Real-life catfishing tale inspires rom-com ‘Marupok AF’

Scene from “Marupok AF”

For actress Maris Racal, the most challenging part about making Quark Henares’ romantic comedy “Marupok AF” (Where is the Lie?)—which delves into the topic of “catfishing” — was to make sure that its message is relayed to its audience correctly.

The film retells the story of a young trans woman named Jzan Tero, whose Twitter thread about how she got catfished by two people went viral in 2020.

“Marupok AF” follows Jansen Torres (EJ Jallorina), who finds what she believes to be true love with Theo Balmaceda (Royce Cabrera) on a dating app. The situation gets darker until she learns that everything is controlled and orchestrated by Beanie Landridos (Maris Racal).

“It’s important that the audience knows that the film isn’t just poking fun at the victim, especially since this is based on real events. I hope we were able to achieve that. I think the message was clear in the ending,” Racal told Inquirer Entertainment shortly after “Marupok AF” had a special screening as the opening film of the 19th Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival at PICC.

“My character is not nice at all, so I don’t want the audience to learn anything from what she did. The lesson I want them to take home after watching the film is that if you need help, seek it and accept it. Also, if you know you’re a bad person, stay away from people. ’Wag ka nang manloko,” she said.

Out of their comfort zone

Meanwhile, Henares said he always feels nervous whenever he presents the movie to a group of people. In fact, apart from this particular screening, “Marupok AF” had its world premiere at the Slamdance Film Festival in Utah, United States, and was part of the official selection at the Udine Far East Film Festival in Italy and the New York Asian Film Festival.

“I’m always nervous because it’s not the usual topic I tackle—it’s not rock ‘n’ roll or killings and other crimes, although it’s an equally sensitive issue,” Henares explained. “It’s just that I found the controversial Twitter thread to be inspiring. The story is sad but at the same time funny because of how the character, Jsan, delivered it. That’s the kind of storytelling I aspired to present for this film.”

Maris Racal as Beanie Landridos

Henares’ film pushed both Jallorina and Racal to step out of their comfort zones with the “intimate scenes” he made them do here, said Racal. “When I watched Beanie’s bathroom scene for the first time, my reaction was, ‘OMG! I did that?’ You see, we made this film many years ago, that’s why I don’t remember some of the scenes anymore. I was among those who got shocked after watching it,” she said, laughing.

Meanwhile, Jallorina and Cabrera are featured in a steamy love scene in the movie. “We held hands when we watched it together. We were pleased with what we saw. It was perfect,” Cabrera declared. “I had no hesitation doing it. I already understood why the scene was important when I was handed the script. It all depended on how EJ and I performed while shooting the scene.”

Henares sought the help of fellow director, Rod Singh, who is also a trans woman and is Jallorina’s talent manager, to shoot the love scene. “We are watching it through the eyes of a trans woman. I’m pleased with the depiction. Royce, on the other hand, was the best scene partner. He was so careful. He really took care of me,” Jallorina said.

Small victories

The Filipino word “marupok” literally means weak and fragile. When asked whether or not it’s a word that reflects her real-life personality, Jallorina said: “I’m not marupok, just patola (someone who lacks self-control and easily reacts to bashers). Trans women like me cannot be marupok. I’m really happy about the small victories the trans community is experiencing now. I say ‘small’ because queer people are still being silenced in so many ways, especially when it comes to their art. I hope that when the movie opens in local theaters, it will be able to change the mindset of a lot of people.”

Cabrera said there were times when he would feel “marupok,” as well. “It depends on the situation. When you feel that you’re already becoming emotionally weak to resist something, remind yourself that there is a reason your brain is above your heart. What your mind says should prevail over what your heart dictates. This way, you won’t easily get fooled by people around you,” he pointed out.

Royce Cabrera as Theo Balmaceda

The trip to Udine with Racal was a memorable experience, Jallorina said. “Several people came up to me to talk, including this dad of a trans man. He thanked me because he said we don’t get to see a lot of films that tackle issues related to the trans community. My character isn’t just a victim. In the end, she emerged as the winner. I wish that victims of all kinds of scams would be given justice,” she added.

Cabrera, meanwhile, represented the team at the New York fest. “It’s my first international film. I spent two weeks in New York. After the festival, I went around the city like a tourist, then I flew to Los Angeles to attend some workshops and to audition,” he reported.

Henares then discussed how he came up with the cast. “EJ is a revelation. We looked at no one else to play Jansen,” he began. “There were quite a number of named actors who auditioned for Theo, but we stopped looking when we saw Royce. We said he was perfect because he looked earnest, pitiful and funny all at the same time. I was supposed to work with Maris on several projects before, but those never pushed through.”

The audience will see a very different Maris in the film, Henares said. The film, produced by Anima Studios, has no date for a local theatrical release just yet.