Lukas the Strange
Standing on the threshold of maturity, Lukas learns that his father might have been half-man, half-horse. The man who he believed to be his father disappears and a film crew appears in his town. Casting for a father-figure begin. Viewers are guided through these amazing events by a female voice, who anticipates and comments on their progression. Who is the narrator and what connects her to the boy? A dream-like image by John Torres that resembles a legend in which an element of magic combines with realism, revealing Philippine myths and beliefs. Tape burned by the sun and the creaking of an old camera reveal the seams of the presentation and direct Lukas the Strange toward a film about a film. Torres creates a work for those who are not afraid of cinema experiments. Viewers must tease the meaning out on their own and arrange something akin to their own story.
John Torres
John Torres was born in 1975 in Manila, where he graduated and still lives. Since 2004 he has created both short and full-length feature and documentary films. He is involved in nearly every stage of film creation – down to sound processing and editing, while his company Los Otros handles production. Consistent formulation of his own film language has made Torres one of the leading representatives of new Philippine cinema, which, particularly after the successes of the Brillante Mendoza, is the object of great interest around the world. His Refrains Happen Like Revolutions in a Song was shown as part of the competition at New Horizons in 2010.
Selected filmography
2004 Salat (short)
2006 Todo todo teros
2007 Voice, Tilted Screens, and Extended Scenes of Loneliness
2008 Taon noong ako’y anak sa labas / Years When I Was a Child Outside
2010 Refreny powracają jak rewolucje w piosence / Ang ninanais / Refrains Happen Like Revolutions in a Song
2011 Silent Film (short)
2013 Tajemnica Lukasa / Lukas nino / Lukas the Strange