Julia Montes revealed that her decision to join the 2024 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) entry Topakk (English title: Triggered) was driven by its focus on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a subject she believes needs more attention in the Philippines.
Produced by Nathan Studios, Fusee, and Strawdogs, Topakk is set to premiere locally during the 50th MMFF after receiving international recognition at the Cannes, Austin, and Locarno film festivals.
Directed by Richard V. Somes, the film tells the story of a former special forces operative struggling with PTSD who crosses paths with siblings fleeing from a criminal syndicate. Starring Arjo Atayde and Julia Montes, the film highlights “themes of redemption, mental health and corruption, as told through intense action sequences and emotional depth.”
Julia shared that the moment she learned about the film’s emphasis on PTSD, she felt it was important to take part in it. “It’s about time that PTSD will be discussed here in the Philippines because it’s not being talked about here,” she said during a press conference.
She emphasized how many Filipinos unknowingly deal with PTSD symptoms that are often dismissed. “For sure, some of us have already felt it. Sometimes, it would cause palpitation, feelings of loneliness na wala namang currently na nangyayari but you feel something. But we, us Filipinos, got used to thinking like, (especially) old folks, ‘Tulog mo lang yan,’ or no one listens to us when we want to say something.”
Julia also praised the movie for its powerful message about understanding others’ struggles. “We need to be more open because every character in the film has a story,” she explained.
“If you watch it, every character may hugot. All of us have hugot and are going through something,” she added, hoping viewers will walk away with greater empathy. “Be more kind sa mga nakakasalamuha natin because we don’t know what their struggles are every day and kung may nakikinig ba sa kanila.”
Director Richard V. Somes revealed that the inspiration for Topakk came during the pandemic when the world faced immense stress and uncertainty. “We were all bombarded by the news on TV, pandemic, death, war, famine, away ng lahat,” he said, recalling the lockdown period.
Writing the script became a personal process for him. “At the same time, looking back on the time that I wrote the script, I realized that it was my topak after all. Sarili kong multo ang sinusulat ko na sa lahat ng mga takot. And then I just realized that I needed to make it into a film.”
The director underscored the need for a deeper conversation about PTSD in Filipino society. While mental health practices exist, he pointed out that Filipinos often rely on resilience and a strong sense of community to cope. “We have medical practice also on studying PTSD but of course, Filipinos are known na resilient na species. We are known as matibay. The reason why Filipinos are collective if one is suffering from mental illness, PTSD or anything, that causes harm to you (because) we are more of a community.”
“That’s why if you have problems, if you have something na may dinadala ka, we are used to (like) gather everyone and then we’re OK. We’re like that. We’re very collective (in nature) like, ‘Tol, let’s drink, I have a problem.’”
Arjo Atayde, who portrays the ex-soldier dealing with PTSD, shared insights into preparing for the role. He mentioned his character’s “twitches” as a visible sign of trauma. “The twitches that I had (for my role), direk actually helped me with it,” Arjo explained.
He described the challenge of portraying restrained anger, a common response among PTSD sufferers. “I remember since we started the film, I said, ‘Paano kaya ako yung parang pigil na galit na?’ Yun kasi obviously, especially the people who are very aware of the condition, ‘pag nag-spa-spark, they try to get out of it because it’s very traumatic.”
Arjo credited the film’s detailed character development to the director’s guidance and the production team’s support. “Definitely every angle of the character was thoroughly thought about. And of course, with the guidance of direk Richard and the whole production,” he concluded.
The cast of Topakk also includes Sid Lucero, Enchong Dee, Kokoy de Santos, Levy Ignacio, Bernard Palanca, Paolo Paraiso, and Vin Abrenica.
