Brillante does the Possessed - SAPI

A little look back having freshly seen his latest film Taklub, a tribute to the survivors of Typhoon Haiyan.
He's the poster boy of the Filipino Indy Film scene, the man who has marched on Cannes, the darling of the Festival circuit, he's the man who launched Mercedes Cabral onto the world stage.
Brillante Mendoza!!!

....he's so more than any of this and I apologise for such a shit opening.

Wanna watch a great director, with an illustrious filmography, who has consistency, is prolific and tells a cracker of a tale? Look no further!
Thy Womb (and here) didn't make MIFF but was screened in Brisbane and I think ACMI screened it as a one off.
Well this one, Sapi, his first horror may make it to Australia but probably won't!
but it did make it to Busan in 2013.

SAPI

I'm a bit partial to a possession film and Sapi appeases in spades.
But this is not just your ordinary fright fest. The parallel narrative that drives the film is a great insight into the machinations of Network TV news alla Manila. In fact this is the true horror in this film. The lengths and means to get ratings, the demands placed on employees, whether real or perceived, the boardroom meetings and the Network damage control all send a chill down the spine.
Are these the ones who a truly possessed?
You find these things out as you watch two rival news teams scramble for the story of a mass possession. They uncover and witness some pretty frightening stuff on the ground and then digest and package it for nightly consumption. You want to be pretty careful when dealing with the spirit world and those with less scruples slowly become affected or infected. The impact of exploitation is great and the consequences are dramatic.

  

Snakes, vaginas and demons always make a pretty frightening mix and this film certainly has its moments but the thing I love the most is the very brave ending. There are more questions than answers, not every thread can be neatly sewn up and the film finishes abruptly, but that's OK. Actually it's more than OK, I kinda loved it but I couldn't really gauge the reaction of the others in the cinema. I think we were all a bit shocked.

For a first foray into horror, this film holds its own, it's not your average possesion flick but that comes as no surprise because it is made from not your average director.
Look out next time the storm and heavy rains come visiting your town, you never  now what lies within the tempest.