Girl on the train

Emmanuelle Vera (left) and Nicco Manalo in “Ang Kwento Nating Dalawa”

One of the more evocative scenes in Nestor Abrogena Jr.’s “Ang Kwento Nating Dalawa” shows the indie drama’s hapless sweethearts stuck in a crowded train, in the middle of rush hour, seemingly headed nowhere.

Newcomer Emmanuelle Vera, who plays the other half of the luckless lovers (with Nicco Manalo as her partner) in the film, recalls that shooting that particular LRT scene proved extra challenging for the cast and crew.

“We only had permit to shoot in the station, but not on the train,” she recalls. “It was way too expensive. So we just hid the camera in a backpack. Some of the commuters kept looking at the camera, but we had no choice but to go on with the shoot.”

Emmanuelle’s big-screen debut served as a crash course in Indie Filmmaking 101. “It was my first leading role. I had no idea how to go about it, and my job was to carry the entire film with my costar.”

More than a screen partner, Nicco served as her on-set mentor, as well. “He was amazing. He really helped me. He shared techniques. He taught me to be natural… how to dissect the script, how to create a character and other important tools an actor needed to know.”

She thought “Ang Kwento Nating Dalawa” was intended as a student film, to be released only at the UP Film Institute. “We had zero expectations. It was originally meant to be a thesis film.”

But since making waves at the World Premieres fest two years ago, the movie has been building a solid following among young people. “The trailer went viral. The only reason we had a commercial screening was because there was a demand for it.”

Now, there’s even talk of a sequel, “Tayo sa Huling Buwan ng Taon,” to be produced by TBA—the same team behind “Heneral Luna” and “I’m Drunk, I Love You.”

“We are excited… It will be much bigger this time,” she quips.

She concedes that, unlike most mainstream rom-coms, “Ang Kwento Nating Dalawa” is not a happy love story. “It’s kinda tragic.”

Emmanuelle believes the audience is ready for “nonformulaic stories,” though.

Prime Cruz, the director of Emmanuelle’s latest project, the D5 Studio thriller “The Complex,” thought of casting her after watching “Ang Kwento Nating Dalawa.” “I thought she was perfect for the role of a mysterious woman,” the director says.

Working with “The Complex” lead actor Albie Casiño was a breeze, she recounts, because they were schoolmates as kids. “We knew each other well because we were childhood friends.”

(The 10-episode series is currently available online and can be viewed on D5 Studio’s YouTube channel.)

Emmanuelle regards online entertainment as the future—where indie projects (and artists) can reach a wider audience.

“The plot of ‘The Complex’ is unconventional,” she points out. “I’m hoping that online entertainment will level the playing field, so that different kinds of stories can be heard. Hopefully, the idea will catch on with the local audience soon.”

Emmanuelle herself is an avid fan of online series, like “Riverdale” and “Stranger Things.”

“But I also watch programs on venture capitalists like ‘Shark Tank.’ I’m interested in documentaries and cooking shows, too. Everything is online now!”