Director Jon Red returns with Stag, a new film exploring themes similar to his previous works, but with a fresh twist. Red credits the film’s collaborative and fun atmosphere for allowing him more creative freedom than ever before.
“Working on Stag was a breath of fresh air,” Red says. “I had the freedom to really play with the material without losing sight of the core story.”
While the film retains the intimacy of Red’s previous projects, he promises a more intense experience.
“There’s nudity given the platform where it’s streaming,” Red admits, “But it’s all done in a natural way that serves the story. I worked closely with the actors to understand their comfort levels and create powerful performances within those boundaries.”
Red emphasizes the film’s visual storytelling. “It’s a very visual experience,” he says, “but we haven’t sacrificed emotional depth. The audience will be with the characters, feeling everything they feel.”
Stag follows the story of Leon (Gold Aceron) who has been in a stable relationship with Ara (Arah Alonzo). But the two haven’t tied the knot, and Leon still has no plans of committing to his girlfriend. This has been an issue, not only for the two of them but also for their close friends and relatives.
On the other hand, Leon’s best friend, Carl (Aerol Carmelo), is getting married, and Leon and their group of friends prepare a stag party for him. On the way to the party, Leon gets lost and crashes his car in a remote area.
Out of nowhere, a young and attractive girl named Lara (Denise Esteban) comes to help Leon and invites him to their mansion to pass the time while his car is getting fixed by a mechanic. Leon meets the rest of Lara’s family, and they serve Leon delicious home-cooked meals and good wine. But despite their hospitality, there’s something very odd with their whole family.
Leon spends the night at the mansion, and in his sleep, he dreams about Ara and him doing their sensual and wildest fantasies to each other, but as he wakes up, Leon is shocked to see Lara making a move at him. Unknown to Leon, this is only one of the many bizarre and unsettling things that will happen to him inside that strange and eerie mansion.
Will Leon realize the kind of nightmare that he’s in? And when he does, how will he escape this secluded place?
“The film is a representation, a microcosm of the real world. It’s a surreal film,” says Red.
Stag, which streams today exclusively on Vivamax, also stars Allan Paule, Yda Manzano, and Jaime Fabrigas.
