Why Manila in ‘Shadow Transit’ is truly the ‘city that never sleeps’

Two broken and wronged strangers, attracted to each other, hold on to their individual griefs and dark sides, their battles and woes clashing and fighting in Manila. This, in a nutshell, is Pedring Lopez’s Shadow Transit.

The latest motion picture from the director who helmed the Cristine Reyes action drama and box office sensation Maria, Shadow Transit gives to us the story of Celeste (Qymira), a UK-born photojournalist and musician on a 24-hour layover in the Philippine capital. The universe conspires so that she meets with Kai (Yoshi Sudarso), a brooding Indonesian-American DJ. The duo gets thrust in a cat-and-mouse chase and dog-eat-dog situations as they try to survive the wrath and war that a local crime boss wages on them.

“Manila is a character in itself in the film,” Lopez said. “It’s beautiful and chaotic, cinematic. Every inch of Manila’s screams culture, and despite of all the drama and trials, there is always good and kindness in every Filipino. The lives of Celeste and Kai and their relationship are made more beautiful, intoxicating and potent because of the elixir and pixie dust, and the magic that overcomes the mayhem and misdeeds in Manila.”

“There’s something about Manila,” said Qymira, the film’s lead actress. “Even if you come in lost or unsure, the city surrounds you with this wild energy. You’re in this happy chaos kind of surrounding and vibe, but you find focus. You’re pushed out of your comfort zone, but you somehow feel held. You leave with more than what you came with. You carry it, in your gut, and yes, in your heart.”

Let’s shoot this

“I have always championed a vision of Philippine cinema that reaches beyond borders,” Lopez said. “As a producer, director and screenplay writer, I make it a point that my crew is always cimposed of my most trusted production team with me, or I make it a point that Manila or any other place in the Philippines will be more than just a backdrop. Since day one my ambition and goal remains the same: to put Filipino talent — behind, and hopefully soon, in front of the camera — on the global map.”

Lopez said: “Our shoots were almost entirely at night using mostly available light and long takes. I must say that the film’s cinematography is a source of pride because my director of photography Noel Teehankee was able to capture the neon reflections on wet asphalt, rain-drenched foot chases, and the mystic of Manila’s city awe and wonder at night.”

“Filming clearly wasn’t easy,” said Lopez. “I am just happy to report that my cast, crew and hundreds of local extras, were all fueled by their passion and love for the project. We shoot for over 21 days in the rainy season, with many action sequences unfolding deep into the night.”

Lopez’s eyes lit up, as he shared a recollection: “The most demanding scene was a brutal fight staged inside the old Clark airport. Man, it was filmed over two days during a typhoon. But that typhoon worked for the film, especially for the cast because it made the emotions feel raw and all of them have become truly vulnerable.”

New leading lady

Qymira is now the screen name of Leslie Loh, lead actress of Shadow Transit. She said: My screen name was drawn from the Greek mythical creature chimera, a fusion of lion, goat, and serpent. I feel that all of us are a bit of a chimera. We’re never just one thing. And especially as artists — whether in music or movies or fashion — we’re just basically letting our different sides shine.”

With regard to portraying Celeste, she said: “She starts broken. And to play her, to give her justice, I had to let go of myself and fully live her pain. It’s a survival story on every level.”

Speaking of survival, how did she survive all the stunt work? Her swift answer: “The stunts aren’t stylized, you know. They were messy, dangerous, instinctive. Like real survival. I am thankful that we had ample time to train with Sonny Sison. I know we were in good hands.”

Aside from the chases, fights and the physicality present in the action movie, the leading lady said: “The films is grounded in emotion, in a lot of honesty and truth that stings and pains. Celeste and Kai’s chemistry is not driven by romance but by something deeper, a bond so difficult to define, but as actors Yoshi and I, we felt the bond, we lived it as Celeste and Kai. We did not give them perfection. We gave them their emotional truths.”

Schedules of Shadow Transit: 22 November (Saturday), 7:55 PM at Gateway Cinema 16 (GALA + TALKBACK) and on 23 November (Sunday), 6:00 PM at Gateway Cinema 18.