Piolo, Rhian take a leap of faith in Silong

MANILA, Philippines - It’s not every day that you see Piolo Pascual, the romantic idol, in a dark role. Same thing goes for Rhian Ramos, who first caught the public eye as part of a love team with Dingdong Dantes in Stairway to Heaven.

But go out of the box they did in the indie film Silong, which closes the annual Cinemalaya Film Festival on Aug. 14, 9 p.m. at the CCP Main Theater.

Piolo and Rhian took a leap of faith by playing reclusive doctor Miguel Cascarro and Valerie Ramos, respectively. 

To the ordinary person, he lives all by his lonesome in this big ancestral provincial home. She escapes all bloodied and beaten up from her abusive husband, the late chief of police.

Their paths cross when Miguel (Piolo) steps hard on the breaks to avoid hitting Valerie (Rhian) on a deserted road. He brings the total stranger to his home, treats her until she recovers and bonds with her like no other.

The plot seems to unfold so predictably, with the doctor and the beautiful stranger sharing a meal, teasing each other, learning one another’s deepest secrets.

But before you can say, “I knew it!” something totally unexpected happens. The descent to hell begins, and the gore and mayhem remind you of director Quentin Tarantino’s shocking films.

Piolo, who produces the film with Rhian, admits viewers’ reception is only second to self-fulfillment when he made Silong.

“The last thing on my mind is what the audience would think,” he said after a press screening of the film at My Cinema in Greenbelt, Makati.

“I’m after self-fulfillment. I know that years from now, I’ll give myself a pat on the shoulders for doing this.”

The Kapamilya actor adds that doing an out-of-the-box film is his way of giving back to an industry that has blessed him -— and Rhian — so much.

Public reception —  especially of fans so used to seeing them act in wholesome films — may be different. They may resist change.

But it’s a risk the two actors are ready to take.

Rhian felt nervous before shooting the intense scenes because she hasn’t done any of those in her career. 

“I demanded a bottle of wine. And I told myself I will try to be as brave I can,” she recalled.

But like Piolo, Rhian thinks the role is something she owes herself as an actor.

“It’s something I don’t usually do,” she admitted. “I didn’t know if I will pull it off or not.”

Audience reaction during the screening proved she did pull it off. The shouts of “Ay!” every time a shocking scene appeared was music to her ears.

Her “adventure” paid off.

“I never want to be confined in one genre. I wanna do a lot of things,” Rhian explained.

Silong, for one, is not your usual story of love because it’s not sweetness and light, although it started out as that. Light eventually gives way to darkness, and things start getting scary.

First-time director Jeffrey Hidalgo of Smoky Mountain fame (he co-directs with Roy Sevilla Ho) admitted he took a cue from his idol, Tarantino, while shooting the film, where all the action took place in an old house begging to be restored to its former grandeur.

Like Piolo and Rhian, the young director dared venture into the unknown and untried, daring the public to think differently, feel differently.

If he — and the rest — succeed, well and good. If not, they have no regrets. They did what felt right.

After all, Cinemalaya’s decision to have Silong as closing film was a pleasant surprise. They won’t mind getting another one when the audience delivers its verdict on Friday night.

Piolo wants to take things a step further by showing Silong on a commercial run after its Cinemalaya debut. That’s why he wants to have all the help he can get.

By daring to take the road less traveled, Piolo and company have won half the battle. Piolo, et al. will win the rest of it if fans go see them in roles that will shock and scare them to bits.

This is the challenge for moviegoers to take, and the reward for the filmmakers to enjoy.