Lito Lapid (left) and Coco Martin in “Apag”
(We are running this guide to help you plan your summer movie-going activity. The first Summer Metro Manila Film Festival [MMFF] runs from April 8 to April 18)
“Apag” is directed by Brillante Ma Mendoza; written by Arianna Martinez, starring Coco Martin, Lito Lapid, Jaclyn Jose, Gladys Reyes, Shaina Magdayao, Joseph Marco, Gina Pareño, Mercedes Cabral, Ronwaldo Martin, Vince Rillon and Julio Diaz; and produced by Centerstage Productions.
First major collaboration
Rafael (Coco Martin) is a son of a wealthy family. He figures in a deadly car accident on his way home from the market to prepare for a feast. Meanwhile, when Nita’s (Reyes) husband dies, she files a criminal case. In another story, Alfredo (Lapid) is sent to jail after pleading guilty in place of his son Rafael, who appears to be weighed down by guilt.
This is the first major collaboration of Martin and Mendoza in over a decade. “When he told me about the possibility of working with him again, I said, ‘Are you serious about this? I will definitely fix my schedule for this. When I learned about who the other cast members would be, I stopped looking into the project. I was already excited about the company, about the idea of working with all of them again,” Martin said.
Lapid, who is seen doing heavy drama for this project, said that of all the films he has made, he feels most relaxed doing this one. “Also, I really wanted to work with Direk Dante. For me, working with him feels like I’ve already worked with (the late National Artist for Film) Lino Brocka. I was nervous in the beginning, so I told him, ‘Direk, please guide me.’”
When asked how he intended to present this to the usual patrons of the MMFF, Mendoza said: “It’s a family drama, with a little rom-com on the side. A lot of viewers will be able to relate to this. Members of Filipino families are usually close to each other, so they stick together no matter what happens.”