MANILA, September 15 ------ Years after penning the story, writer and filmmaker Donie Ordiales finally made "Crosspoint" into a film, with Kapamilya actor Carlo Aquino and Emmy-nominated actor Takehiro Hira as lead stars.
In an interview with ABS-CBN News, Ordiales, a Japan-based Filipino filmmaker, talked about "Crosspoint," his first-ever feature film, which will hit Philippine cinemas on October 16. "The original plan was to just, you know, make a simple, independent, low budget. And then, 'yun nga, parang lumobo na siya simula nung pumasok si Carlo, especially. So, yeah, so, ganun ginawa namin. Parang, this is gonna be the firs project of High Road Creatives, and 034 Productions. So, bale, hindi siya talaga offer. Kumbaga, naghanap kami ng producers na mag-invest sa project," Ordiales said.
Odiales said the drama-thriller film is about a washed-up actor Manuel (Aquino) who goes to Japan and meets Hira's character Shigeru (Hira). "Washed up actor si Manuel Hidalgo. Dati siyang sikat. Then, unfortunately, ah, nawala 'yung karera niya. So, ginawa niya, parang nagpunta siya ng Japan. ... Nag-raket. ... Kaso may nag-tip sa kanya sa immigration. So, kailangan niyang tumakas, nagtungo siya sa countryside. And then, nung nandoon siya sa countryside, may na-meet siya na parang Japanese businessman, si Shigeru," Ordiales shared. "Then, may news about this parang fugitive, parang serial killer. ... Then, naalala ni Manuel na 'nakita ko siya on my way here, sa may bar,' ganyan. So, parang, may reward na 10 million yen. Pareho silang nangangailangan ng pera. So, they decided na hulihin 'yung, yung fugitive na 'yun. Para makuha nila 'yung reward money. So, they can start again."
According to Ordiales, Aquino and Hira made his work as a director easy because of their professionalism and great acting skills. "That's the thing about great actors. Nakakatawa eh, kasi naghanda pa ako, nag-acting workshop pa ako... siyempre si Carlo Aquino at Takehiro Hira. Pero, na-surprise talaga ako, kasi nga, kumbaga, alam na nila, they prepared ahead of time, binasa nila 'yung script, alam na nila 'yung characters nila. So, wala na akong dapat gawin. ...Noong nasa set nila nagulat ako, parang, wow! 'Yung performance nila ay swak sa naisip ko," Ordiales said. Ordiales said "Crosspoint" was 80% shot in Japan, where he has been staying for 20 years.
One of the biggest challenges in shooting was that it was filmed during winter. 'Pero, actually, part ng story 'yun. Kasi, isa sa mga challenge talaga, ah, si Manuel and si Carlo galing sa Philippines. Pero, I think yung weather lang talaga. Naplano kasi naman namin ng maayos talaga lahat. Kaya, to be honest, very smooth 'yung shoot namin," he said. Asked of what would be the takeaway of the audience watching the movie, Ordiales said: "Nothing is permanent like things can change.. Like, for example, si Manuel, dati siyang sikat. Si Shigeru, dati siyang boss. And then, suddenly, nawala lahat 'yun. I think, life is not easy, but it's manageable. So, kung kaya mo maging flexible, kaya mong tanggapin, open ka sa pagbabago, sa buhay, kung open ka sa challenges, it's hard, but it's manageable. Life is manageable." For Ordiales, completing "Crosspoint" was his proudest moment. "Nayong tapos na, 'yun po 'yung parang pinaka, now that napanood namin 'yung pelikula from the start to end, para sa akin parang pinaka-pinaka-best moment nung pelikula. Parang, 'di namin na-expect na darating sa ganito."
Source: news.abs-cbn.com
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