MANILA, Philippines ? Getting Hollywood to remake your movie is no mean feat. But, that?s exactly what director Yam Laranas has managed to do after earning impressive feedback for his 2004 Metro Manila Film Fest entry, ?Sigaw,? and winning awards in the international festival circuit along the way. And, as if those weren?t enough, he was likewise tasked to helm the new adaptation, now called ?The Echo??with star Iza Calzado still in tow.
Abusive relationship
?Finally, the long wait is over?after two years,? Iza beamed with relief during the movie?s recent premiere at Megamall. For her stirring portrayal of a mother and wife who?s trapped in an abusive relationship in the original version, the risk-taking actress bagged an Urian Best Supporting Actress trophy. Her performance in the film?s new incarnation resonates even more?it?s short and almost dialogue-free, but it?s similarly textured and disturbing.
Jesse Bradford and Amelia Warner take over Richard Gutierrez and Angel Locsin?s roles, respectively. Unlike Marvin, Gutierrez?s character in ?Sigaw,? who relishes his emancipation from an overbearing mother by living on his own, Bradford?s Bobby Reynolds is haunted by a darker past?and heavier emotional baggage.
?The Echo? begins with Bobby moving back into his dead
depressive mother?s rundown apartment after getting released from prison on parole. He wants to get his life?and his romance with former flame, Alyssa (Warner)?back on track, but his ex-con past keeps his options on a short and tight leash. With friends and neighbors avoiding him like the plague, Bobby is having a particularly difficult time moving on.
With its sad memories, his mother?s home doesn?t offer much refuge for Bobby, either?not to mention the troubling screams of his beautiful but sad next-door neighbor, Gina (Calzado), who gets repeatedly beaten up by her policeman husband, Walter (Kevin Durand).
The constant abuse he hears unnerves Bobby, but like the rest of his neighbors?who choose to look the other way?he is helpless to do anything. After all, what chance does an ex-con have against a cop? Then, Gina and her daughter begin knocking on his door. But, there?s something about their blank stares that unsettles Bobby?and the viewers!
Domestic abuse
Laranas is no doubt a master of mood and the macabre, and he uses this expertise to breathe disturbing life into his allegorical take on isolation and domestic abuse?horrifying issues that our society continues to grapple with on a regular basis.
Interestingly, ?The Echo? doesn?t have the glossy sheen or visual flourishes of ?Sigaw,? but the atmosphere of rancid danger and unadulterated evil remains palpable. Surely, it?s closer to home than any flesh-eating zombie or high-flying manananggal.
Bradford, whom we first noticed as a precocious child star in 1993?s ?King of the Hill,? comes of age as a serious adult actor. He carries his character?s weighty dilemma well and smartly avoids the excesses that compromise many horror-movie protagonists. He reacts with his heart and relies on his impulses to make his running and screaming sequences believable. He doesn?t run or scream just to egg viewers on to do the same. As a result, Bobby?s fears are spot-on and feel organic.
With his tough-guy countenance, Durand?s towering presence works in perfect sync with Calzado?s gripping characterization of a mother who will do anything to save her child?even beyond death!
