Genre movies have been Mikhail Reds preferred playground ever since the Filipino director was a teenager with a camcorder, self-producing zombie movies and using ketchup for blood.
His latest is Arisaka, a Western thriller premiering on Netflix today (December 9) and Reds latest step to realising a career-long vision: that of the intelligent genre piece as a vehicle for social commentary.
Arisaka stars Maja Salvador as embattled policewoman Mariano, part of a security escort for a vital witness testifying against Southern Luzon gangsters and their political backers. But the convoy is ambushed and the witness killed. Mariano survives and escapes into the same jungle where the Bataan Death March of 1942 took place. Hunted by crooked cops, Marianos hope of survival flags until shes taken in by a family from the local Aeta tribe.
Loosely based on the 2013 Atimonan massacre, in which 13 people were killed in a shootout in the Quezon province, Arisaka draws inspiration from the traditional Western and plays with revenge tropes, even as it takes a closer look at how indigenous communities routinely suffer social and economic marginalisation. The movies title is a reference to the Arisaka family of bolt-action rifles: standard issue guns for the Imperial Japanese Army in the Pacific theatre that later occupied the Philippines.
NME caught up with Red just as he was wrapping up shooting for HBOs fantasy series Halfworlds and knee-deep in post-production for Arisaka. Read on for a conversation about the tug-of-war between optimism and nihilism in Reds movies and how being a gamer influences his process.
Youve declared that you put so much of yourself into filmmaking that you get emotionally and physically exhausted. Have you since found ways to sustain your energy?
Making movies is exhausting and emotionally draining. You really need stamina. In my early years everything was just me but eventually projects got bigger and I learned to delegate. I see my job now as making sure everything is unified. Sometimes it gets tiring juggling so many projects but if your objectives and reasons are clear, that its not just for the sake of being called a filmmaker, then its OK.
HBOs Halfworlds was shot in the city while Arisaka was mostly in the province, but both were full-on productions during the 2020 pandemic. We assume there were plenty of challenges to your workflow?
Arisaka was my first experience with a full pandemic production bubble. Due to COVID, industry people have since been forced to accept a strict 12-hours filming rule. Its a grind, I must admit. When I started out I really couldnt estimate how long a scene would take to set-up and shoot. Oh, gunfights? Thosell be fast! But now, especially with Arisaka, I realised my energy doesnt hold up to week-long one-scene shoots.
Maja Salvador in Arisaka. Credit: Ten17P Studios
You have a specific method for crafting a films plot: you assemble a story out of real life events that might not be related.
Its years of news and story fragments and I archive them all in my mental trunk. Later on, I might meet an interesting person or see something where I might take the story and it gets pieced together. One day, after accumulating all these fragments, I may be in the shower and it all just snaps together. So its important to incubate and its always been a visual process to me. Im such a mess. Nothings written down and its all just floating in my head. Im the type that when the deadline comes its only then that I start to write anything down. Personally, I dont recommend this!
What was assembling those fragments like for Arisaka?
Part of Arisaka is how the heroine is going through repetitive phases of violence and historical oppression, like her characters own Via Dolorosa. A part of the film is about rebellion and insurrection and the Stations of the Cross illustrate benchmark events in her own survival story.
Theres a part of me thats very nihilistic and that it is always survival of the fittest Yet, I struggle with that because like [my] female heroes, something inside me says we can do better
The female heroes in your movies seem to be connected by a deep resentment. Emotions from repeating cruelty clash with the need to evolve beyond ones moral code to live. Theres that sentiment that such a change might break the violent cycle but you might not like what you become?
That is correct, especially with the question in Arisaka of how to free yourself from vicious patterns. In a sense, there are still invaders in our own ranks as Filipinos, so are we really free? But I always put a feminine, usually innocent character whose point of view is that we can co-exist, even as she is oppressed by the world.
