The music rose to a crescendo as Darryl Yap walked down the red carpet towards the stage at the big media con of his upcoming film, Martyr or Murderer, nicknamed MoM, last 9 February, at the Podium Hall.
His main cast was already seated on the stage. He was the last person in the entourage to walk down the aisle, and the air suddenly surged with electricity.
I glanced at Boss Vincent of Viva, who shifted in his chair, acutely aware of the arrival of his star director, the director-provocateur that wields immense power.
Yap that afternoon was dressed in a pink jacket. Whether it was an innocent fashion choice or a clever jab at the political color that his haters raise with pride, we would never know.
But what we were certain of was that he was the big star that afternoon. While he would later on say that he was just “riding on the popularity” of what he described as his talented cast, there was no mistaking Yap was the superstar.
He would go down in history as the Filipino director born in the realm of social media. Who, during the most polarizing presidential elections, had ignited a virtual crusade when he fearlessly campaigned for the incumbent President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos through his art and Facebook posts. Who was openly buddies with Senator Imee Marcos.
By associating himself with the Marcoses, he became the collective voice of the majority, and his short Len-Len series, which led to his controversial Maid in Malacanang (2022), became a political tool that stirred a wide range of emotions among the two political parties.
Yap is a human clickbait.
At last Thursday’s mediacon, he launched the MoM trailer (which he edited more than a dozen times) exclusively for the media. The last clip garnered a huge reaction. Eula Valdez, as Senator Imee Marcos in that explosive last clip, was immediately bashed on Twitter.
When the press began asking him questions, he was smart and articulate. Unfiltered and unapologetic.
Whether or not you are a fan of his creative work, Yap is an important figure. I was never a fan of his creative style (too hysterical for my taste albeit compelling), but I admire his guts and find myself agreeing with his jabs at the opposition.
When I reviewed his Maid in Malacanang, I was bashed by the pseudo-intellectual kakampink cinephiles and their rabid idealism. They questioned why I was reviewing MiM as a “movie” when it is clearly “propaganda”? Such idiocy is one fascinating aspect that surfaced under the umbrella of the Yap era.
Yap’s brazen honesty is refreshing. He is not a sycophant to his Viva bosses or to even Senator Imee. He follows his heart and achieves his dream projects and rakes in money with profound success — which any filmmaker, or artist, can only hope for.
At the media con, he insists that MoM, the second part of what seems to be a trilogy and will be released on 1 March in theaters, is not a political movie, but a family drama.
True enough, if you have seen MiM, it is a family drama. It’s just that the family he picked to portray is not your regular, fictional family. But, whoa, the Marcoses. An inside look into the internal family affairs and histrionic drama in the backdrop of Philippine history during the Marcos regime.
Yap, whose mother and grandmother are kakampinks, and who actually voted for Leni Robredo for Vice President in 2016, is a clever marketing strategist with a heart of a writer. Yap’s sword is his words. Quick-witted and scathing. His source of money and influence.
The reaction of the opposition to Yap’s work reminds me of the times in history when books were banned and burned, especially during the Nazi regime. Yap’s work is being burned virtually by the minority Twitterati clad in roses, those who never even saw MiM.
Yap, in this 21st century, is receiving death threats. Martyred and murdered relentlessly.
Philippine cinema needs a film director that rejects mediocrity. We do not need a meek conformist that shies away from bashers. We need a rabble-rouser that fights for his artistic expression. Who thrives in criticism.
Nowadays, we live in a stupid political climate where people who are politically neutral are virtually stoned, and Marcos supporters are virtually burned at the stake and treated like heretics, much like during the Catholic Inquisition. Where milk products and drugstores are boycotted. Stupid times, indeed.
Imagine, without Yap, will Vince Tanada be inspired to make Ako Si Ninoy? Without Yap, will Joel Lamangan be inspired to make Oras de Peligro even if he insisted that it was not an answer to MiM?
Without Yap, will local theaters thrive?
This is why Yap is the director we need right now.