'GREEN BONES': DENNIS TRILLO DELIVERS HIGH-WIRE ACT IN MUST-SEE MMFF THRILLER

Delivers High-Wire Act in Must-See MMFF Thriller

- By RITO ASILO

It would take a similarly prodigious turn to edge out Dennis Trillo's portrayal in the Best Actor race at this year's Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF), which launched on Dec. 25.

In "Green Bones," the edgy must-see thriller fielded by GMA Pictures, GMA Public Affairs and Brightburn Entertainment for the film event's superstar-studded 10-entry race, Dennis' appetite for more adventurous work puts him through his paces — a complex task that compels him to provide crucial insight into his deeply flawed character's dastardly deed.

The film, with a script that was written by National Artist Ricky Lee and Anj Atienza, from a concept by writer-documentarist JC Rubio, is inspired by the Chinese belief that green bones after cremation are a sign of a departed person's kindness and life well-lived.

In the movie, the actor plays Domingo Zamora, a petty thief and self-confessed former drug addict incarcerated for the double murder of his sister Joanna (Iza Calzado, effective as always) and her deaf-mute young daughter, Ruth (Sienna Stevens in a career-boosting turn).

With 10 years' worth of "good behavior" at a penal facility on a secluded island, however, Dom suddenly gets his rare shot at redemption when he finds himself eligible for parole. But just when freedom is already within his reach, the arrival of new prison guard Xavier Gonzaga (Ruru Madrid, now evincing growth and maturity as an actor) sets alarm bells ringing, exposing a web of lies that puts Dom's impending release in jeopardy.

Does Dom deserve the freedom he's long been yearning for? Well, not if Xavier — who comes to the prison facility armed with an ax to grind and a mission to settle a score — can help it.