From left: Benjie Felipe (Mulong), Xian Lim (Gerry), Tessie Tomas (Pilar) and Epi Quizon (Tommy)

Text and photos

By Jude Thaddeus L. Bautista

Grief, sadness and horror were felt in a wail made by Pilar (Tessie Tomas) upon seeing the remains of her daughter for the first time. Tears flow down her face as audiences were moved by that pivotal scene in “Two Funerals.” And in every screening in CCP, there was consistently a raucous applause. Tomas’ portrayal as Pilar may have easily been the best acting performance not just in Cinemalaya but definitely in local film this year.

Gil Portes holds his Canon 7D SLR along with trophy for Best Direction (Director's Showase category) He was considering giving up film making and moving to the U.S. after a tough time last year

“Two Funerals” garnered a total of 5 awards in the Director’s showcase category: Best Direction (Gil Portes- with Canon 7D SLR / HD video cam), Special Jury Prize (with  P100,000.00 cash prize from FDCP), Audience Choice  (with P 75,000.00 cash prize from FDCP), Best Screenplay (Eric Ramos) and Best Cinematography (Arvin Viola).  The Best Actress award interestingly did not go to Tomas but to another impressive performer Meryl Soriano of “Donor.” There’s much anticipation that other award giving bodies such as the Urian may honor Tomas with a nod.

The film is as much a tribute to the direction of Gil Portes and the screenwriting of Eric Ramos as the notable performance of its entire cast. The dramatic scenes like the one above are few and far in between. There’s far more comedy and yet the light moments are actual commentaries on Filipino concepts of religiosity and morality. The film is an eye opening journey through traditions that we hold dear and what they have come to represent in our lives. The story reveals hypocrisy in many sectors of society, be it in politics, men of the cloth and even closet queens. These statements however are not made in a preachy way but in an entertaining and enlightening manner.

Eric Ramos won the Best Screenplay award for "Two Funerals"

Congressman Rissa Hontiveros after the gala said, “I was hoping that (politicians) weren’t portrayed in such a negative manner but it is reality in many ways. For example, when they portray the policeman not all of them are like that but it happens. It’s realistic. I really love the storyline and the fact that they were able to portray so many aspects of Phil. culture and society.”

After a bus accident takes the lives of about a dozen passengers, two bodies get switched when they are sent home. The chaos of pre Holy Week celebrations compounds the difficulty of making funeral arrangements. The problem is that one was sent to the north in Tuguegarao, Cagayan, the other to the southern part of Luzon, Matnog, Sorsogon.

Sen. Pia Cayetano with Tessie Tomas

Tessie Tomas plays Pilar the mother traumatized by the death of her daughter and now has the difficult task of finding her remains. She takes a road trip with her (prospective) son in law Gerry (Xian Lim). From Tugegarao they make the road trip to Sorsogon because they have to travel with the mistaken body. Epi Quizon plays Tommy, the funeral parlor representative who takes the trip with them.

Each day of the Holy Week represents a chapter within the story. On Good Friday for example, they see flagellants on the road. Gerry at this time still could not accept the death of his fiancé Charm (Princess Manzon) and so experiences the Calvary of her loss. The treatment of religion however is not one of blind reverence, as the film also deals with scandals that affect Catholic priests. It shows the distinction between what we believe and how we behave.

Epi Quizon plays Tommy and Althea Vega plays Isay

Epi Quizon reunites with Gil Portes reprising another gay role as Tommy. In 2000, Quizon won Best Supporting Actor from both the FAMAS and Gawad Urian in “Markova: Comfort Gay,” also directed by Portes. The film starred Dolphy as the older Markova, while Eric and Epi Quizon played the younger Markova. Epi may have gotten his father Dolphy’s knack for playing homosexuals. Among “The King of Comedy’s” famous signature roles was “Facifica Falayfay” before his huge success on TV.

Epi certainly is no slouch in the acting department. His character Tommy is struggling to reform his gay habits until hunky Gerry puts an arm around him and asks him to join the trip. Tommy compensates by making sweet nothings to his wife on the cell phone. After putting his cell down he peeks at Tonyo (Leo Mier) the driver taking a shower in their shared hotel room. Benjie Felipe and Mon Confiado are also two experienced actors who delivered the laughs as scammers Mulong and Lucio. Althea Vega plays Mulong’s wife Isay.

The Two Funerals Cast and crew on stage during the CCP gala

Benjie Felipe was the comic relief character Mulong

When Portes received the Special Jury Prize, he related how difficult last year was for him. He was considering moving to the U.S. where his family was already based. Then he got a call from Maan Hontiveros, member of the Cinemalaya organizing Committee, suggesting that he use the “Two Funerals” script for the fest.

Princess Manzon played Charm

Two time juror and Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino member Lito Zulueta was impressed with it even at the script level, “Two Funerals was one of the proposals that popped out right from the script stage, it was funny and character driven. Gil Portes was able to draw the potentials of the script. For me the personal interest is how to translate the text to visuals.” With his success, Portes shows his grasp of Filipino culture that’s why he is able to poke fun at some traits and beliefs. Instead of a morality play it became something enjoyable for audiences.