TRITON'S CALL
Guam Movie: Headed for "Shiro's Head"
By Tommy Manglona - Triton's Call

The stage was set for Guam’s first feature length film, Shiro’s Head. It was the talk of the island for months. Have you seen Shiro’s Head? Do you remember that part where he did that one thing? I felt left out from the crowd of Shiro’s Head fans.

I was bound to get my eyes glued on that film. Unfortunately, I could not make the first three showings due to the public’s demand on tickets. However, to my surprise, the Hagatna Center Stadium Theaters were hosting five more showings on October 11 and 12. All I had to do was get my hands on a ticket. Lightning struck twice when I went to go buy tickets. “Sorry, we’re out of the October 11th showings,” the store clerk said. Right then, I felt like all hope was lost.

As I left to retreat to my car, the clerk mentioned that I could purchase the October 12 showing at the door. A sigh of relief came over me.

The day came. I woke up and got myself ready to witness history. The Hagatna Shopping Center was thirty minutes from my home. To avoid traffic and long lines at the theater, I left early. I arrived at 11:35 a.m. I felt like I was the first one there.

I entered and quickly ran up the long flight of stairs leading to the Stadium Theaters. “Hi, can I get two tickets for the 12:00 p.m. showing of Shiro’s Head,” I asked anxiously.

Is it possible for lightning to strike three times on the same person in one week? “Sorry, we’re sold out,” the ticket attendant said.

With all my struggles and trials of getting a ticket, I was going to call it quits. I mentioned to the ticket attendant that I was going to do a review on the movie. “Well, you’re in luck. One of the directors is here, Don Muna.” So my mission began.

Without any preparation or questions compiled, I took a chance and interviewed Don Muna, one half of the Muna brothers. I found him to be a humble guy.

He invited me to the lobby of the Hagatna Stadium Theaters to continue the interview. I started by asking him how he came up with the movie. “We (Himself and Kel Muna) wrote a short story called “The Legend of Shiro.”

He mentioned two reasons why they decided to turn their short story into a movie. Muna shares, “We wanted to make a story that was timeless.”

Secondly, they wanted to come up with a film that was “feasible with the budget and what resources [they] had.” When asked how they chose the actors, he said that they “approached people who looked like they fit the part.”

Later in the interview he gave some insight on the movie. The movie centers on Vince Flores, played by Don Muna.

In the movie, Flores discovers truths that he thought were myths and struggles to solidify his family’s history. Muna did not mention too much because it would spoil the plot, although I wanted to know more since I was unable to see the film.

He concluded the interview by giving some advice for aspiring film makers. “Anything goes,” he says. “Follow what you want to do, artistically. Stay true to yourself.” He also mentioned that Shiro’s Head would be showing on MCV On Demand.

And so, my journey ended, without me watching the film. I learned something through this experience though, plan ahead. For now, I will be left out, not knowing the real story of Guam’s first feature length film, Shiro’s Head.