Will priests raise a howl against Iadya Mo Kami?

Several years ago, a movie titled The Priest, so to speak, stirred a hornet’s nest before it was shown in Manila theaters. Some sectors of the church raised a howl against the movie’s theme which is about a priest having a male lover. Inadvertently, they acted as effective promoter for the movie which drew people to moviehouses out of curiosity. Turned out to be much ado about nothing.

Critics actually viewed the movie as pro-priesthood. The same-sex romance, made worse because one party is a holy man, scandalizes the community that petitions for the priest’s removal to another parish. But in the end, the priest, torn between the temptation of the flesh and the call of spirituality, made a soul-cleansing decision by dumping his lover in the memorable scene towards the end when he refuses to give communion to his lover who is seducing him with the suggestive movement of his tongue over his lips.

Iadya Mo Kami, directed by Mel Chionglo for BG Productions (owned by Baby Go) from a screenplay by Ricky Lee, also involves a priest in a similar situation, except that instead of a male lover, the priest has a woman lover (played by Diana Zubiri) with whom he bears a child. The movie, which has won Allen Best Actor in the recent Fourth Silk Road Film Festival in Ireland, is competing with five other entries in the Filipino New Cinema Section of the World Cinema Premieres Film Festival of the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) from today until July 10 (screening is at SM North EDSA and SM Megamall).

Doesn’t direk Mel anticipate any untoward reaction from priests?

“I don’t think so because the movie has a positive ending,” assured Mel. “Iba sa The Priest ang takbo ng estorya. The priest leaves his lover and resumes his calling. The movie shows that a priest who has vows of chastity, charity and obedience also suffers from challenges. A priest is also an ordinary mortal like the people that he serves. He also gets lonely, yearns for love, longs for caring, falls prey to the call of the flesh, supports rebel groups fighting the government and may become alcoholic. In view of these challenges, the decision to continue serving God or leaving priesthood rests solely on him.”

Is Father Greg, the priest played by Allen, a real person?

Co-starring with Allen are (from left) Ricky Davao (as a powerful evil man), Eddie Garcia (as the bishop), Diana Zubiri (as his lover) and Aiko Melendez (as a corrupt wife, the same role that won her Best Supporting Actress at the 49th Worldfest Houston International Film festival). Right: Direk Mel Chionglo shooting a crucial scene with Allen.

“No,” clarified Mel, “it’s just a typical story kumbaga. The movie is not based on a true story. Five years ago, I was talking to my priest friend (who has died since then) about the problems confronting the church. One of the big problems concerning priests is having an affair with women and having children, not pedophilia which is the biggest issue facing the church in the US.”

Since he has worked with Allen (in a few films including Twilight Dancer, as a has-been macho dancer; and in Lauriana as a soldier torn between service of country and his love for a woman; and in some TV dramas), Mel found him easy to direct this time around. (Allen has also won several awards for Magkakabaung both here and abroad.)

“I told Allen that Father Greg is a quiet person. You can’t see in his face that he is going through a crisis in his life. He is in control with his actions and his emotions are always in check. His characters in other movies are very expressive, flamboyant and very physical. I am happy because Allen is a very receptive actor and is open to his director’s intentions.”

Is the “positive ending” some kind of a compromise to nip in the bud a possible adverse reaction from the church?

“Not really,” insisted Mel. “I told Ricky that I didn’t want to tell a story only about a priest na nakaanak at sinundan ng babae, iniwan ang babae at bumalik sa church; I wanted a story that would show how a priest handled the challenges that I mentioned earlier. The story is also about a priest’s search for identity and spirituality.”

Some priests are suggesting that the church allow them to get married and at the same time remain as priests.

“I beg to disagree,” said Mel vehemently. “If you answer any calling, you must adhere to certain standards, dapat sumunod sa patakaran ng kung ano mang propesyon. Before one is ordained a priest, he is made to take a vow of celibacy and he should bear that in mind. That’s one of the sacrifices for priesthood. Otherwise, without those sacrifices, kung ganoon lang pala, eh di ang dali-dali magpari.”

(Iadya Mo Kami will have its gala premiere on Saturday, July 2, 8 p.m. at SM Megamall. Other playdates: July 3, Sunday, 3 p.m. at SM Megamall Cinema 6; Tuesday, July 5, 7 p.m. at SM Megamall; July 7, Thursday, 5 p.m. at SM North EDSA; July 9, Saturday, 7 p.m. at SM North EDSA; and July 10, Sunday, 5 p.m. at SM North EDSA.)

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