha ha.
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The Erlking’s Cage by Geraldine Javier. Photo from artnet.com
Which painting was this?
There’s another anecdote. I gave her the script in 2010, so she kind of forgot about it. When we finally got the greenlight this year, the original painting that I wanted already was bought. So she gave me a few studies and I picked this one painting which I loved kasi it eerily matched one of my locations. Even the girl sleeping matched one of the actors. When I asked her the name of the painting, she said it was “The Erlking’s Cage.” I asked her kung sinadya kasi in my script, the movie opens with Schubert’s The Erlking, which, when I heard it during one of my daughter’s band camp in school, the idea for a movie started brewing in my mind.
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So it started with music…
Yes, I heard Schubert about 2008-2009, I wrote the script in seven months. I was also going through a phase in my own life, din kasi. I was struggling, because I was making commercials and I was confronted with the question, ito na lang ba ang patutunguhan ko? It’s a very personal film. I went through the submissions, went door-to-door but all the major studios rejected it. Until I submitted this to CineFilipino. It’s like Cinemalaya where they give grants and the grant is by PLDT-Smart foundation.
How did you pick your actors?
Si Jasmine, I’ve worked with her before when she was only six and then again when she was 16. I really wanted to make a crossover film so I really had her in mind—someone fresh but someone who also had potential. It was a calculated risk, all three of them were calculated risks but si Jasmine lang yung hindi nag-audition. I thought I lost her already, to Transit, because nag-ka-ka-conflict na with the schedules. But, buti na lang din, nag-free up bigla si Jasmine.
You mentioned your inner conflict. Were you able to resolve that after doing this movie?
Everything remains unresolved until you die! Ha ha. I still do commercials, that’s my bread and butter, and of course you have your soul food. But if it leads me to a path where I can make a living out of directing movies, then why not? It took quite some time, but we’ll see.
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Did you have to take a sabbatical leave to do this movie?
Yes, I had to take a leave. My wife had to work double because I have children and they have school. It was a huge gamble but again, everything was calculated. I had about three other screenplays but I chose to do this because it was the cheapest to do. It was a choice of feasibility.
What’s the most unexpected thing about this experience?
I kinda prepared for this for 20 years! When I started shooting, I thought I’d be overwhelmed by emotion I thought I’d cry! But it didn’t happen because I also acted as a producer, so maraming tumatakbo sa isip ko. I couldn’t enjoy it in the first few days. I didn’t realize it could drain me so much! I loved doing it. I miss the shooting, the post-production, but it really drained me, especially the characters. Up to now, I can’t let go of the film, of the characters. Until siguro I see it go to the festivals or go on a commercial run. Mahirap pala mag-pull out.
How would you say your movie is best enjoyed?
Watch it in a group, and don’t expect it to be a typical horror/slasher. It’s marketed that way but it’s a personal story about someone finding the truth in his life. I approached this movie as a painting, where you present it and it’s open to interpretations. You may hate it or you may find meaning. The aim also, is for viewers to watch it several times because maybe you’lll see something different in every viewing.
What’s the best thing you’ve learned from this exercise?
Not to produce again! Ha ha ha! Pondo muna.
Would you say the final product is close to your original idea?
It’s never close because when you write, you don’t have a budget in mind. It is never close to the word. But at least, nakuha naman yung puso. In terms of the soul, I think it’s close enough.
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