Ruru Madrid (left) and Dennis Trillo in a scene from “Green Bones.” Image: Courtesy of GMA Corporate Communications
Pressure rides on GMA Pictures to create a film that can surpass or, at least, match the beauty of the 2023 Metro Manila Film Festival’s Best Picture winner, “Firefly.” While following up with “Green Bones” in 2024 seemed like a gamble, bringing in director Zig Dulay, National Artist Ricky Lee, screenplay writer Anj Atienza, Dennis Trillo and Ruru Madrid into the mix proved they took the pressure quite in stride.
“Green Bones” tells the story of Domingo Zamora (Dennis Trillo), a criminal accused of murdering his sister and niece. He is in the process of completing his prison sentence when he meets newly hired prison guard Xavier Gonzaga (Ruru Madrid) who’s determined to keep Zamora behind bars. But it turns out that Xavier is dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after his sister was murdered as a kid which, in turn, ended up with him taking out his anger on Domingo.
The majority of Domingo and Xavier’s initial interactions were dagger-filled eye contact, pointing toward their clear disdain for each other. It wasn’t until Xavier was determined to uncover more of Domingo’s backstory that he meets Betty (Alessandra De Rossi) and Ruth (Sofia Pablo) — suddenly marking a shift of what brought the titular character’s turn to prison through the line, “Ako si (My name is) Domingo Zamora.”
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There was no doubt that Trillo would do a phenomenal job bringing Domingo Zamora to life. After all, he had a knack for challenging himself through a variety of roles such as Colonel Yuta Saito in “Pulang Araw,” Eric del Mundo in “My Husband’s Lover,” Crisostomo Ibarra and Simoun in “Maria Clara at Ibarra,” Roman Rubio in “On the Job: The Missing 8,” and Ignacio Basa in “Aishite Imasu 1941: Mahal Kita.” Yet there was something about “Green Bones” that allowed Trillo to wholeheartedly expose his vulnerability, which was best shown in the scene of him bitterly laughing about the death of his sister (Iza Calzado) while being seized by authorities.
But the scene-stealer was Ruru Madrid. While he is prepped to be GMA’s next action star, not everyone had the chance to know Madrid beyond his lead roles in “Lolong” and “The Black Rider.” Giving the best performance in his career, Madrid made “Green Bones” a great vehicle to reintroduce him as a dramatic actor with the potential to go far.
What seemed to be intentional choices for their respective roles, Alessandra De Rossi, Iza Calzado, Sienna Stevens, Sofia Pablo, Royce Cabrera and Ronnie Lazaro also carried the film’s emotional weight and were more than just mere guest stars meant to drive the plot forward.
“Green Bones” stars Dennis Trillo and Ruru Madrid, together with its director Zig Dulay, during the MMFF 2024 Parade of Stars in Manila. Image: Arnel Tacson/INQUIRER.net
The story is also the strongest point of the film. From the beginning, trauma is what brought Domingo and Xavier together. But it turns out their connection goes beyond the struggle to heal from their loved ones’ deaths, stemming from the prison facility itself, Domingo’s late sister and still-alive deaf niece, to the Tree of Hope — with Lee and Atienza seamlessly combining hope and despair to tie it all together.
Yet “Green Bones” is not without its flaws. One of the most awaited aspects of the film was the theme song “Nyebe,” which is sung by SB19. However, it failed to bank on the beauty of the song’s message to aid in telling the story in a better way. When scenes turn serious, the opening notes are heard, ultimately killing the depth that it was supposed to be. An opportunity for improvement would be allowing “Nyebe” to solely be played in Domingo’s backstory or Xavier discovering the meaning of the superstition, tying together the central message of hope.
To add, Xavier’s backstory leaves much to be desired. Filmgoers are aware that he, too, is struggling to cope with the trauma of his mother’s death. But the film failed to explain how his mother’s death shaped his entire being, and whether it was also one of the reasons he decided to be a policeman in the first place. Will we ever know? Perhaps, the viewers themselves will be able to put the pieces together.
Still, “Green Bones” is a spectacular film that offers a different perspective of hope and despair while reminding the importance of treating persons deprived of liberty (or PDLs) with respect. Lee, Atienza, and Dulay are behind the foundation of “Green Bones,” but it wouldn’t be possible without the brilliant performances of Trillo and Madrid.
Not everyone knows the superstition behind a person having “green bones.” Yet through Madrid’s closing line, it was able to fully explain what it truly meant.