Director Benedict Mique impressed by David Licauco’s range

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GMA Pictures is set to release its Holy Week-themed film, “Samahan ng mga Makasalanan,” on April 19, offering an unconventional take on the traditional redemption arc by blending satire and spirituality.

Directed by Benedict Mique, who previously helmed the streaming hit dramedy “Lolo and the Kid,” the film stars David Licauco as Deacon Sam, a young clergy member assigned to the “sinful” town of Sto. Kristo.

The comedy-drama follows Deacon Sam’s attempt to reform and steer the townspeople away from vices by forming a group called the “Samahan ng Makasalanan.” Along the way, the story explores themes of faith, second chances and inner transformation.

“This is a funny, actually outrageous, heart-warming and full of lessons na story,” said direk Benedict during an interview with broadsheet editors. “Pang-barkada, pampamilya, pang mag-asawa.”

According to the director, the film is about change and starting over. “And that’s the reason why it’s coming out during Holy Week,” he added.

The director shared that the story idea came from a real-life incident.

“Actually, may pinapagawa akong apartment tapos yung tao ko dun, sabi nila sir ‘di ako makapasok Saturday kasi may church group yung asawa ko tsaka ako.

“Sabi ko, bakit lahat ng church group meron? You have Couples for Christ, etc., bakit walang ano — yung ‘Samahan ng mga Makasalanan,’ ‘di ba? Parang from there, (I thought) ang saya nung ganung story. Then I pitched it (to the producers GMA Pictures and former Ilocos Sur Gov. Chavit Singson) and I was surprised that they liked it. ‘Sige gawin natin’ kasi rare ma-approve yung mga ganitong concept na comedy, puro tayo love story.”

While David is best known for dramatic roles and heartthrob (a.k.a. Pambansang Ginoo) status, the director said that his lead actor proved he could handle comedy with surprising ease.

“Actually, it’s hard to be a comedian ha. Sa totoo lang. The best actors are comedians, as they say, which is true.

“For David to pull that off, it speaks of how he can adjust as an actor kasi mahirap talaga. Actually, ang hirap ng transition sa kanya kasi pinapanood ko yung ‘Pulang Araw’ (referring to David’s last GMA series). Ang hirap nun, nanggaling ka sa ganun ka-seryoso, babagsak ka sa parang napaka-light.

“And he pulled it off and it speaks about how, again, he can adjust, how he can perform. As in, that’s difficult. Ilan ng mga artista na may ganung range, from drama to comedy. And when you watch the film, you will see that he was able to pull it off.”

He said another selling point of David is his charisma.

“Ang maganda kay David is yung charisma. ‘Di ba yung smile n’ya, pang benta yun.”

The director also praised the Kapuso star’s seemingly natural connection with audiences. “Totoo yun ‘di ba? Yung ibang artista maski ngumiti ng ngumiti, walang charisma, ‘di ba?

“Tapos ang hirap rin ng isang ngiti mo lang, you get the audience, ‘di ba? And you get the crowd. Mahirap yun ah. It takes a lot of charisma… and acting range. I think yun yung magic kay David. He has that magic that when he smiles, everybody (reacts positively).

“That’s why when we were in Vigan, I observed my actors… When he walks through the crowd, the crowd screams, and to be fair to him, he’s nice to his fans. I can see that he’s patient — he signs (stuff) and even when he’s about to get into his car, he still comes over to the fans — which is how celebrities should be.”

“I remember (basketball legend Robert) Jaworski. They said he wouldn’t leave the Arena of the PBA until he had signed everything.”

“That’s what I’ve seen in David. He’s nice to his fans, which I think is very important.”

David may have first caught the director’s attention online, but it was his on-set performance that sealed the deal.

“Actually, marami na pinagpiliian (as lead star) pero nung sinabi na si David, tapos tiningnan ko, (I said) I think he can deliver kasi nga yung charisma.

“Actually, ang pinanood ko sa kanya are the basketball vlogs. Sabi ko, may charisma, comedy and fun. And I saw that during the shoot, his fun and comedic side, which I told him: ‘I think you have to tap on it kasi lalawak yung opportunities mo.”

Meanwhile, set for a theatrical release on Black Saturday, the film offers a light and hopefully, meaningful way for families to come together after a week of reflection.

“This comes out on Saturday, Sabado de Gloria, so supposedly nagse-celebrate na by that time. So magandang celebration for the audience, for the family.

“Kasi siguro if you have a (uneventful) week or a quiet week, siguro ang sarap mag-celebrate with the movie. It entertains and gives a lot of lessons.”

Direk Benedict said he made sure to balance humor with respect for religious themes, even consulting with priests during script development.

“Actually, I had two consultants who are priests. Even while writing the script, I would call them up and ask, ‘Pwede ba ‘to ganito? Ganyan? Hanggang sa huli nga pinabasa ko yung script,” he recalled.

“They would tell me, ‘Hindi brother ang tawag, but reverend ang tawag.’ I said, okay. So corrections like that, okay naman actually, maganda.

“A lot of my friends who are priests told me, ‘Maganda ‘to para makita naman nila na tao rin kami. May mga pinagdadaanan din kami.’ At the same time, ang tingin ko maganda kasi yun nga — Samahan ng Makasalanan.

“Lahat naman tayo makasalanan, so (I think) maraming makaka-relate. Makaka-relate ka, matatawa ka, maiiyak ka pa,” he concluded.

Joining David in this satirical comedy are Sanya Lopez, Joel Torre, David Shouder, Soliman Cruz, Betong Sumaya, Buboy Villar, Chariz Solomon, Liezel Lopez, Jade Tecson, Jun Sabayton, Chanty Videla, Jay Ortega, Christian Singsong, Shernan Gaite, Batmanunulat (Jerome Lois Esguerra), Tito Abdul (David Domanais), Tito Marsy (Christian Kimp-Atip), Yian Gabriel, Liana Mae and child star Euwenn Mikaell. The film is brought to life by a script from direk Benedict and Aya Anunciacion.