Sigaw (2004, Yam Laranas)

Sigaw is one of the better films dealing with the horrors of domestic abuse. I liked it better than the Cinemalaya 2009 film Ang Panggagahasa Kay Fe, which left me bewildered.

I envy those people who have experienced seeing the Laranas film on the big screen. It must have been a swell time for those lucky moviegoers. The movie made a huge impression on me even if I just saw it on a medium-sized television set.

I love the mood-setting opening scenes with shots of empty halls and spiral stairways. The sound effects heighten the chill factor. I adore the suspenseful set-pieces such as the initial appearance of Pinky (Angel Locsin) and the tormenting of Pinky by a malevolent spirit inside the vacant unit.

The visually and aurally stunning chiller asks the question: What is more horrifying, a plethora of ghost apparitions or the specter of domestic violence?

What if both haunt you every night?

That is the problem facing Marvin (Richard Gutierrez) in his recently purchased condominium unit. Every night, he hears a couple fighting across the hall. The bloodcurdling screams of the wife pierces through his room. Even if he wants to intervene, he is afraid of the wife’s husband, a policeman. The sleep-deprived young man complains to the caretaker.

Marvin learns the truth about the family living in the room down the hallway. They are somehow connected with the ghosts that appear in his unit. A fateful close encounter with the couple convinces him to leave the place.

Sigaw was recently remade into an American film titled The Echo, which was also directed by Yam Laranas. Actress Iza Calzado reprises her award-winning role as the maltreated wife in the latter film. With Laranas and Calzado back on board, I will surely watch the American remake in a movie house. This is the next best thing to experiencing Sigaw on the big screen.