If there's a certain time to tell a story, it is NOW. When we got to see an episode of “Drug War: A Conspiracy of Silence" a few days ago, I really felt uneasy. Fact of the matter is, their story based on real life. When I saw the numbers they put in on the scenes of folks who perished during those times, they weren't simply putting in statistics, but real lives, it could be someone's son, father, brother, uncle, friend, and the manner they got eliminated was certainly a crime against humanity no doubt, but Mr. Ian Veneracion dubbed this as non political, I tried so hard to see it that way, but I get where he is coming from.
In a way, this six part series main objective is to spark conversation. I guess they wouldn't be able to serve it's purpose if it is just going to take sides in this highly pointed topic.
Director and creator Shugo Praico says "We did this because when we were conceptualizing the story, we felt the characters and those they represent should be heard globally. This is a critical period in our time, it needs to be seen. We believe in Filipino talent, and how we tell stories. This is an opportunity to introduce our actors, in a bigger setting. There will be an announcement soon, and we hope you see what's good in this series (they're still looking for an apt platform), but we need to hear your thoughts on the material. I think the story, the root of this film, it's very Filipino. What we want people to feel is the urge to have a conversation, it's where one can understand, to heighten the thought process, to become better people."
Ian says "When I read the script, I felt I really had to be part of this, in particular as this involves our people, history and our humanity. As an actor, my job is to go through that life and make memories out of it. I hope a lot of people see it especially those outside the country. It raises a lot of questions , and I hope this triggers better policies."
Jane added "My character had to fight for something, and that's what I needed to do in orde to prepare with the role."
Ms. Yayo says "We needed to ask a lot of questions to find out who we are, it's more of mental preparation. Director Shugo is different, they let you work freely and trust you to interpret it well according to the treatment you want to do. He appreciates that, sees our efforts but doesn't just leave us do things without reason."
Here's more of the talk back session after the screening:
Although not there during the screening, Harvey Bautista by the way is also in this series and he did a super good job playing the role of one of the victims. HE WAS AMAZING to say the least and should be one of the performances you would want to look forward to.
We also asked about our villains/character actors because I've always felt they're not just doing things mechanically... Ryan Eignemann and Joem Bascon mentioned how it comes with experience to be able to do that. True enough, they're doing their characters with emotional depth (which you'll see in future episodes too).
This was made like a movie from any standard, but I heard how they preferred to tell the story in a series format because they wanted the needed elements included. The story was just too good to tell and cut off, so they'd rather show everything instead. It's also immersive, meaning much of the exhaustion, running, walking will be felt by the viewer. It was made with that in mind so make sure you get to watch it once they decide on the platform soon!
