No spoiler there. As expected the first press conference for Daryl Yap’s upcoming movie Martyr or Murderer was filled with a lot of quotables and controversies.
The director said he even had to get the approval of several lawyers from Viva Films before finally getting the “go” signal to release the 2 minute trailer.
The trailer showed the life of the Marcoses during their exile to Morocco but the ending of the trailer generated the most controversy, as it depicted Eula Valdes as Imee Marcos speaking with her brother, then Vice Presidential candidate BongBong Marcos, who she refers to as “Bonget.”
“Imee, dinaya yata ako ni Leni,” in reference to the results of the 2016 vice-presidential elections.
‘Martyr or Murderer’ is expected to stir controversy once again as it deals with the sensitive subject of the still-unsolved assassination of Ninoy Aquino in 1983.
Still, the director assured this was the “tamest” version of all. According to the The trailer has ammas
“Martyr or Murder” is the follow-up to “Maid in Malacanang” and is part of Yap’s Film Trilogy that covers the Marcos family’s journey, from their exile to their reemergence in power. Yap announced during a press conference that the third film in the trilogy will be titled “Mabuhay Aloha Mabuhay.”
“Maid in Malacanang” was so well-received that the 36-year-old director was questioned about whether he feels burdened by the high expectations placed upon him.
He believes that “content is always king. The relatability and the support of the people will come if the movie or the content is really of quality. I was focusing much more on quality and trying to equal what has been done. I guess destiny and the support of the people will bring the movie to the box office if it is destined to (be a) hit. We are praying hard that our countrymen will like the movie.”
He added that “when I was doing ‘Martyr or Murderer,’ I wasn’t thinking of duplicating any success or testing another record. I was just thinking of offering to the public the continuation of the story. ‘Martyr or Murderer’ is not necessarily what happened after ‘Maid in Malacanang.’ It is literally what happened before and after, so if you ask me, the (box office) formula is not yet discovered. I think box office success depends on the quality of the content.”
Darryl maintained that the movie is a retelling of a story based on the viewpoint of the Marcoses. ” You’ll be surprised, all of my materials are not actually Marcos materials, what you’ll see in the film are snippets of the Aquinos talking. Am just interpreting what they’re saying, after all, I’m a writer and director of what’s happening during those times to the Marcoses. While the thousands who attended the burial of Ninoy were shown, I most especially focused on the reaction of the Marcoses to the whole turn of events.”
“Martyr or Murderer” recounts what happened to the family before and after EDSA Revolution, a sneak peak to their life in exile, and a brave discussion on the intrigues surrounding Imee Marcos’s exploits in Morocco. Did she really go into hiding and forge passports? How did her siblings cope with the sudden turn of events? How did the ailing patriarch and his Imeldific wife carry on with their lives after being stripped of power and dignity?
Furthermore, the film aims to provide answers to the unending hows and whys involving President Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos and his greatest nemesis, Senator Benigno Simeon Aquino, Jr.
How did all the strife between them start? How was Ninoy Aquino perceived by the people around him? Why was his death blamed on the Marcoses?
And all these questions lead to even bigger ones: Who is the real martyr? Who is the real murderer?
Cristine Reyes, Cesar Montano, Ruffa Gutierrez, , Diego Loyzaga, and Ella Cruz reprise their roles as Imee Marcos, Ferdinand Marcos, Imelda Marcos, Bongbong Marcos and Irene Marcos.
Isko Moreno plays Ninoy Aquino. Jerome Ponce plays the young Ninoy. The powerhouse cast also includes Marco Gumabao as the young Marcos Sr., Cindy Miranda as the young Imleda, Elizabeth Oropesa and Beverly Salviejo as the remaining maids of the Marcos Family, and Rose Van Ginkel as Maricar, Imee’s confidante during in Morocco.
Their story continues to unfold on the big screen. Watch “Martyr or Murderer” March 1 in cinemas nationwide.
*Photos courtesy of Viva Films and Viva Films Facebook page.
