5 Reasons Why You Should Watch ‘Smaller And Smaller Circles’

“We are powerless when we wait for other people to act on our behalf.” — This is one of many noteworthy quotes from F.H. Bacatan’s award-winning novel, “Smaller and Smaller Circles.” The first Filipino crime novel was published in 2002 by the University of the Philippines Press and reprinted four times making a total of 6,000 copies. As compelling as it was then, now that the story has its own film adaptation directed by Raya Martin, the mystery thriller is once again making waves as it hits theaters on December 6.

The story is about a heartless serial killer in the year 1997 who murders young boys and then leaves the bodies in the slums of Payatas. Two Jesuit priests, Gus Saenz and Jerome Lucero, try to solve these heinous crimes. With the help of a reporter named Joanna Bonifacio, the three take desperate measures and take matters into their own hands all in the name of justice. Because of this intricate plot, watching the movie is surely going to be an edge-of-your-seat moment throughout.

5 Reasons Why ‘Smaller and Smaller Circles’ is a Must-Watch

1.  The novel in which the film is based on is “the first Filipino crime novel” and is considered “a poetic masterpiece of literary noir,” as reported by CNN Philippines. The book written by F.H. Batacan has an expanded version which was printed by Soho Press, New York in 2015. Its shorter version is the famed novella published by the University of the Philippines Press in 2002. Since it was published, the book has been studied in schools and has gotten a huge fan base. This is why “Smaller and Smaller Circles” was marketed as the first Filipino crime novel and a poetic masterpiece of literary noir. It has won numerous awards including the Carlos Palanca grand prize for the English novel in 1999, the National Book Award in 2002, and Madrigal-Gonzales Award in 2003. In addition, the film is also made its premiere at the 22nd Busan International Film Festival in South Korea and is among the 10 nominees for the Kim Ji-seok Award.

2. The journey from book to film was a creative collaboration among dedicated and passionate Filipino filmmakers and producers. The film adaptation is directed by Raya Martin and is produced by Ria Limjap. The screenplay is written by Moira Lang and Limjap, as well. Each one of them loved the story so much that they wanted the movie to stay true to the book, but to also be more cinematic, as reported by ABS CBN News. F.H. Bacatan was the creative consultant for the project but trusted the filmmakers wholeheartedly. She admits that she is not a filmmaker, but rather, she is a writer.

When the much-awaited opening day came, Director Raya Martin posted a status update via Facebook saying, “Today is the opening day of ‘Smaller and Smaller Circles’ in theaters nationwide! It’s my first theatrical distribution in the country among dozens of works I’ve done in the past decade. So please indulge me, medyo emotional ako about this.” The status went on in explaining the film’s journey from the book to the silver screen. Tuko Film Productions, Artikulo Uno Productions, and Buchi Boy Entertainment produced the film. This makes up the team behind the celebrated biopic “Heneral Luna” in 2015.

3. The cast is an ensemble of the A-Listers in Philippine cinema. The main characters are Nonie Buencamino and Sid Lucero who play the roles of forensic scientist Father Gus Saenz and Father Jerome Lucero as Saenz’s protege, respectively. With them are Carla Humphries as Joanna Bonifacio, Christopher de Leon as NBI Deputy Director Philip Mapa, Bembol Roco as NBI Director Francis Lastimosa, TJ Trinidad as Deputy Jake Valdez, Ricky Davao as Cardinal Meneses, Alex Medina as Carding, Raffy Tejada as Ben Arcinas, and Gladys Reyes as Councilor Mariano. Miss Tessie Tomas also makes a cameo appearance along with a few others. How star-studded a cast this is clearly illustrates just how significant the film’s message is.

4. F.H. Bacatan wrote the novel with the Philippines in mind – a desire for the country to embrace change. In an interview with ABS-CBN, Batacan said that she wrote the original novel when she was working in a government agency. That time, she recalled that “there were many frustrations. and that “the writing of the novel was an outlet for that frustration.” The desire for change was present as well as the desire to “talk about what holds us back as a nation,” as people, public servants, government employees and the kind of service “we should be providing for our people. That was the frustration, the unwillingness to embrace change.” Batacan goes on in saying that “we have not really moved very much from 1997, from 2015. We’re still stuck in a rut. So, the question is: what do we do? The central theme of the book is to ask why. It’s not a whodunnit, it’s a whydunnit.” Such sentiment is still felt until this present day even if the novel has been out there for about fifteen years now.

"I think I'm most fascinated by how the human mind works. How we can justify cruelty and corruption. How capable we are of evil. And at the same time, how capable we are of good. That's the real mystery, isn't it?" — F.H. Batacan, author of SMALLER AND SMALLER CIRCLES, on the pages of @esquireph's 2016 issue. #SASCmovie

A post shared by Smaller And Smaller Circles (@smallerandsmallercircles) on Aug 22, 2016 at 5:10am PDT

5. “Smaller and Smaller Circles” is a sequel to an upcoming indie movie “The Weight of Sin,” which is also being penned by F.H. Batacan herself. In an article by Sunstar, a sequel is currently underway and its upcoming indie movie is entitled “The Weight of Sin,” which is linked through the ending scene of “Smaller and Smaller Circles.” Viewers of the special film screening at the University of San Carlos, Cebu City had nothing but excitement about what is coming next.

Catch ‘Small and Smaller Circles’ in theaters near you! Check screening dates via Small and Smaller Circles Official Facebook Page. Watch the official trailer on YouTube via Columbia Pictures Philippines below.