Pugot Gallery

Pugot
(Headless)
Running Time: 80 minutes (full-length) & 20 minutes (short)

Starring Lav Diaz & Banaue Miclat

Dir: Khavn
Music by Jun Lupito
Editing & Effects by Gatla Gunawin
Cinematography by Bahaghari, Lav Diaz, & Khavn Dela Cruz
Written by Khavn Dela Cruz, Lav Diaz, & Banaue Miclat
Production Design by Chits Jimenez
Produced by Filmless Films

"We can hit a point in cinema where basically there's no need for any one to be in the room except for two actors, let's say, involved in a scene sitting at a table, each one wearing a video camera on their shoulder. The director would only have to come and tell them what the scene's about, and possibly where they should go and then the director could leave and go get something to eat. Then come back two hours later, [the actors] would still be going and there'd be these matching one-shots." - Harmony Korine (Gummo, juliendonkeyboy)

SYNOPSIS
What drives a man to cut off his own penis?
At the crack of dawn, a guy with a bloodied crotch walks the apathetic streets of Manila. Scenes from his love affair flash in his mind, slowly blurring, until he loses consciousness and falls on the sidewalk.

TREATMENT
In the opening scene, a man masturbates for the last time; for he will cut off his cock with a knife as soon as he comes.

Shot with no rehearsal in a total of 6 hours, this piece of improvisation is a deconstruction of the "Pugot" or Headless Man folklore.

Given just the concept, structure, and keywords per scene, multi-awarded filmmaker Lav Diaz and theater actor Banaue Miclat create Taga, a cranky, cynical artist, and Dina, a simple-minded phone operator from the dying industry of pagers. Together, they take part in the fragmentary chronicle of the archetypal love story, as things go from sweet to sour.

In their oddly colorful room, we never see Taga, since this is his memory, his point of view. Diaz himself operates the camera; it is just the 2 characters in the room --- no director, no crew --- allowing utmost freedom & intimacy.

The electric guitar solos from Philippine rock music icon Jun Lupito serve as a melancholic accompaniment to Taga's tragic journey to oblivion.

For more info on Pugot and other films by Khavn, click here.