SEGUNDA MANO 2011

directed by: joyce bernal

starring:       dingdong dantes

                   angelica panganiban

                   helen gamboa

                   kris aquino

the film was an entry in the 2011 metro manila film festival. it was produced by star cinema together with mjm productions and agostodos pictures.

segunda mano is a spanish term for second hand. filipinos now a days are known for buying second hand items especially branded ones, for they're cheaper and still looks as if new. the film was about a woman named mabel (kris aquino) who owns an antique shop. she has a best friend named anna (bangs garcia) who happened to sell second hand bags that are branded too. the two are fond of shopping and selling second hand items. mabel had a sister, who is marie who have been gone missing after being washed by the sea waters a long time ago. she didn't have any idea that marie was still alive all along not until mariela (angelica panganiban) passed away, and the haunting have begun to happen. she never knew that marie and mariela is the same person. mariela had an affair with owen (rico blanco). she was wed to ivan (dingdong dantes) and they had a daughter named angel (sofia millares). mariela loved her daughter so much even if she decided to go with owen, she refused to, because she couldn't afford to leave her daughter. they had a big fight along the road beside marikina river and after that incident, she have gone missing and was never to be found, for she have already died. on the other hand, adela (helen gamboa) never get tired of trying to find and reach out for her daughter marie. even if she thought that she could be possibly dead, she would still want to see and talk to her. as months pass by, ivan happened to meet mabel accidentally. without knowledge of the history, mabel and ivan fell in love. angel didn't like mabel for she's still longing for her mom. she wouldn't get in touch with her and she doesn't want her around. the ghost of marie and mariela happened to show up after the fight that mariela and owen got into. there have been many chances that mariela and marie showed up back in her houses both with adela's and ivan's. everything was going well between the two until samantha (bettina carlos) happened to see mabel and ivan in a restaurant. samanatha was mariela's best friend who happend to have an obsession with ivan. she have tried to seduce and flirt with him even when mariela was still alive. when mabel finally gave in to her jealous self, anna helped her to have a make over. together with that make over is a shopping galore in their favorite stores filled with second hand items. she had this red prada bag which was previously owned by mariela. she had the feeling that she saw mariela on that shop but she didn't know that the bag was mariela's. ivan didn't like her make over and her friend anna, angel claimed that the bag was her moms upon seeing mabel holding it and apparitions of mariela started haunting mabel, their friends and even their mom. next to the bag, she bought a dress which unknowingly owned by mariela as well. the haunting continues until she realized that the bag and the dress was marielas. each person close to mabel started dying and was declared killed by the ghost of mariela.the esperitista who happened to help adela and mabel in making contact with marie before happened to reveal meaningful advises about how to make the ghost go away. if before mabel doesn't believe in her, because as far as they've been calling the ghost of marie, no one responded, now that she's being haunted, she tried to seek the esperitistas help. they have tried to throw away mariela's stuffs but they kept coming back, for what the esperitista said, the ghost will remain until she's holding to something or someone precious to her that's why she's protecting it. mabel was completely puzzled why mariela kept coming back for her.  as mabel and anna assumed that mariela was killing the people related with ivan and mabel, they concluded that mariela doesn't want mabel to take her place that's why she's doing those killings. they have tried what the esperetista have said but still mariela won't go away. mabel has been trying to tell ivan about it but he won't listen, he gets mad whenever mariela was brought to the conversation and start to act weird and bitter due to his wife's infidelity. but mabel couldn't take the killings anymore that's why she have tried to break up with ivan. but unfortunately, she love him so much so she often end up going back to him, and every time she goes back to him the killings are becoming more extremes. until she finally had the worst apparition, anna bought the car which was previously owned by mariela, mabel took the car and she was supposed to go to ivan and make him believe that mariela has been haunting her by making her have all of marielas belongings. unfortunately mariela showed up, took mabel where she died and made her know everything that had happened. mabel found out that it was ivan who killed mariela. she wanted to escape together with her mom, but then it was already too late and ivan already got adela in his house pushing mabel to come to him. mabel went to his place and that's where adela found out that mariela was marie when mariela tried to save adela and protect her. mabel and adela were both fighting for their lives as ivan would want to kill them because ivan wouldn't let mabel go. mariela did her best to save them and that lead to ivans tragic end. ivan was a psycho, he had this mental disorder since he was a child due to his past experience with his stepmom who betrayed his dad, causing his dad to commit suicide. ivan was dead, mabel and adela took angel with them and finally get to find the remains of marie/mariela and eventually that lead her to peace. 

honestly i found the story predictable. the links that the characters have were obvious. but the production wise, since modernization is at our midst today, there have been various effects that are good but somehow were overused. but the clarity and the quality was good. the characters, it was already given that ms. kris aquino and angelica panganiban have been to horror films so i don't find it much interesting anymore. i've seen them act and they just did the same. what i was amazed is how dingdong dantes played his role as a not obvious psycho. the changes in his moods and emotions were great, no wonder he won the best actor award. 

for me the very lesson of the story is the value of family. with regards to the horror or supernatural part, it showed in the film that family is everything to a person, not even death can take away that love for the family regardless how long they have been apart. it was mariela's so much love for her family that saved each and everyone of them. it was her love for her family that brought her back to protect them from the man who is dangerous and mentally retarded. even if he has been the father of her daughter and the man that she married. aside from that, i have come to realize that people who are mentally disable have the tendencies to get that from their past and their childhood traumatic circumstances. in this film. they have opened up the minds of the people that there are cases to consider when a person has this sickness. that this is not just something to ignore but it is a fact that should be given attention to. so the very point in this film is not the horror factor but the  value of life, family and relationships.