Theres a part of me thats very nihilistic and that it is always survival of the fittest. Even in [Reds 2016 movie and breakout feature] Birdshot the world is very rapacious, hungry. Theres a recurring food chain motif in my movies and in order to survive a predatory world you must grow fangs. Yet, I struggle with that because like [my] female heroes, something inside me says we can do better.
Maja Salvador and Shella Mae Romulado in Arisaka. Credit: Ten17P Studios
Youve built a reputation on a diverse range of genre work. Are you motivated to hop through these tropes by something deeper, or just a fun-seeking impulse?
I do like switching genres and I hope my filmography feels diverse enough! I also feel you really have to look close at your patterns to realise what youre doing. It has something to do I think with how I am a longtime gamer. Like how I want to go through this story using another role-playing game build. I am always curious about other points of view.
As an avid gamer, does assembling a team with balanced skills to complete missions also figure in your directing?
Its made me conscious of filmmaking as an industry. In video games you have a main character thats optimal, but you also have a home-brewed build that you experiment with. I tend to do both in my films. I say: be aware of play style.
Arisaka is now streaming on Netflix
Read more here:
- Voices: Working-class men like Steve Wright don't go to the doctor and that's exactly the problem... - Yahoo News UK - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- "Superman Defeats Nihilism": Grant Morrison Loved an Obscure Alan Moore Story So Much They Almost Remixed It - Screen Rant - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- The rise of stay-at-home girlfriends - UnHerd - November 26th, 2023 [November 26th, 2023]
- 'Fargo' Recap, Season 5, Episode 2: Trials and Tribulations - Vulture - November 26th, 2023 [November 26th, 2023]
- What's the matter with Russia? - The Hub - November 26th, 2023 [November 26th, 2023]
- The Killer: The unintentional comedy of the year? - EL PAS USA - November 26th, 2023 [November 26th, 2023]
- Eli Roth's Thanksgiving Keeps A Disappointing 2023 Slasher Trend ... - Screen Rant - November 26th, 2023 [November 26th, 2023]
- Bobby McDonagh: The Rule of Law matters more than ever when ... - TheJournal.ie - November 26th, 2023 [November 26th, 2023]
- A 2023 gift guide: 10 ideas for the music lover in your life - 25 News KXXV and KRHD - November 26th, 2023 [November 26th, 2023]
- Ten Great Sci-fi TV Shows that Promote Reason and Individualism - The Objective Standard - November 26th, 2023 [November 26th, 2023]
- Jonathan Sacks: Are Science and Religion Enemies? - The Collector - November 26th, 2023 [November 26th, 2023]
- An open letter to all of my progressive friends - New York Daily News - November 26th, 2023 [November 26th, 2023]
- The Two Tragedies of November 22nd - The American Conservative - November 26th, 2023 [November 26th, 2023]
- Speculating on the ceasefire moment in Gaza - rabble.ca - November 26th, 2023 [November 26th, 2023]
- In Defense of Stigma - The Stream - November 26th, 2023 [November 26th, 2023]
- Pro-lockdown obsessives still long to be told what to do - Yahoo Eurosport UK - November 26th, 2023 [November 26th, 2023]
- 8 signs you're a mentally strong person (even if you don't think so) - Hack Spirit - November 26th, 2023 [November 26th, 2023]
- Trump Gets Fined in Court but Wins in the House - The New Yorker - October 29th, 2023 [October 29th, 2023]
- The challenges to democracy [letter] | Letters To The Editor ... - LNP | LancasterOnline - October 29th, 2023 [October 29th, 2023]
