Elijah Canlas gets even with John Arcilla in ‘HB2ME’

John Arcilla (left) and Elijah Canlas take on a revenge plot that turns a birthday prank into a dangerous test of trust, family, and survival

What if every birthday of your life came with a prank from your father?

That is the nightmare confronting Jon, the young protagonist of MAVX Productions’ HB2ME (Happy Birthday To Me), a dark action-comedy directed by Veronica Velasco and opening nationwide Aug. 19.

Jon, played by Elijah Canlas, has spent most of his life enduring his father’s increasingly humiliating birthday pranks. His birthday falls on April 1, giving his father, played by John Arcilla, the perfect excuse to turn an annual celebration into a yearly lesson in embarrassment.

To the father, it is discipline. To the son, it is trauma.

The ritual continues well into Jon’s 20s, until he finally decides enough is enough. If his father can prank him year after year, why shouldn’t he get a taste of his own medicine

That decision, naturally, goes spectacularly wrong.

What begins as revenge spirals into a dangerous situation that puts the lives of people close to Jon, particularly his father, at risk. Suddenly, the birthday boy has bigger problems than getting even. He has to figure out whom he can trust and do whatever it takes to save someone’s life.

Canlas described the film as an unusual but original story that he believes younger audiences can relate to.

“It’s an original concept written and directed by Veronica Velasco, who I’m a fan of as well,” Canlas said. “I think a lot of young people would resonate with Jon.”

The actor admitted that the film’s premise may sound strange on paper.

“Many of our team members only really understood what we were doing when they watched it,” he said shortly after a screening. “It’s an original concept, and the concept is a bit crazy. The story has an absurd quality.”

“It was really fun to hear the audience’s reaction because they immediately understood what the film wanted to convey and what it wanted them to feel,” Canlas said.

Arcilla, meanwhile, had plenty of praise for his onscreen son.

HB2ME marks the first time Arcilla and Canlas have worked together on a film, and Arcilla said the younger actor was a joy to work with.

“I love working with Elijah. He is one of the best and most talented actors of his generation when it comes to executing a character,” Arcilla said.

What impressed him most was Canlas’ commitment to his character choices.

“When you act, when you create a character, usually you have choices that you hold on to just to keep the backbone of your character,” Arcilla said. “I can clearly see that in him. He holds tightly to his choices in the way he interprets the scene and the way he interprets the character.”

Arcilla compared their scenes together to a game of ping-pong, with each actor returning the other’s energy.

From left: John Arcilla, Alexa Miro, and Elijah Canlas at the red carpet premiere of MAVX Productions’ latest movie, ‘HB2ME’ 

“When you have that kind of actor, it’s so enjoyable to create because he gives something, and then you can give something back,” he said.

And that chemistry is one of the film’s biggest draws.

HB2ME also stars Alexa Miro, Carmi Martin, Dindo Arroyo, Rubi Rubi, Ron Capinding, Archie Alemania, Joe Vargas, JM Salvado, Criza Taa, and Basti Flores.

Shot mostly in Pampanga, the film explores the messy collision between parents and children, particularly when an old-fashioned idea of discipline turns into something far more damaging.

Because sometimes a birthday prank is just a joke. — Nickie Wang