DIRECTOR PERCI INTALAN started directing films with the horror-drama “Dementia” starring Nora Aunor in 2014.
He then did the “Flight 666” episode in “Shake Rattle & Roll 15”, “Unforgettable” with Jun Lana, “Distance”, “My Fairy Tale Love Story” and “Born Beautiful”.
He didn’t get to do a new movie during the pandemic. But now, as he turned golden boy this year, he has two new movies to be shown one after the other.
On November 9, his horror thriller, “Livescream”, will be available for streaming on Vivamax, and on November 16, his rollicking gay comedy, “Mahal Kita, Beksman”, will be shown on the big screen in theaters nationwide.
Direk Perci is easy going and quite cheerful in real life, so we tell him that “Livescream”, a perfect example of what they call torture porn, is very far from his personality and the zany, feel good romp, ‘Mahal Kita, Beksman” is more right up his alley.
But at the press screening of “Livescream” at Gateway, the reaction of the press is very positive and it’s obvious that he succeeded in his first foray into this kind of suspense-thriller.
How did he feel when the audience applauded after the screening?
“It’s such a big thrill to watch a movie you made with a live audience. Kasi kapag director ka, ang bawat screening na puntahan mo na may audience, parang opening night.
"You observe the reactions of the audience. Kapag may nag-cellphone, feeling insecure ka na, baka hindi nagustuhan ng viewer ang pelikula mo.
"Conscious ka sa energy ng audience, so here it’s nice na noong una, quiet lang sila then later on nagre-react na sila, kasi ganun talaga ang horror, it escalates, so thankful ako as they were reacting as we expected them to.”
How is it working with Elijah as the central character?
“I’ve worked with him but with me as a producer. First time ko to direct him in a movie.
"Mahirap yung role niya as Exo, kasi iba yung charactrer niya as a vlogger, iba rin yung nakulong at tinorture.
"Ang daming pinagdaanan, he was even stripped naked, at siya lang ang nakikita sa screen for about 80 percent of the movie.”
Did he doubt if Elijah could pull it off successfuly?
"Hindi naman, kasi I know his range, so alam ko kaya niya yun. But yung physicality required from him, iba rin.
"First time niyang nakipag-nude love scene. At sa isang torture scene, pinahubad pati briefs niya at nagulat ako, kasi nakaya niya.”
He told Elijah to be volatile on screen.
“Sabi ko, dapat talaga, nag-iiba ang galaw mo rito, not only yung pananalita mo kasi mag-isa ka lang on screen, at dapat ma-hold mo ang attention ng audience.
"He really dove into the material and into his role and I’d say he came out with flying colors.”
“Livescream” is about rival social influencers who go to the extreme in their cancel culture, just like what is happening to some vloggers right now who are fighting in social media and seem to really want to obliterate each other.
The movie might be a horror-thriller but there’s one “murahan” scene where Elijah and his former partner turned enemy, Phoebe Walker, exchanged nasty words that came out more as a comedy since they’re trying to surpass each other in maligning themselves.
The audience was really laughing out loud because it all came out as so ridiculously funny.