70-year-old Virginia (Elizabeth Oropesa) shares the old ancestral house with Delia (Lotlot de Leon), her ever-loyal maid. Delia is marrying her long-time boyfriend, Rene, and tearfully confides to Virginia that she wants to go home to her parents in the province to start a new family life with him. Haunted by a past that Virginia tries to conquer—her only son Sonny Boy who disappeared years ago, what follows shows a portrait of a woman and a mother trying to juggle the sad realities of life in a cycle of life and death.
Direk Adolf talks about the birth of this unique story about the struggle in a life of a mother. “Minsan napag-usapan namin nung writer ko yung idea na kung namatay yung anak mo, may closure ka. Pero kung nawawala lang siya, paano mo tatanggapin yung idea na isang araw makasalubong mo siya or isang araw baka mabalitaan mo na wala na siya.” He continues, “Pero wala akong personal experience sa mga bagay na ‘yon. Nagka-interes lang ako dahil napaka-rich nung ganitong situation.”
Elizabeth Oropesa plays the role of Virginia, the homeowner of the ancestral home that sits on a faultline. “[It’s] a very interesting character. I’ve never had any character like this. Maraming masalimuot na iniikutan yung character. Parang love story namin ni Lotlot ito. May boyfriend siya pero ayaw niya kong iwan ever at siya rin mahal na mahal ko, parang pamilya ko na at parang iniisip ko hanggang sa mamatay ako ay siya na yung kasama ko.”
The loyal househelper Delia portrayed by Lotlot de Leon talks about the other perspective of the film. “Dito sa pelikulang ito makikita niyo ang realidad ng buhay, kung paano talaga magmahal at mag-alaga ang isang kasambahay, at kung paano rin siya mahalin ng pinagsisilbihan niya.”
The 2nd Sinag Maynila Film Festival will run from April 21 to 26, 2016 in select SM Cinemas. For more updates, log on to https://sinagmaynilafilmfestival.com/, on Facebook via SinagMaynila, Twitter and Instagram via @sinagmaynila. The roster of SMFF 2016 films also includes EXPRESSWAY by Ato Bautista, LILA by Gino M. Santos, DYAMPER by Mes De Guzman, and TPO by Jay Altarejos.
Conceptualized and helmed by CEO and Founder Wilson Tieng, together with world-renowned and internationally acclaimed film director Brillante Mendoza, Sinag Maynila gives grants to independent filmmakers so they can develop their individual material to a full-length film for public exhibition. Five chosen filmmakers closely collaborated with Tieng and Mendoza. This collaboration resulted in stories that reflect the Filipino culture while illustrating messages that will resonate globally.ADVT.