''Maria Labo'' is a 2015 Philippine
thriller film
Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre ...
directed by
Roi Vinzon
Mark Angelo David Vinzon (born September 20, 1953), professionally known as Roi Vinzon, is a Filipino action star, film and television actor, and a film director, better known for his villain roles and lead role films like ''Lucas Abelardo'', ''A ...
. It is based on a Philippine
urban legend
An urban legend (sometimes contemporary legend, modern legend, urban myth, or urban tale) is a genre of folklore comprising stories or fallacious claims circulated as true, especially as having happened to a "friend of a friend" or a family m ...
about an
Overseas Filipino worker
Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) is a term often used to refer to Filipino migrant workers, people with Filipino citizenship who reside in another country for a limited period of employment. The number of these workers was roughly 1.77 million be ...
believed to be an ''
aswang
Aswang is an umbrella term for various shape-shifting evil creatures in Filipino folklore, such as vampires, ghouls, witches, viscera suckers, and werebeasts (usually dogs, cats, pigs). The aswang is the subject of a wide variety of myths, s ...
'' known as "Maria Labo" who is said to have eaten her own children.
Synopsis
The film revolves on Maria (Kate Brios) a loving and dutiful life wife to her husband, Ermin, a police officer (
Jestoni Alarcon
Anthony Jesus Pineda Alarcon, known professionally as Jestoni Alarcon, is a Filipino actor and politician. He was served as a councilor in Antipolo from 2001 to 2004 and as the vice governor of Rizal Province from 2004 to 2007. In 2013, he won a ...
) with whom she has two children named Pablo (Miggs Cuaderno) and Rosalinda (Lenlen Frial). Facing financial problems (including Maria losing her job, and Ermin not being able to support the family on a policeman’s salary alone), Maria was convinced to become an
Overseas Filipino Worker
Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) is a term often used to refer to Filipino migrant workers, people with Filipino citizenship who reside in another country for a limited period of employment. The number of these workers was roughly 1.77 million be ...
after she learned that her high school friend Emily (
Sam Pinto
Sam, SAM or variants may refer to:
Places
* Sam, Benin
* Sam, Boulkiemdé, Burkina Faso
* Sam, Bourzanga, Burkina Faso
* Sam, Kongoussi, Burkina Faso
* Sam, Iran
* Sam, Teton County, Idaho, United States, a populated place
People and fictio ...
) applied to become an overseas worker. Ermin was hesitant with his wife's plans initially but eventually gave his consent. Maria then went to
Dubai
Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...
in the
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
to work as a
domestic worker
A domestic worker or domestic servant is a person who works within the scope of a residence. The term "domestic service" applies to the equivalent occupational category. In traditional English contexts, such a person was said to be "in service ...
and caregiver.
In Dubai, Maria befriends Nanay Leng, a fellow Filipino who is also working in the
emirate
An emirate is a territory ruled by an emir, a title used by monarchs or high officeholders in the Muslim world. From a historical point of view, an emirate is a political-religious unit smaller than a caliphate. It can be considered equivalen ...
. In one instance in the streets after buying groceries for her employer, she was raped on a van and was later found wandering. Maria was brought to a hospital by people who found her loitering around and at the hospital she was recommended to be brought back to the Philippines. While hospitalized, her employer passes a curse to Maria. The curse, by opening his mouth and letting a black chick inside hop out from his stomach and into Maria’s, would eventually turn her into an
aswang
Aswang is an umbrella term for various shape-shifting evil creatures in Filipino folklore, such as vampires, ghouls, witches, viscera suckers, and werebeasts (usually dogs, cats, pigs). The aswang is the subject of a wide variety of myths, s ...
. In the process of transferring his power, Maria’s employer lost his immortality, and passed away shortly after.
In the Philippines, she was transferred to her province's provincial hospital in
Capiz
Capiz, officially the Province of Capiz ( Capiznon/ Hiligaynon: ''Kapuoran sang Capiz''; tl, Lalawigan ng Capiz), is a province in the Philippines located in the central section of Western Visayas region. Its capital is the city of Roxas. It is ...
