Directed by award-winning horror director Mikhail Red, Nokturno revolves around a curse brought on by The Kumakatok. Tall, thin, and with long, pale fingers, these creatures from Filipino folklore wear veils that obscure their faces, and come knocking in the dead of the night. Those who answer the door are cursed to die or lose a loved one in three days.
This is the second team-up of Direk Mikhail and Nadine following their box office hit and MMFF Best Picture “Deleter”, for which they also won Best Director and Best Actress.
In “Nokturno”, Lustre plays Jamie, an overseas worker in Dubai. She has distanced herself from her hometown island of San Sebastian because of a traumatic past and her mother’s mental instability. But rumors of a mysterious curse plaguing San Sebastian and her sister Joanna falling to the curse compels her to come home. She knows that her younger brother needs her and there are questions that need to be answered.
Played by Bea Binene, Joanna is mirroring the path of Jamie. She’s become indifferent to their mother Lilet and can’t wait to leave their small, conservative town. She and her boyfriend Manu have planned their escape, but are accursed by the Kumakatok before they are able to leave the island. Jamie learns of her sister’s fate. She quests to uncover the truth behind the curse–while mending old wounds with her unstable mother, Lilet.
Gawad Urian Best Actress Ms. Eula Valdez plays Lilet. Devastated by the loss of her husband, she believes that a curse is haunting her family, and is certain that the Kumakatok entities are responsible. A paranoid Lilet becomes overprotective of her son and constantly argues with Jamie–fearing that her investigation into Joanna’s death might lead to their family’s demise. Though at odds, Lilet and Jamie soon learn that only through working together can they overcome the fatal curse.
“Nokturno” is already getting a lot of viewers excited just by the teaser photo that Direk Mikhail posted on his Instagram. Aside from the three ladies, it also shows JJ Quilantang, the boy who plays Julius, Jamie’s 13-year-old brother. Having witnessed the disintegration of his family, he deals with his trauma by withdrawing into his peculiar hobby of insect collecting. Julius acts more mature than his age.
Completing the cast are Wilbert Ross as Manu, Joanna’s boyfriend, who’s on the brink of insanity after witnessing her death, and Ku Aquino as Tito Jun, Lilet’s brother and the barangay captain. Caring and protective, he withholds crucial information to keep Jamie from harm.