- Standing against the insidious spread of euthanasia | News, Sports ... - The Daily Times - October 29th, 2023 [October 29th, 2023]
- A large chunk of Republicans are quite set on voting for the face ... - Daily Kos - October 29th, 2023 [October 29th, 2023]
- Israel's civic strength in response to the Hamas attacks should stiffen ... - The Hub - October 29th, 2023 [October 29th, 2023]
- No Time to Go Wobbly on Russia - Center for European Policy Analysis - October 29th, 2023 [October 29th, 2023]
- Blinken to Security Council: Where's the revulsion over Hamas attacks - The Times of Israel - October 29th, 2023 [October 29th, 2023]
- Opinion | In Israel and Gaza, Searching for Humanity - The New York Times - October 29th, 2023 [October 29th, 2023]
- Donald Trump to testify in NY AG Case - Daily Kos - October 29th, 2023 [October 29th, 2023]
- Thom Nickels: Demonic nihilism? It's not just on the streets. - Broad + Liberty - August 18th, 2023 [August 18th, 2023]
- Reflections on the Revolution in America | Pavlos Leonidas ... - First Things - August 18th, 2023 [August 18th, 2023]
- Why It's Always Raining In The Movie Se7en: David Fincher's ... - Screen Rant - August 18th, 2023 [August 18th, 2023]
- Poetic Time In The Age Of Acceleration - Noema Magazine - August 18th, 2023 [August 18th, 2023]
- Review: Zilched releases her best work yet in 'Earthly Delights' - WDET - August 18th, 2023 [August 18th, 2023]
- Phoebe Bridgers thinks we confuse sadness with intelligence: Listen ... - Audacy - August 18th, 2023 [August 18th, 2023]
- Called to be a man in Christ, not a Nietzschean superman - Catholic World Report - August 18th, 2023 [August 18th, 2023]
- Why The Last Voyage of the Demeter Sank at the Box Office - MovieWeb - August 18th, 2023 [August 18th, 2023]
- Forget GTA 6 and Red Dead Redemption, I want Manhunt 3 - PCGamesN - August 18th, 2023 [August 18th, 2023]
- Gabriel Krauze: raw writing from the streets of London - RNZ - August 18th, 2023 [August 18th, 2023]
- The Ideal Man According to 7 Different Philosophers - Art of Manliness - August 18th, 2023 [August 18th, 2023]
- Review: In How to Blow Up a Pipeline, nihilism is optimism - Detroit Metro Times - April 29th, 2023 [April 29th, 2023]
- Beaten To Death Review: Disturbing Australian Horror Lives Up To Its Title [Panic Fest 2023] - Dread Central - April 29th, 2023 [April 29th, 2023]
- David Brooks: Joe Biden and the 'battle for the soul of America' l - Baltimore Sun - April 29th, 2023 [April 29th, 2023]
- Ram Jams: Fall Out Boy, New Album and Era - Fordham Observer - April 29th, 2023 [April 29th, 2023]
- Tucker Carlson Is the Emblem of GOP Cynicism - The Atlantic - April 29th, 2023 [April 29th, 2023]
- One Night in Washington, D.C., With George Santos - The Intercept - April 29th, 2023 [April 29th, 2023]
- Reddit study finds interesting facts about typical Blue Jays fans - Jays Journal - April 29th, 2023 [April 29th, 2023]
- Yale Professor Breaks Down Years of Violent Conflict Between ... - The Greyhound - April 29th, 2023 [April 29th, 2023]
- Nietzsche, Friedrich | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy - January 6th, 2023 [January 6th, 2023]
- 30 Religious Terms You Should Know - Daily Writing Tips - January 6th, 2023 [January 6th, 2023]
- The Difference Between Existentialism, Nihilism, and Absurdism - January 6th, 2023 [January 6th, 2023]
- Philosophical skepticism - Wikipedia - January 4th, 2023 [January 4th, 2023]
- Simon Critchley - Wikipedia - January 4th, 2023 [January 4th, 2023]
- 'World is Crumbling. An Email Doesn't Matter': 2022 Was the Year of Nihilism. How Do We Move On? - News18 - December 23rd, 2022 [December 23rd, 2022]
