It is not every day that we get treated to a well-made genre film. Horror is a favorite among producers as it assures almost foolproof hefty box-office take. Audiences are largely believed to be suckers for the genre’s cheap thrills.
With shades of last December’s “Seklusyon,” “Ang Pagsanib Kay Leah Dela Cruz” isn’t a horror movie per se but a dark chiller that suggests that evil lurks when we allow our demons to win over our saner side. That thesis statement was, in fact, uttered by one of the film’s lead characters.
In “Ang Pagsanib,” Sarah Lahbati plays a lady cop who moves into a small town where she gets drawn to a case that involves a girl (Shy Carlos) seemingly possessed by an evil spirit. The girl jumps off the balcony of their house but not without having left her nanny fatally wounded.
It so happens that Sarah’s character is vulnerable, having figured in a tragic incident that is shown in flashbacks.
“Ang Pagsanib” is produced by Erik Matti, “Seklusyon’s” director, which explains the attention to detail and the familiar themes of idolatry as a form of evil, often more dangerous than demons that can actually be seen or felt.
But even while it brims with Matti touches, it bears noting that Katski Flores, who helmed the lovely little film “Still Life” of many Cinemalayas ago, makes an assured comeback in this Kamikaze Pictures presentation distributed by Viva Films and Reality Entertainment.
The location adds greatly to the film’s atmosphere. From that first frame where a car speeds past a barrio road, one is prepared to see a terrifying riddle unfold vividly and credibly at that. All the technical aspects are first-rate and so are the performances.
This writer remembers Katski Flores from her stint as head writer of the ABS-CBN soap “Kay Tagal Kang Hinintay’s” Book Two. In this film, Kastski proves that she is quite an actor’s director.
This is a star-making turn for Sarah Lahbati and she seizes the chance. She proves that she is both a star and an actress. Lahbati is dressed down here, with no traces of glamour but that profile alone screams movie star.
Lahbati makes believable that she is a wounded soul dealing with similarly disturbed people. At first, she is an unwilling outsider, until the boy (played by Julian Trono) infatuated with the possessed girl pleads her to take on the investigation. When Julian, also quite good, hugs Sarah, the latter’s tough veneer melts.
While Julian doesn’t really look like a smalltown boy with his very contemporary Korean pop idol looks, the young performer tries his best to dig deep into his character. By film’s end, when his character allows his demons to take over, one suddenly forgets his reservations about this young actor. Trono deserves to be given more challenging roles like this one.
Another revelation is Shy Carlos who doesn’t have to be timid about her gifts from hereon. As the possessed girl, she pulls off that wordless scene where she hears the strangest voices.
But for viewers who are so attuned to screamfests, how do you make them realize that the most chilling terror comes from those that we allow ourselves to succumb to?
Would they be able to see beyond the scares provided by that scene alone where Sarah Lahbati chases after a black creature with jagged teeth around the municipal library that mimics every little move that she makes? That creature is, of course, not an evil spirit per se but the demons that haunt and taunt Sarah’s character.
“Ang Pagsanib kay Leah dela Cruz” deserves attention and support because it can only rely on its merits. The film doesn’t have the advantage of the big publicity machinery of a major network.
Do the local film industry a favor and see “Ang Pagsanib Kay Leah Dela Cruz” when it opens in theaters June 28.
