Bela Padilla’s 366 is a return to romantic film genre
From merely seeing his image on TV or on the phone, Zanjoe Marudo got “conscious” the first time he watched himself again on the big screen in his latest film, 366, that marks the directorial debut of Bela Padilla, also his leading lady and co-star, as well as the writer of the film.
“Bumalik na ang ganitong klaseng set-up,” Zanjoe happily said. “Nakakapanibago, pero enjoy akong makita ang movie ulit sa big screen at kasama ko sila Bela at JC (Santos).
“Alam ko naman kung ano ang pressure sa akin ng gagawin ko ang project na ‘to. Alam din naman natin kung ano ang narating ng loveteam ni Bela at JC when it comes to romance-dramas.
“Para sa akin ‘pag happy ang director sa acting ko, sa ginawa ko sa movie, sa trabaho ko. Kapag satisfied na sila, pati producer ko, masaya na rin ako. Nagawa ko ang trabaho ko. Lahat kami, mga friends ni Bela, proud na proud for her sa project na ‘to.”
JC also commended his co-star and director for the job that Bela accomplished in doing 366. “I was saying, ang hirap nito for Bela,” JC said. “Na stressed ako sa kanya being the director and an actor. Ang heavy ng mga scenes niya. I don’t know what else to say. I’m still digesting it.
“Magba-blocking siya, then iiyak siya sa scenes. Then will do several other scenes. Kailangan niyang baliin ang mga lines niya. Ang daming mahihirap na ginawa niya for this film.”
Bela, for her part, believes she has the best people around her that made the jobs less stressful for her. “Even my AD (assistant director), si Jay (Castillo), we would do pre-prods in advance. I would tell him kung ano ang point ng scene, so hindi na ako aalis sa character when I’m included in the scene.”
In the first 10 minutes of 366, Bela readily made use of the tear ducts of her audience. She attested going back to directing was harder to accomplish after every scene, rather than merely going back to the role she was portraying.
JC found it quite an overwhelming feeling that his co-actor in Jason Paul Laxamana’s 100 Tula Para Kay Stella (2017), is now his director. “This girl has really stepped up quite a lot. Napapanood ko na ‘yung pelikula niya for the first time. Even when we were paired for the first time, I never questioned ‘yung galing ni Bela.”
In the credits, Bela simply used her first name for the story, screenplay and direction for 366, although she attested it was not a conscious decision.
“In a sense, I wanted to detach myself as an actress, that’s why,” Bela explained. “The first script I ever wrote — Joyce Bernal’s 10,000 Hours (2013) — I used my real name, Krista Sullivan on the credits. Initially, I wanted to detach my persona from anything aside from acting.”
Her character of June Pelayo in 366, the days in a leap year, made Bela understand what loneliness was all about.
“I really believe even if we don’t go through something as tragic, we all understand grief,” she explained. “We all understand loss. This pandemic, we all experienced loss.
“Pwedeng nawalan tayo ng mahal sa buhay, nawalan tayo ng trabaho, opportunities, nawalan tayo ng gana. Lahat tayo, meron tayong na experience na loss. I know we can all relate to that. I wanted to explain and materialize it in the way I know how to do it. Since I love romantic stories, gusto ko siyang idaan sa love story.”
Donning three hats for 366 — as actress, writer and director — is certainly tough for Bela. “I guess ‘pag bored ka talaga sa buhay, lahat ng hat you would wear them,” she smilingly said.
Although some observers commented that in terms of story, character and performance, 366 is a Zanjoe Marudo film, as people will probably remember it. However, Bela is not worried at all.
“I’ll be happy about it,” Bela said. “I worked three times hard for this film (as an actress, writer and director). Kung hindi siya maalala as a Bela performance, I’m okay with that. Kung maalala siya as a Zanjoe performance or a JC acting, I’m okay with that.”
“Even on the set, talagang pinapanood ko lang silang dalawa. Si Zanjoe, nanonood na lang ako sa performance niya. Si JC, kahit konti lang ang scenes niya, sobrang markado naman. Ginalingan niya talaga. Kahit na nagmumulto na lang siya, nagpapatak pa rin siya ng luha.
“If the takeaway from the film is that it’s a Zanjoe or a JC film, I’m still be very happy. That means, I did my job well.”
Noticeably, Bela hardly had any love scenes or kissing scenes with her leading men in 366. The scenes in Cappadocia, Bela’s real-life Swiss boyfriend, Norman Ben Bay, subbed in many scenes for JC. So, she had to resort to mostly tight shots or against the camera.
Padilla’s 366 is a return to the romantic film genre. “We always need to go back to love stories,” she explained. “Hindi nawawala ang love stories in any generation or period of time.”
Sweethearts Xian Lim and Kim Chiu attended the special preview of 366 in support of good friend Bela.
Aside from the film, Bela also megged Adie’s music video for 366, a haunting and reimagined version of Rivermaya’s You’ll Be Safe Here.
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