Nilalang (存在者, Entity) Movie Review

Nilalang elevates Philippine horror to a new level

Director: Pedring Lopez
Starring: Cesar Montano, Maria Ozawa, Meg Imperial, Yam Concepcion
Studios: Viva Films, Haunted Towers Pictures Inc., Parallax Studios, welovepost
Release Dates: December 25, 2015 (41st Metro manila Film Festival)


Plot: A local forensic expert teams up with an heiress to a transnational organized crime syndicate originating from Japan to solve a mystery involving the killings of multiple women.










In a time where most horror movies in the country tend to follow the trend of Western flicks like Insidious, The Conjuring and Sinister, stuffing a 90 minute feature with non-stop jump scares to satisfy the audience, Pedring Lopez' Nilalang or Sonzai-sha (存在者 lit. Entity) stands out. This independent production is an action horror/ thriller hybrid, giving on emphasis on it's atmosphere and thrills and not on just cheap scare tactics.

This film marks the acting debut of popular Japanese AV idol Maria Ozawa. Paired with seasoned action icon Cesar Montano, the pair plays Miyuki, a Japanese heiress and Tony, an NBI agent. Both of them accepts the challenge of fighting a supernatural force beyond their wildest imagination. Together in their cast is Meg Imperial, playing Tony's partner Jane, who harbors a secret affection for the cop. Also included in the film is actress Yam Concepcion, playing Miyuki's sister, Akane. The film features a great cast, and each of these actors play their roles without any hesitation. They're all game with whatever the director tells them to do, which is a big aspect when making these types of genre films.

I think Cesar Montano was alright with the lead role. He has the looks and angst of the character. But of course, the main selling point of the film is it's lead actress, Maria Ozawa, who has been capturing the attention of men all over the country since her first visit here in Manila for a radio show interview. She's actually good in her role, though there is one scene featuring her characters bringing out all her anger ( by shooting some bottles of alcohol in a bar) that was a little bit awkward to watch. Aside from that, I enjoyed every scene that featured her.

Maria Ozawa plays Miyuki (left), together with Cesar Montano as Tony (right) and Meg Imperial as Jane (foreground)

In regards to the film's direction, I must say that director Pedring Lopez did a great job with the over-all look of the film, particularly the visuals. The film starts off with a very imaginative samurai fight scene in ancient Japan. Then, it switches to present day Manila in a very dark, gritty look. I've never seen Manila this brooding before. Every shot makes the city so menacing with it's dark colors and lighting which greatly helps in establishing the film's atmosphere. The fight scenes are also good in terms of action. But one of the best points of the film is it's prosthetics and visual effects. The CGI were good. But the make-up effects is what really made me fall in love more with the film. It's bloody and really disgusting to watch, which makes this B-movie really effective. I especially love the scene where one character slices her own face, which really surprised me.

The film, of course, has it's flaws. There are times that the dialogues were becoming a bit too cheesy and corny. I've found a lot of plot holes as the film progresses. For example, why did the demon spirit Zahagur flew from Japan to Philippines to continue his/ her killing spree? How did Tony learn to speak Japanese fluently? There were parts where the demon would just simply jump from one body to another random person, so why did it not took over Tony or Jane all through out the film since they are the only ones that is chasing it?

But then, at the end of the day, I asked myself if I enjoyed the movie. And still, despite all the given inconsistencies, I had a whole lot of fun watching it. The film offers enough visual artistry to satisfy the eyes but it also features thrills from Grindhouse-like action, violence and gore to satisfy the cravings of a horror fan like me. It doesn't slap the audience with one forgettable jump scares after another (as a trying hard copy of Insidious) but instead finds it's strengths in following the steps of a good B-movie.

Yes, I am highly recommending it to all the Filipino fans of the horror genre as well as actions films since there's a whole lot of them here. This is one rare Filipino film that is not just about the cash grab. It's pure Filipino talent at it's best, elevating the Philippine horror cinema one step higher in an era dominated by copy cats and cheap flicks.

Rating: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ out of 5