, where the medical personnel found something wrong with her. They conclude that she has
amnesia
Amnesia is a deficit in memory caused by brain damage or disease,Gazzaniga, M., Ivry, R., & Mangun, G. (2009) Cognitive Neuroscience: The biology of the mind. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. but it can also be caused temporarily by the use ...
and took note of her aggressive behavior. Ermin came to bring her back to their home, but a hospital employee discouraged him due to their findings and said that his spouse might not even recognize him. Ermin eventually convinced the hospital to take her back to their home saying that it might bring her memories back.
Back at the family residence, Maria seems back to normal until she threatens her children with a knife for running around their house. Ermin became aware of the incident with Maria claiming that the action was not within her control. Alone, her aswang curse begins to take control over her and one day she kills her children and cooks them. When Ermin discovers what she has done he repeatedly shoots her but she escapes with the Ermin calling her a “monster.”
Ermin then buries the remains of her children. Shortly, he witnessed a remorseful Maria crying nearby whose aswang curse then takes over once again. Maria receives a wound on her face after her husband hacked her face with a
bolo knife
A bolo ( tl, iták, ilo, bunéng, pag, baráng, ceb, súndang, hil, binangon) is a general term for traditional pre-colonial small to medium-sized single-edged swords or large knives of the Philippines that function as both tools and weapo ...
and escapes once again.
Then rumors of an aswang causing terror throughout the town spread. Ermin tried to consult an
albularyo Albularyo is a Filipino term for a witch doctor, folk healer or medicine men. They practice folk medicine and use medicinal plants in their trade.
Overview
Role and functions
An albularyo is a "folk doctor" commonly found in the more rural areas ...
who said that there is nothing that can be done to return Maria back to normal. The police then pursues the aswang that is said to have been causing problems to the town. After some encounters, Maria was killed. The film ends with an
embalmer who is working on Maria's body. The embalmer then finds out that Maria's supposed corpse was nowhere to be found, only to find her to be still alive.
Cast
* Kate Brios as Maria / Maria Labo
*
Jestoni Alarcon
Anthony Jesus Pineda Alarcon, known professionally as Jestoni Alarcon, is a Filipino actor and politician. He was served as a councilor in Antipolo from 2001 to 2004 and as the vice governor of Rizal Province from 2004 to 2007. In 2013, he won a ...
as Ermin
*
Sam Pinto
Sam, SAM or variants may refer to:
Places
* Sam, Benin
* Sam, Boulkiemdé, Burkina Faso
* Sam, Bourzanga, Burkina Faso
* Sam, Kongoussi, Burkina Faso
* Sam, Iran
* Sam, Teton County, Idaho, United States, a populated place
People and fictio ...
as Emily
*
Dennis Padilla
Dennis Esteban Dominguez Baldivia (born February 9, 1962), popularly known as Dennis Padilla (), is a Filipino comedian, TV host, radio broadcaster and actor. He is the son of the late Dencio Padilla, and the father of actress Julia Barretto. H ...
*
Mon Confiado
Ramon Veroy Confiado (born March 19, 1968), professionally known as Mon Confiado, is a Filipino character actor, theater actor and businessman who has appeared in both mainstream and independent films. He is the son of late veteran actor Ánge ...
*
Baron Geisler
Baron Frederick von Geisler (; born June 5, 1982) is a Filipino actor, businessman, occasional model, resource speaker, amateur artist, and aspiring poet of German-American descent.
As a child actor and later as a teen idol, Geisler's career ha ...
*
Rey "PJ" Abellana
Reynante Hofileña Abellana (; born September 2, 1962), professionally known as Rey "PJ" Abellana, is a Filipino actor who is best known for his portrayal as PJ in the Philippine TV series ''Anna Liza'' in the 1980s. He married Rea Reyes, his co ...
*
Rez Cortez
Res Septimo Cortez (born January 4, 1956), better known as Rez Cortez, is a Filipino film and television actor and assistant director.
Acting career
Cortez's film career began in 1974, when he was introduced in ''Daigdig ng Sindak at Lagim''. ...
