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Starring
:
Richard
Gutierrez
Angel
Locsin
Jomari
Yllana
Iza
Calzado
Ella
Guevera
Writer
:
Roy
Iglesias
Roy
Iglesias (story)
Yam
Laranas (story)
Producer
:
Roselle
Monteverde-Teo
Director
:
Yam
Laranas
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SIGAW
(2004)
A.K.A.
- The Echo
Reviewed
by Rob Daniel
'Sigaw'
won the Best Editing at the 2004 Metro Manila Film Festival:
ironic as the film could use some drastic pruning.
Ten minutes shy of the two hour mark is too long for
this ghost story from the Philippines.
Marvin
(Gutierrez) and Pinky (Locsin) move into a dilapidated
apartment block, unbeknownst to her father.
The domestic violence in a neighbouring apartment,
involving a jealous policeman (Yllana) and his persecuted wife
and daughter (Calzado and Guevara), grows increasingly
distressing, until the building’s caretaker reveals the
shocking truth.
Borrowing
heavily from Nakata's 'Dark Water' and Kubrick's 'The
Shining', Laranas' 'Sigaw' brings nothing new to the
overcrowded Asian horror market.
Iglesias' screenplay, based on a story by the director
and himself, lacks sorely needed subplots and incidental
detail, stretching what is a simple and predictable short film
to unsustainable feature length.
Compensations
come from Laranas' own murky green cinematography and Albert
Michael Idioma and Arnold Reodica's sound design, although
both ape the conventions of Asian horror and the liberal use
of shock sound effects merely reveals the director's inability
to generate tension.
One
to watch only after having sampled 'Ring',
'Dark Water', 'Phone', 'Kairo', 'Uzumaki', 'Into the Mirror',
'Ju-on'
etc etc...
Rating:
 
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