I had seen the trailer of Mangatyanan some time ago, but it didn't leave much of an impression on me. (Don't let the poster sway you, either.) I'm glad I gave the film a chance.
The second film in Jerrold Tarog's CAMERA trilogy, Mangatyanan (The Blood Trail) revolves around Laya, a photographer with a secret. An assignment brings her to the Labwanan tribe, who are set to perform the Mangatyanan ritual. But the tribe is not what she expects it to be and Laya's unease with the situation turns out to be rooted in her past. No spoilers here, but you'll find those elsewhere.
At first, I thought that Che Ramos as Laya was underacting. Perhaps that is because her style clashed with that of Irma Adlawan ("Si Fe!" remarked an audience member, who had obviously seen her in another Cinemalaya entry, Ang Panggagahasa Kay Fe/The Rapture of Fe), who plays her mother. And that's not just because mother and daughter don't see eye-to-eye. It seemed to be a difference in technique. In the end, Ramos showed what her character is really made of, which is what really mattered most.
The story is good. If I overanalayze some of the devices, it would appear that some of them are overused. However, flashback magic worked on me. When I learned about Laya's background, I wanted to empathize with her and help her exorcise her lone demon: her father (played by Pen Medina). Neil Ryan Sese as Eric does little more than smile his way through the film, but I must admit that that works for me, too. The most entertaining character has to be Mailes Kanapi as the Queen. Karakter talaga.
It's a good thing that the trilogy is not all about Laya (though I would like to know what will happen to her and Eric) because then I would not be able to rest without seeing the first movie. I have yet to see film number one, Confessional, which is about a videographer. I wonder what the third one will be about. (Video camera, still camera... How many kinds are there anyway?)
Congratulations to the cast and crew of the film for a job well done. They did justice to the material. My P100 was well spent.
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