Scared to Death
by Regina Antonio
“If you’re going to die today, are you ready?” This is the question that popped into my head when I watched the movie, Tuhog (I know that the title sounds weird). The story begins and ends in the hospital with a crisis of three passengers being pierced into a pole because of a road rage of two buses.
The three characters are strangers to one another but the disparity in the story is the point of the movie. Tonio (Leo Martinez) is a retired family man who feels discontented and wants to fulfill his dream of being a baker but his family disapproves for he is old and doesn't have any knowledge on business. He still pursues his dream with the support of his friends and successfully builds a bakery that he longed for. Fiesta (Eugene Domingo) is a tough bus conductor with an alcoholic father that whose maltreatment made her so fierce that it scares the men. Then she meets Nato Timbangkaya (Jake Cuenca), a bus driver that fell in love with her. And the last character, Caloy (Enchong Dee), is a typical college boy preserving his virginity for his long-time girlfriend Angel (Empress Schuck) and promises to wait until their anniversary. But Caloy found out that Angel broke their agreement making their relationship complicated.
Unlike other mainstream movies, the plot of the Tuhog is unusual; its ending was shown in the beginning. Once you’ve started it, you’ll be hooked to know what will happen to each of the characters and how their characters prepare themselves for death. The actors in the movie have done their job wonderfully, making each of their scenes genuine and natural for them.
The movie is simple but creative in terms of connecting the three different stories of the characters into one tragic event that they did not expect. The movie is a combined drama and comedy which allows you to feel its authenticity. Tuhog tells you to love and forgive the people around you, live your life like it’s your last day and don’t be afraid of death because everyone will be experiencing this at the least time they’re expecting it.
The movie is directed by Veronica B. Velasco and a mainstream movie released as part of the Star Cinema’s 20th Anniversary Presentation.