- Moscow accuses West of legal nihilism RT Russia & Former Soviet Union - December 12th, 2022 [December 12th, 2022]
- Wordsworths Challenge to Darwinian Nihilism | Evolution News - December 12th, 2022 [December 12th, 2022]
- I Fear My Pain Interests You by Stephanie LaCava review numb nihilism ... - November 19th, 2022 [November 19th, 2022]
- Editorial: In the Face of Climate Nihilism, What Can One Do to Not Lose All Hope? | Opinions - The Link - October 8th, 2022 [October 8th, 2022]
- Cardinal Mller Reasserts the Dangers of Nihilism The European Conservative - The European Conservative - October 8th, 2022 [October 8th, 2022]
- The Midnight Club Is a Teen Horror Show Thats Actually Scary: TV Review - Yahoo Entertainment - October 8th, 2022 [October 8th, 2022]
- Hiltzik: GOP cruelty counts on the humanity of others - Los Angeles Times - October 8th, 2022 [October 8th, 2022]
- Screen Grabs: A revisionist Western that still shines bright - 48 hills - 48 Hills - October 8th, 2022 [October 8th, 2022]
- Russian Roulette: How Ukraine Can Win the Game (Part 1) - Kyiv Post - October 8th, 2022 [October 8th, 2022]
- What 20 Years of Putin's Own Words Tell Us About Russia's Subversion of International Law - JURIST - October 8th, 2022 [October 8th, 2022]
- 'Triangle of Sadness' Review: Hazardous Levels of Smug - Vulture - October 8th, 2022 [October 8th, 2022]
- In China, Only the Party Tells History - Foreign Policy - September 29th, 2022 [September 29th, 2022]
- The Infinite Nihilistic Jest of Brian Ennals and Infinity Knives - Yahoo Entertainment - September 29th, 2022 [September 29th, 2022]
- No Laughing Matter: Bodies Bodies Bodies Is Too Cynical to Be Much Fun - Erie Reader - September 29th, 2022 [September 29th, 2022]
- Oliver Jeffers Gets Perspective With Meanwhile Back on Earth - TIME - September 29th, 2022 [September 29th, 2022]
- Talkin' About My Generation: How Boomers Became Deaf, Dumb, and Blind To The Inspiration and Innovation of Rock and Roll - MetalTalk - September 29th, 2022 [September 29th, 2022]
- 'Cult of the Lamb' and the bleating heart of nihilism - Catholic News Service - September 22nd, 2022 [September 22nd, 2022]
- The Infinite Nihilistic Jest of Brian Ennals and Infinity Knives - Spin - September 22nd, 2022 [September 22nd, 2022]
- This cosmic horror game will force you to trust characters to survive - Polygon - September 22nd, 2022 [September 22nd, 2022]
- Belief in God can help us find a purpose in life that we are currently lacking - David J Nixon - The Scotsman - September 22nd, 2022 [September 22nd, 2022]
- "Date Night" by White Lung - Northern Transmissions - September 22nd, 2022 [September 22nd, 2022]
- Lyrically Speaking: What is Bob Dylans All Along the Watchtower actually about? - Far Out Magazine - September 22nd, 2022 [September 22nd, 2022]
- Pinocchio (2022): Disney wished on another wrong star - Campus Times - September 22nd, 2022 [September 22nd, 2022]
- The Complicated Legacy Of 'Rick And Morty' - The Federalist - September 22nd, 2022 [September 22nd, 2022]
- "Soul and Things" - Baltimore Beat - September 22nd, 2022 [September 22nd, 2022]
- Ukraine Holds the Future: The War Between Democracy and Nihilism - Foreign Affairs Magazine - September 11th, 2022 [September 11th, 2022]
- Hedgerow Theatre Company Dives Into The Darkness With Martin McDonagh's THE PILLOWMAN, October 5-31 - Broadway World - September 11th, 2022 [September 11th, 2022]
- The skate punk brats of the '90s are back to ruin our lives again - Cult MTL - September 11th, 2022 [September 11th, 2022]
- Kurt Russell's Best Movie Was A Critical And Box Office Disaster - Giant Freakin Robot - September 11th, 2022 [September 11th, 2022]