Description

Popular Filipino teen idols Richard Gutierrez and Angel Locsin star in this atmospheric chiller. Marvin (Gutierrez) has just struck out on his own, spending all of his savings to buy a condo in a magnificent but crumbling building. He has staked everything on this move, his savings now so depleted that he can’t even properly furnish the place and must scrounge furniture left by old tenants in the building. He is proud of his independence but it isn’t long before the experience begins to sour. Other residents are moving out in droves, complaining about the noise, and it isn’t long before he learns what they mean firsthand: the police officer down the hall is a violent, drunken man, prone to beating his wife and daughter on a regular basis, a situation everyone feels powerless to do anything about. Who, after all, would take their word over a cop’s? And it isn’t long before he is troubled by other things as well - his door opens of its own volition, his linens are mussed, the water stain in his ceiling looks alarmingly like a human face …

One of two Filipino films in the program this year, Yam Laranas’ acclaimed film The Echo plays on a scenario sure to be familiar to many: what do you do when the excitement of your first home away from your parents is spoiled by the sounds of a violently abusive neighbor? Director Laranas is simply a stunning visual talent with a keen eye and an undeniable gift for manipulating light. His work compares quite nicely to that of Christopher Doyle, a fact made all the more impressive when you consider that he shot the film dominantly with natural light, and with 100 percent of the effects accomplished in-camera. There is not a single post-production visual effect in the entire film - if you see it, they did it. Though it hit the festival circuit relatively late in its life, the acclaim has not been slow in coming - The Echo has won major awards around the world, including the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival, and Laranas was signed to a contract by big-time talent agent ICM immediately following the film’s first U.S. screening.

—Todd Brown

"Laranas, a master at creating an ominous atmosphere, builds to an exceptionally rigorous, satisfying conclusion" – Kevin Thomas, LOS ANGELES TIMES

Website

http://www.echothemovie.com/

Credits

Director: Yam Laranas
Screenplay: Roy C. Iglesias, Yam Laranas
Cast: Jomari Yllana, Richard Gutierrez, Angel Locsin, Iza Calzado, James Blanco, Janella Denise Guevarra
Producers: Roselle Monteverde-Teo
Distributor: Regal Films