TRUST John Lloyd Cruz, one of the most talented actors of his generation, to keep pushing the envelope as far as his acting career is concerned.
The 32-year-old award-winning actor, shaved his head for his gritty portrayal of Edgar in the Erik Matti suspense-thriller, “Honor Thy Father” which made its international debut at the Toronto International Film Festival last month. At last month’s launch of the Greenwich Pizzeria store in SM City Cebu, Cruz who is the pizza and pasta brand’s longtime endorser, was asked about his TIFF experience. The actor expressed how much he wanted to be there even if it meant travelling all the way to Toronto for a one-day visit.
“I wouldn’t say it’s a complete experience. Sila ni Direk Erik Matti and naka experience talaga ng festival because isiningit ko lang sya sa aking schedule. I was there for only a day! Sobra ko lang gustong makita ang movie namin sa international scene so I really took time to go to Toronto and spend a day there. Mas mahaba pa ang biniyahe ko.”
But Cruz has been grateful of the mostly positive reviews their film—centering on a family that gets embroiled in a get-rich-quick scheme and bears unimaginable consequences in the process—has been getting from critics.
“Ang ganda ng reception,” he says. “Nung nag screening kami for the first time, puno sya.
Maganda ‘yung balance ng Pinoy and foreigners sa audience. Maganda na maraming interesado, maraming gustong makakita kung ano ang sunod na ginawa ni Direk Erik Matti after the success of “On The Job.”
Foreign critics are giving the film a thumbs-up.
Talking about Matti and Cruz, Steve Gravestock of TIFF said of “Honor Thy Father”: “Holding everything together are Matti’s fluid, skilled direction and the tightly wound performance by Cruz, whose Edgar—disgusted by the greed and hypocrisy he encounters—seems always on the verge of exploding.”
The Hollywood Reporter’s Harry Windsor describes it as “a flinty portrait of inequality and
vigilante justice in the modern Philippines by filmmaker Erik Matti.”
He also says that while the film tackles “crime, class, family … it is as its most acidic as a portrait of the Filipino Church.”
Windsor thoughtfully surmises: “How it will be received in its own country, in which more than three-quarters of the population is Catholic, is anybody’s guess.”
There is no date for a Philippine release yet but Cruz said he’s hoping it will be shown in cinemas here January next year.
“Sana makapanood kayo,” the actors tells us. “Gusto ko talagang makita ‘nyo. Especially ngayon na may mga films that are creating a new kind of audience, like Heneral Luna. And I hope through this film, may mabuhay na audience for movies like this.”
“Sana magustuhan sya dito, hindi lang abroad,” Cruz adds.
Filmed in 22 days (Mahaba na ‘yun for an indie film, he says), “Honor Thy Father” has made Cruz realize a few things about his craft as an actor as well as the direction he wants to take.
While he is known for blockbuster romantic films that paired him with Sarah Geronimo and Bea Alonzo, the actor is aware how fickle show business is and that the key to one’s longevity is to keep offering something new to the audience, even when it’s something out of the box.
“When you want to do something, you have to do it. Kahit na gaano ka unimaginable ‘yung obstacles. You only live once. As an actor you have to maximize it.
“Habang nagma-mature ako, mas nalalaman ko na kung ano talaga ang gusto ko. Kung ano ang gusto kong puntahan. Kung ano ang gusto kong mangyari sa
career ko. After a while, hindi na sya pwedeng pa ngiti-ngiti ka nalang, pa kaway-kaway ka sa mall. I would gladly say I found my love in films.
“It’s hard to find a market for your craft. Ang nagdi-dictate ng trend is what’s popular, what’s trending … most of the time … we always ask ourselves: Is this all we deserve? Being part of the film industry, naniniwala ako na marami pa tayong i-o-offer sa audience natin na mas may sense, mas malalim, mas may kabuluhan, mas makakatulong sa susunod na generation, pwedeng ma-guide sila sa anong dapat nating marating in terms of film, in terms of quality.”
“Honor Thy Father” is written by Michiko Yamamoto and also stars Meryll Soriano, Tirso Cruz III, Dan Fernandez, Yayo Aguilar and Khalil Ramos.