Sigaw (2004)

Director:

Yam Laranas

Writers:

Roy C. Iglesias (story) and
Yam Laranas (story)

Release Date:

19 May 2005 (Singapore)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

May kasama ka, 'di mo lang alam... (You have companion, you just don't know)

Plot:

Marvin savors his independence in a newly acquired unit of an old apartment building. He is frequently visited by his girlfriend Pinky...

Plot Keywords:

Apartment | Haunting | Little Girl | Caretaker | Blood

Awards:

4 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Jomari Yllana	...	Bert
Richard Gutierrez	...	Marvin
Iza Calzado	...	Anna
Angel Locsin	...	Pinky
James Blanco	...	Jude
Ella Guevara	...	Lara
Lui Manansala	...	Marvin's Mother
Tessie Villarama	...	Pinky's Mother
Pocholo Montes	...	Pinky's Father
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Geric Albero
Ronnie Lazaro	...	Caretaker

Also Known As:

The Echo (International: English title) (USA)
The Scream (USA) (informal literal title)

Runtime:

Philippines:102 min

Country:

Philippines

Language:

Filipino | Tagalog

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Manila, Metro Manila, Luzon, Philippines

Company:

MegaVision

Trivia:

Supported by Globe, Mercury, and imanila.

Quotes:

The Caretaker: Don't mind them and they will not mind you. Convince yourself that you are not hearing the noises.

Movie Connections:

Remade as The Echo (2008/I)

Memento, The Sixth Sense, The Ring ...Sigaw?

To start with, I'm an American "mutt." I don't consider myself to belong to any culture unless "white bread" should start appearing on the US census. I speak almost no Tagalog (Filipino), and understand little. That said, I watched "Sigaw" on DVD with English subtitles.

"Sigaw" is an interesting movie. It lacks the visual cues to let an American audience know "This is the present..." "this is the past..." but it's a movie that shows the history of a haunted apartment building in parallel (past and present). We see a struggling restaurant owner trying to make sense of the noises and getting little sleep. We see another younger man trying not to get involved in a very loud domestic dispute.

The movie centers on the present-day man trying to make sense of it, and just trying to get by, hopefully by ignoring it. The movie is mostly atmospheric, with a few surprises, and little gore. Similar to the "The Others" and "Sixth Sense", most of the fun is trying to figure out what's the story, and what's the right solution.

American cinema often borrows from foreign. "The Birdcage" is a remake of a French play. "The Ring" and "The Grudge" are both remakes from Asia. Doing an American remake of "Sigaw" might be worthwhile for a director who values atmosphere and story over effects and gore. On the whole, I'd recommend "Sigaw" for Americans who enjoy wondering about what goes bump in the night...