Pa-Siyam is a about the gathering of a recently deceased woman's sons and daughters for the funeral and to carry out the traditional 9 days of prayer. In that time, a haunting begins to take place and deep family secrets are unburied.
This is Erik Matti's first effort in the horror genre and I was brought to it after watching his short films, Vesuvius and I is for Invincible, and feature length movie, Seklusyon. All of which I consider not only some of the best horror movies but also some of the best productions in Philippine Cinema. What the three have in common are: They have relentlessly terrifying sound designs, immersive cinematography, and tight storylines, the three aspects that make these horror flicks stand out.
While Pa-siyam has a unique story and culturally rooted, it is dulled by the deterioration of the technical aspects and doesn't quite dazzle now, as it probably did back then when it was first shown. As recorded, it was nominated for the Gawad Urian (a distinguished award giving body in the Philippines by critics) Award for Best Production Design by Richard Somes, for Best Sound by Ramon Reyes, and Best Cinematography by J.A. Tadena in 2005 but viewing the movie now (2018) its hard to appreciate its achievement.
Fortunately, despite of the fuzziness of the existing copy, a few bits withstand the damage, and have caught my attention One is the acting of Roderick Paulate as the stern, eldest sibling. It is a rarity to see him in such a role as he is known mostly in comedy and as a lively host in a long running noon time show. Nevertheless, he does a very good job disappearing into the character. Another is the climax, which shocking nature has only been slightly diminished by quality loss.
These beg the question "What if it is in its pristine condition?" I believe if does get picked up for restoration, it would be a mighty fine discovery of a gem of a film. Otherwise, its just an okay movie with its potential denied of exhibition.
This is Erik Matti's first effort in the horror genre and I was brought to it after watching his short films, Vesuvius and I is for Invincible, and feature length movie, Seklusyon. All of which I consider not only some of the best horror movies but also some of the best productions in Philippine Cinema. What the three have in common are: They have relentlessly terrifying sound designs, immersive cinematography, and tight storylines, the three aspects that make these horror flicks stand out.
While Pa-siyam has a unique story and culturally rooted, it is dulled by the deterioration of the technical aspects and doesn't quite dazzle now, as it probably did back then when it was first shown. As recorded, it was nominated for the Gawad Urian (a distinguished award giving body in the Philippines by critics) Award for Best Production Design by Richard Somes, for Best Sound by Ramon Reyes, and Best Cinematography by J.A. Tadena in 2005 but viewing the movie now (2018) its hard to appreciate its achievement.
Fortunately, despite of the fuzziness of the existing copy, a few bits withstand the damage, and have caught my attention One is the acting of Roderick Paulate as the stern, eldest sibling. It is a rarity to see him in such a role as he is known mostly in comedy and as a lively host in a long running noon time show. Nevertheless, he does a very good job disappearing into the character. Another is the climax, which shocking nature has only been slightly diminished by quality loss.
These beg the question "What if it is in its pristine condition?" I believe if does get picked up for restoration, it would be a mighty fine discovery of a gem of a film. Otherwise, its just an okay movie with its potential denied of exhibition.