After his first motion picture Pusoy, director Phil Giordano’s second film offering is Pabuya, a neon-drenched tale of a gangland rivalry gone wrong.
Pabuya stars the charismatic Diego Loyzaga as Pepe, a gang leader in the middle of a turf war who unknowingly kills an undercover cop, which puts him in the crosshairs of not only the rival gang led by Felix Roco as Jojo but also the police force. On the run and with no one to trust, the action, drama, sex, and various complications unfold.
“Pabuya is a film about betrayal. revenge, lust, and love,” director Giordano starts. “The biggest reward for me in doing this is to show the reality that people and the times have changed and that these changes are not always for the good. Values like honesty, loyalty, and trustworthiness, to mention a few are constantly being challenged, and I am afraid that they are being destroyed because people are giving more premium to money, fame, being ahead or on top of everyone else, power, and everything that corrupts the morality of men.”
“Betrayal and loyalty are the themes that I am highlighting anew in my second film feature,” adds the filmmaker. “The humanity and morality of any person is always fragile and forever evolving. And when it comes to being loyal and who to trust, there is no sure formula. It is always a matter of touch and go. The choosing of what is good and what is potentially evil is what separates the virtuous and the wicked. And being able to capture what makes a man a real man, fascinates me and this is what I hope people will see in this new film of mine. That there are still genuinely good people who because of circumstances beyond their control are put to a test, and how they face these complications, survive or fall from them, are testaments of the frailties and strengths of all of us, being humans.”
In choosing Loyzaga to portray Pepe, Giordano said that the young actor is charismatic, strong, and has the physical attributes to be a good leader that can command, yet he has a tender and vulnerable side to him, which the director was able to capture onscreen.
“As Pepe, Diego shows how emotionally committed he is to becoming his character,” Giordano goes on. “He does not fake his feelings. He plays for truth and him being in that place of truthfulness, was of great help to Franki.”
As to Loyzaga’s screen partner, Giordano noted that the comely newcomer Franki Russel has raw emotions and she is able to draw them out naturally.
“She has great chemistry with Diego and I believe what people will see in this movie is just a glimpse of the things to come. I should say it is just the tip of the iceberg. With more experience in doing films, I am positive she is the new leading lady to watch out for.”
Giordano underscored that people can expect action sequences that are more polished, edgy, and intense. There is a lot of independent feel and vibe to the action scenes. Of course, there are sex scenes, which show the characters peeling off their masks. Pepe and Bella, the characters of Loyzaga and Russel’s scenes are more intimate and romantic. The scenes of Roco as Jojo are opposite of Pepe as he is more detached and rougher. And of course, the narrative of Pabuya—the hows and whys of Pepe’s life, including his choices, and the things he holds dear, all in the film.
In conclusion, Giordano says: “Pabuya is dark, gritty and shows how many people will disregard loyalty and betray for money. It mirrors what has become of our society right now. Through this film, may those who watch it realize that good values will never go out of style. Honesty, loyalty, honesty, trust, friendship, integrity, and love, they will always matter.”
Pabuya is currently showing on Vivamax.