*
Miggs Cuaderno
Miggs Cuaderno (; born August 8, 2004) is a Filipino actor and model. He is a recipient of several accolades including his best actor in Chéries Chéris Film Festival Paris, Famas Awards Movie Child Performer of the Year And the First Child ...
as Pablo
* Lenlen Frial as Rosalinda
Production
Roi Vinzon decided to come up with a film based on an urban legend of an
Overseas Filipino Worker
Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) is a term often used to refer to Filipino migrant workers, people with Filipino citizenship who reside in another country for a limited period of employment. The number of these workers was roughly 1.77 million be ...
who is believed to have become an ''
aswang
Aswang is an umbrella term for various shape-shifting evil creatures in Filipino folklore, such as vampires, ghouls, witches, viscera suckers, and werebeasts (usually dogs, cats, pigs). The aswang is the subject of a wide variety of myths, s ...
'' who have killed and ate her own children. Vinzon heard of the story while he was in
Bacolod
Bacolod, officially the City of Bacolod (; hil, Dakbanwa/Syudad sang Bacolod; fil, Lungsod ng Bacolod), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the region of Western Visayas, Philippines. It is the capital of the province of Negros Occidenta ...
and became interested in making an adaptation of the tale into a film. To avoid legal problems, the real name of the woman was not used in the film.
The tale is particularly well known in the
Visayas
The Visayas ( ), or the Visayan Islands (Bisayan languages, Visayan: ''Kabisay-an'', ; tl, Kabisayaan ), are one of the three Island groups of the Philippines, principal geographical divisions of the Philippines, along with Luzon and Mindanao ...
and
Mindanao
Mindanao ( ) ( Jawi: مينداناو) is the second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the island is part of an island group of ...
regions.
Labo is said to be from the Visayas region with various accounts saying that she came from either
Iloilo
Iloilo (), officially the Province of Iloilo ( hil, Kapuoran sang Iloilo; krj, Kapuoran kang Iloilo; tl, Lalawigan ng Iloilo), is a province in the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Its capital is the City of Iloilo, the ...
,
Capiz
Capiz, officially the Province of Capiz ( Capiznon/ Hiligaynon: ''Kapuoran sang Capiz''; tl, Lalawigan ng Capiz), is a province in the Philippines located in the central section of Western Visayas region. Its capital is the city of Roxas. It is ...
, or
Sorsogon
Sorsogon, officially the Province of Sorsogon (Bikol language, Bikol: ''Probinsya kan Sorsogon''; Waray language, Waray: ''Probinsya han Sorsogon''; tl, Lalawigan ng Sorsogon), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines locat ...
. It was rumored that Labo came to
Davao in particular in the 1980s or 1990s.
"Labo" is an
Ilonggo word for "to hack", according to the legend, Maria Labo was given a cut on her face by her husband after the former cooked and ate their children.
The film project later received funding from a group of investors from Starbuilders Production.
The film is the first project of Starbuilders Production and also the first for Vinzon since 1998 when he directed ''Boy Indian''. The film also had a comfortable but reasonable budget with Vinzon refusing to brand ''Maria Labo'' as an
indie film
An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is produced outside the major film studio system, in addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies (or, in ...
.
The film was primarily shot in
Angeles,
Pampanga
Pampanga, officially the Province of Pampanga ( pam, Lalawigan ning Pampanga; tl, Lalawigan ng Pampanga ), is a province in the Central Luzon region of the Philippines. Lying on the northern shore of Manila Bay, Pampanga is bordered by Tarlac ...
with some scenes shot in
Dubai
Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...
in the
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
.
[ Director Vinzon, a resident of Angeles, decided to shoot the film in the city because he found the place compatible to his ideas he has in mind for the film.][ Shooting in Dubai took a week to be completed.][
Vinzon also said that the film did not rely much on special effects since he wanted the film to feel "natural" as possible.]
Release
''Maria Labo'' was released in cinemas on November 11, 2015. The film was distributed by VIVA Films
Viva Films is a Philippine film production company established under Viva Communications. It was founded on November 11, 1981, by Vic del Rosario Jr.
History
Veering away from the Sharon Cuneta-Gabby Concepcion tandem, Viva became home to qual ...
.
References
{{reflist
2015 horror thriller films
Philippine horror thriller films
Philippine monster movies
Films shot in Pampanga
Films shot in Dubai
Thriller films based on actual events