Violator (film)


Violator is a 2014 Philippine psychological horror film written and directed by Eduardo "Dodo" Dayao. It stars Victor Neri, Anthony Falcon, RK Bagatsing, Timothy Mabalot, Andy Bais, and Joel Lamangan. It premiered at the Cinema One Originals film festival, where it won Best Editing, Best Picture, Best Sound, and Best Supporting Actor for Bais. At the Gawad Urian Awards, it won Best Sound and was nominated for Best Cinematography, Best Editing, and Best Supporting Actor for Lamangan.

Premise

At the height of a super-typhoon that could well be the first wave of an impending Apocalypse, five men take refuge in a flooded-in police station and spend the rest of the night with a prisoner who may or may not be the Devil.

Cast

Writer-director Dayao is a film critic, and Violator is his directorial debut. He says the step was natural to him, though he accepts others find it less so. When casting the film, Dayao consciously cast the actors against type. All of the actors were his first choices, and they all took the roles that he desired.

Release

Violator premiered on 10 November 2014 at the Cinema One Originals film festival.

Reception

of Film Business Asia rated the film 6 out of 10 stars and, while calling it an impressive debut, wrote that it "is stronger on technique than actual content". Richard Kuipers of Variety wrote, "This stylishly assembled Filipino chiller creates plenty of intrigue but can't quite deliver a knockout punch." Michael Atkinson of The Village Voice called it "an apocalyptic creep-out as heavy with atmosphere and portent as a doomsday sermon". Todd Brown of Twitch Film called it "a gorgeously executed and tightly controlled exercise in religious dread".
YearOrganizationAwardAwardeeResultRef
2014Cinema One OriginalsBest SoundCorinne De San Joserowspan=5
2014Cinema One OriginalsBest EditingLawrence Ang-
2014Cinema One OriginalsBest Supporting ActorAndy Bais-
2014Cinema One OriginalsBest FilmViolator-
2015Gawad Urian AwardBest SoundCorinne De San Jose-
2015Gawad Urian AwardBest Supporting ActorJoel Lamanganrowspan=3
2015Gawad Urian AwardBest CinematographyAlber Banzon and Gym Lumbera-
2015Gawad Urian AwardBest EditingLawrence Ang-