There is no description for Jay Abello’s Red more apt than a ripple, making circles within circles and telling a story about stories. In the whole it is a well-meaning reminder of the true role of an audience to a story, of the unspoken symbiosis between the teller and the listener. The character of Milton (portrayed ably by Nico Antonio) is our voyeuristic peeping hole to these rippling narratives. Some are true, some are not, but neither are relevant. Sadly, when he finally makes this thesis for the film, it is due and past our thinning interest; the film has strung its multitude of stories pell-mell, and it has worn us thin, but we give the film that the point it raises remains compelling.
The story, he tells, should start with Red, one of the greatest fixers in Bacolod. He traces back to the character’s origin and assumes our ignorance of him or any other detailing to his persona unless there is a woman in his life. “Eh ano ngang paki-alam na’tin kung idol ni Red si Molo, no,” he inquires. “Kelangan na’tin, ng babae.” This allows the easy assumption that Abello as a storyteller is natural condescender with misogynistic tendencies, but in numerous times he seems identifying with Milton’s character. It is Abello’s most personal film yet, and the two times Milton shots us the looks are not even indicative of this specifically.
The sincerity of Red as a film is argued by its conscious meta-textuality. It is the glare of that leer directly toward us, the audience, and should not imply insincerity on the film’s end. I like to think that there are two main stories in the film, not necessarily both told on the same plane of truth. First, the romantic story—which, early in the film is made clear to be the core—and second, the thriller. The film sways from one dance to the other to an ultimately destructive clash. Good thing it is not all-texture; the romantic arc with Red (Jericho Rosales) and Mai (Mercedes Cabral) is aided by terrific performances and given much weight. “Mahal kita kahit ganyan ka,” says Mai at one point.
It is an interesting and welcome feat, this romantic angle. But the most alluring aspect of Red is not the love story, but the ‘self-knowing’ stories. In love, you are in a trance. But when you are telling the stories, you know the harsher truths and make the filtered lies. The commentaries and numerous mirrors of fiction and real-life are only truly compelling for a time, but Abello manages to string it back—if somewhat nervily—to something deep, profound and heart-breaking.
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RED (2014)
Jay Abello / PH
Drama, Thriller / R-13
Screenplay: Jay Abello, Dwight Gaston
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“Mahal kita,
kahit ganyan ka.”
~Mai (Mercedes Cabral)
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TRAILER:
R E D Trailer from Redthemovie on Vimeo.
