`SWAP' GALA NIGHT
From www.interaksyon.com
Sinag Maynila’s ‘Swap’ based on director’s real-life story as an infant kidnap victim
Director Remton Siega Zuasola (right) and 'Swap' lead actor Matt Daclan.
Independent filmmaker Remton Siega Zuasola is known for his acclaimed short and full-length feature films that include his 2011 award-winning masterpiece, “Ang Damgo ni Eleuteria”, that won several awards here and abroad.
Not too many, however, are aware that Direk Remton was a kidnap victim who was rescued after seven days in captivity when he was only a one-year-and-seven-month-old baby. That experience, which he barely remembers, inspired his latest film, “Swap”, an entry in the first ever Sinag Maynila film festival that opened Wednesday at selected SM Cinemas.
“It is loosely based on the accounts of different people who witnessed it, since I was still very young to remember anything at that time. So the film is a trip back to the memories of these people, and it is structured that way. Dream-like, dramatic, surreal, not in chronological order and colored with nostalgia as all of it happened at the time when the country was nearing the end of the martial law era,” Zuasola told InterAksyon in a recent interview.
Described as “a kidnapping gone wrong”, “Swap” is about a young father torn between solving a crime and committing another crime when one day his only son is kidnapped and the criminals order him to steal another kid in exchange for the life of his son.
Aside from the true-to-life nature of his film, another thing that local film fans look forward to about “Swap” is Direk Remton’s trademark one-take style that is now being compared to that of recent Oscar-winning director Alejandro G. Iñárritu.
Zuasola admits that he’s a big fan not just of Iñárritu but also of other Latino filmmakers like Alfonso Cuaron (“Gravity”) and Pedro Almodovar (“Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown”). However, he says his own style is borne out of his love for theater which was initially his favorite storytelling medium.
“When I slowly transitioned into making films, remnants of my theater experience stayed with me. I started experimenting with short films that are theater-like in structure and execution most prominent of which is once the story starts it never cuts until the end, the audience sits there watching my film as if watching a play where everything unfolds in front of them without cuts,” he explained.
“I prefer employing one long take on certain films because it takes the audience to a different kind of ride. It’s like riding a roller coaster where once the story starts to run you just can’t get off no matter how hard or terrifying or sad the story is, you will get hooked until the end of the ride. You can also clearly see the progression of emotion of the actors naturally develop and evolve right in front of you, nothing is hidden in cuts or different angles.”
Direk Remton adds that long takes also take a film closer to reality because “in real life there are no cuts that’s why it feels more real and raw.”
A scene from 'Swap'.
For the role of the kidnapped child’s father, the filmmaker went with Matt Daclan, who won Best Actor in his 2014 CinemaOne Originals entry, “Soap Opera”. Direk Remton says Daclan is the perfect actor for the role of a man torn between following orders from the kidnappers or the police.
“Dionne Monsanto plays Tonio’s wife, Insiang. She’s the grieving mother who wants to see her son back but is also afraid of losing her husband in the process. Mon Confiado, on the other hand, plays Col. Sanchez the head of the undercover operation to rescue Tonyo and Insiang’s baby. His character is under pressure to solve this case after a series of failed operations in the past,” the director also revealed.
As most people will be surprised, even shocked to learn that “Swap” is actually based on Zuasola’s real life, it is not totally unreasonable to wonder if there are other episodes of his life that he intends to translate to the big screen. Surprisingly, he finds his own life colorful enough to be worthy of more films in the future.
“Some of my friends joked that maybe I was really destined to become a director for my life seems to be straight out of a movie, as it has been very cinematic since the very beginning. I laughed at the idea but as I look at myself struggling through life, picking up difficult experiences and special moments along the way and loving every second of it, I think I will not be surprised to see episodes show up in my films,” he noted.
“My life experiences are super hard and sometimes I think I have to somehow at least make use of it for my art so I can gain something out of it.”
Presented by Solar Entertainment Corp together with celebrated filmmaker Brillante Mendoza, “Swap” also stars RK Bagatsing, Jess Mendoza and Ligaya Rabago. The film is now showing at SM Megamall, SM North Edsa, SM Manila, SM Fairview, SM Southmall, SM Mall of Asia and SM Aura Premier.
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