Cuchera: The shocking truth on the plight of drug mules
Dark, bloody, stomach-wrenching and guaranteed to keep you at the edge of your seat, "Cuchera" reveals the shocking truth about how and why some Filipinos become drug mules.
Sexy star of the '80s Maria Isabel Lopez titillated the audience in a different way as Isabel, the main character.
The film, based on a true story, is about a prostitute-turned- veteran drug mule (Isabel), who wages her personal battles as she carries out a drug transshipment operation between Manila and China. Isabel recruits young people to disguise as tourists. For Php 50,000 and an opportunity to travel for free, these young adults became trapped as drug couriers.
Each character has his own story to tell, but all of them share one goal—to escape their impoverished state for a better life.
What's visually and emotionally disturbing in this film is how the drug capsules are concealed in the young adults' bodies. Imagine ingesting thumb-sized drug capsules and inserting them in young people's sensitive parts!
"Cuchera" is Joseph Israel Laban's entry to the new breed category of the ongoing 7th Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival. Laban, a multi-media journalist and managing producer for GMA News and Public Affairs, based his film on one of his stories in his former program, "Reporter's Notebook."
"We all have the materials but there were a lot of restrictions on television. That became a lingering frustration of mine until finally, I came back from studying abroad, sat down and wrote the script for it," said Laban in an interview with Yahoo! Philippines OMG!.
Laban added that he submitted his story to Cinemalaya even before the execution of the three convicted Filipino drug mules in China in March 2011. According to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, it recorded 691 cases of Filipinos involved in drug trafficking from 1993-2011.
"We did case studies. One of them reminded me so much of Maria Isabel Lopez so dun ko talaga binase 'yung main character," said Laban.
Isabel, who won awards for her other indie films "Kinatay" and "Halaw", disclosed how hard it was to absorb the script and act it out.
"Painful kasi masyadong mabigat 'yung script lalo na 'yung capsules na kasing laki ng thumb na inilalagay sa ari. It was like being raped 48 times," said Isabel.
For her, it's more fulfilling to act in indie films than mainstream cinema.
"We're not doing this for the money but for personal gratification. And with indie films, nagkaroon ako ng chance na rumampa sa iba't ibang festivals around the world. 'Yung recognition as an actress, di ko yun nakuha nung nasa mainstream ako," said Lopez.
"Cuchera" is not for the faint of heart. It's an eye-opener. When you leave the cinema house, you will look at the world in a different light. It's a reality you can't ignore.
