Jologs director takes a new youth-oriented ‘trip’

Two hit movies in a row deserve another. That’s why no one can be happier than Star Cinema and Gilbert Perez, the 41-year-old director behind such hits as Kahit Isang Saglit and the youth-oriented Trip.

But he refuses to feel giddy about it. Perez feels the pressure of being up there where you’re only as good as your last hit movie.

For this guy whom people at Star Cinema fondly call Manong, the adrenaline rush comes not only from an inner drive to excel.

"I enjoy seeing my idea translated on film. There’s no money in directing movies, but the psychic reward is something else," he says.

The adrenaline rush comes from proving oneself the third time around. And this time, it’s not just any other film. Jologs happens to be based on an award-winning script – unlike most movies, its come-on is not the stars, but the story.

You see the lifestyle of the young unfold in not one, but seven stories strung together, each intertwined, culminating in one final tale where colorful lives are resolved and the young protagonists meet one another a year later.

You’ll find out, for instance, how Mando, Diether Ocampo’s character fares after his Japayuki girlfriend (Michelle Bayle) ups and leaves him to wallow in grief. You’ll know what happened to the cross dressing student played with surprising gusto by Baron Geisler.

You’ll find out what happened to the pious girl (Jodi Santamaria) whose biggest dilemma is giving herself to her boyfriend (Patrick Garcia) or not. And whatever happened to bombshell Assunta de Rossi, who does not bare herself and goes wacky as Issa?

Whatever it is, Perez wants to drive home one message: go ahead, be yourself. To hell with what others think. That’s the new meaning of Jologs – a term used to refer to the great unwashed, like the crowd that stormed Malacañang May 1 last year and sowed mayhem on the streets.

Perez wants to erase the term’s negative connotation once and for all. He wants to give jologs a positive, new spin – that fresh aura of confidence and belief in one’s responsibility for one’s actions. Hence, his third movie for Star Cinema.

It’s a herculean task, and Perez himself admits he and his home studio (where he rose from the ranks as a former production assistant) are taking a risk.

But he’s confident the story will win the day come Aug. 28 (opening date of the movie in Metro Manila) and beyond.

"I want my movies to be positive. You go to the theater to be entertained, especially when your problems are heavy. In Jologs, people will end up feeling inspired about how the characters move on despite their problems," Perez explains.

His climb up the filmmaking ladder is inspiring in itself. Perez trained at the old ABS-CBN while he was a graduating Mass Communication student at the Ateneo. Even then, he was a young man in a hurry.

Perez defied convention to take up Production units in college, even before he took up Introduction to Production. His professor must have seen something different in the driven young man. The perceptive mentor gave the go-getter student his blessings. True enough, Perez got an A in Production.

But the bigger challenge still lay in the studio, where the actual game is played. Perez was a willing student in Al Quinn and Bert de Leon’s shows. Perez also soaked up everything he could from the equally-revered "Mr. M," or Johnny Manahan.

Perez even dabbled in awards shows. He was assistant director for the Star Awards for 10 years.

The break came when the youth-oriented Flames hit the TV screens. Its ratings soared, and Gilbert Perez, the director, had it made. Flames may now be off the air, but the Star Network has not let go of its goldmine of a director.

Far from being complacent, Perez continues to work on his craft. He goes to malls, not so much to enjoy, but to study the ways of the young and to keep abreast with what’s in and what’s out.

Who knows, a light bulb might just flash in his mind, and a powerful scene for his TV series or future movie will crop up. Creativity, after all, is a never-ending process as well as a quest for excellence.

"I want to be proud of my work. I make it a point to exert effort in making a good film, whether it earns money or not," says Perez.

This sheer joy in doing his job well, no matter what the cost, is Perez’s winning formula.