A young man who thinks he just got “lucky” suddenly experiences one unfortunate circumstance after another. A male model on the rise is plagued by a mysterious ailment that turns his career upside down. And a love-struck folk singer discovers that the object of his affection is not who he thinks she is.
Three stories. Three different narratives. This is what Triptiko is all about.
The feature film debut of young and edgy filmmaker Miguel Franco Michelena is a trilogy best described as an amalgam of classics, like The Twilight Zone and Black Mirror with an original dose of Pinoy humor.
“Minsan ang buhay medyo weird so I came up with the concept of Triptiko: three bizarre, absurd and out of this world yet compelling plot lines,” says the 31-year old director who honed his directorial skills under Marilou Diaz-Abaya.
Michelena also wrote the screenplay.
Kicking off the film is “Swerte” which stars Albie Casiño as Jake, a hot-blooded young man who thinks he is the luckiest guy on earth. Unfortunately for Jake, his luck is about to change. In a startling turn of events, Jake witnesses a murder and finds himself being chased by the killer. He then finds himself caught in an awkward situation experiencing nonstop mishap one after the other.
“It’s a rambunctious escape-and-chase story with an ending that questions the very meaning of swerte or luck,” Michelena explains.
The next story, “Hinog” stars real life rising star Joseph Marco as Jason, a male model who wakes up one day to discover a shameful ailment spreading all over his body. Unsure on how he got afflicted with the disease, he tries to do whatever he can to save his dying career. The truth is later revealed during a session with a notorious shaman – a “medicine man” who is able to access the supernatural.
“The lead character (Jason) is then faced with a moral dilemma to test his resolve,” continues Michelena.
Finally, there’s the tragic tale of “Musikerong John” in which the title character, a folk musician returning to the stage after a two-year hiatus, is played by Kean Cipriano. In between songs during his live set, he tells the heartbreaking tale of Ann, the love of his life played by Kylie Padilla.
“Built around Musikerong John’s three original songs, the story slowly reveals how John’s relationship ended in a painful conclusion when Ann started to transform into something he does not fully understand,” the director explains.
While Michelena would not say if the three stories are related in any way, he defines the unusual title, Triptiko, as “a Filipino pop culture version of triptych, which is a set of three associated artistic, literary, or musical pieces intended to be appreciated together.”
“Tatlong kwentong medyo weird. This is what Triptiko is all about,” the director concluded.
The young director is excited to see how Triptiko would be received by the movie-going public when it opens on Aug.16 as one of the entries in the upcoming Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino organized by the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP).
Triptiko was recently Graded A by the Cinema Evaluation Board.
A film by Michelena Brothers Production and Barrio’s Pictures, Triptiko has been picked up for distribution by ABS- CBN’s Star Cinema. Other members of the film’s star-studded cast also include Jerald Napoles, Art Acuña, Jay Gonzaga, Pinky Amador, and Karl Medina.