BY NEIL RAMOS
WHAT would you do given the chance to get rich instantly? In most parts, the question is easy to answer. Who doesn’t want to become loaded and fast, right? But then you wonder: What’s the catch?
At a glance, “Mina-Anud,” Regal Films’ entry to this year’s Cinemalaya, looks and sounds like your typical beach film, with heaps of sea, sun, sand, skin.
But it is more than that – it dissects the question given above in more ways than one, diving deep into a curious incident that happened in Samar back in 2009.
Said film director Kerwin Go, “Maybe you will remember this, maybe you won’t, but it was a big deal then, it made the news.”
He went on, “It was when several tons of cocaine worth millions washed up on the shores of a fishing community in the area, changing the lives of many of its residents.”
No, it is not a documentary.
Kerwin added, “The film is loosely based on the incident. Medyo binago namin in an effort to protect the identities of those involved kasi most of them are people I know personally.”
Apparently, he was there when it happened.
“I saw it firsthand,” Kerwin intoned. “I saw how the incident affected the lives of friends, acquaintances.”
He understands the film might spark controversy given the government’s stand on illegal drugs but he maintained, “It’s not naman about the drugs per se. We’re not out to glorify drug use. What I want to show here is how simple people living simple lives could change overnight simply because of temptation, because of money.”
In the story, Dennis Trillo and Jerald Napoles play the role of bestfriends Ding and Carlo, avid surfers who struggle with part-time jobs.
They will be among those who will try and earn from the cocaine find getting into a whole lot of trouble in the process.
Said Dennis, “Maganda ang istorya. I could totally relate dun sa mga characters. I mean, mahirap lang sila at maraming pagsubok na dinadaanan so, parang understandable para sa akin na matukso sila at subukan magbenta ng droga kahit alam nilang ilegal.”
“Ang sa akin, totoo ito eh,” said Jerald. “Hindi ito kathang isip lang. May nangyaring ganito talaga. So, hindi puwedeng sabihin na nagpapaka-kontrobersyal kami.”
He added, “Hindi ito parang hinihikayat ang mga tao na gumawa ng masama. Nagtatanong ito na tipong, ‘Ikaw anong gagawin mo kung ilagay ka sa parehong sitwasyon?’ May lesson actually dito at maganda kaya naniniwala ako na dapat panoorin ito ng karamihan.”
“Mina-Anud” will open in cinemas, Aug. 21.
