FREEHAND by Mario E. Bautista
IN YOUR EYES will be shown on August 18 yet but GMA and Viva Films already held its presscon since Richard Gutierrez is leaving for “Survivor Philippines” taping in Thailand today. He told us he expects questions about his past romance with Anne Curtis to be asked and he’s right. There’s the usual query: Wala bang nanariwa sa inyong dalawa? Di ba kayo nagkabalikan? Even if it’s common knowledge that Chard is now with Jewel Mische and Anne is cozy with Israeli model Erwan Heusaff. We can’t blame the press for asking such questions as these make the film’s promo more colorful. But Chard requests the press to refrain asking questions about his off-cam lovelife. “I hope you don’t mind if I keep it to myself for now para naman may maiwan pang konting privacy sa akin. I hope you’ll understand.”
He’s confident “In Your Eyes” will be one of his best films. As Direk Mac Alejandre says, it’s not the usual romantic comedy he does but a straight drama. “Richard performed beyond our expectations,” he adds. “This is his first heavy dramatic role and he delivers well as a man torn between two sisters.”
This film is really more deserving of the title “Hating Kapatid” as Claudine and Anne share Chard in the story. Claudine is Ciara, the Ate who takes care of her younger sister Julia (Anne) after their parents died. Claudine works in the U.S. as a physical therapist and later petitions Anne who’s already on with Storm (Chard). For Chard to also be able to live in the U.S., they arrange a marriage of convenience with Claudine and becomes an immigrant. But they really fall in love with each other, crushing Julia’s heart. Chard has sizzling love scenes with both of them. So which one will he ultimately choose: the younger or the older sister? “In Your Eyes” also stars Joel Torre, Maricar de Mesa, CJ Jaravata and the U.S. based Leandro Munoz.
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WHEN RUFA Mae Quinto took the lie detector test under Ricky Lo in "Showbiz Central", it was insinuated that her mystery boyfriend is a member of the previous First Family, with Ricky calling him Mr. M, referring to Mickey Arroyo. Last Sunday, Rufa Mae was grilled by her co-hosts Pia Guanio, Raymond Gutierrez and John Lapus about this and she said Mr. M refers to Misteryoso. "Kung si Mikey Arroyo ang Mr. M, siya mismo ang tangungin nyo ng diretso," she stressed. "Kung nakabili man ako ng bahay worth $200,000 pinaghirapan ko naman yun. Basta ako, wala akong ginagawang masama, happy ako, ang priority ko is trabaho ko. Ayan nga, may bago na naman akong sitcom with JOEY Marquez and Rhian Ramos, 'Kaya Ba ng Powers Mo'."
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THE ANNUAL CINEMALAYA Indie filmfest opens this Friday and the first entry you should see is Joel Lamangan’s emotionally charged drama, “Sigwa”, about the First Quarter Storm that saw the rise of political activism in 1970. This will be nostalgic for all those who belong to that generation and got involved in protest rallies of that era. It opens with Marcos declaring martial law. We were volunteers then at the 1972 flood relief operations in Taguig, working with activists who belong to the Zone One Tondo Organization or ZOTO so the scenes in the movie brought back memories of friends who were then active with the movement and who we haven’t seen for ages. Joel dedicates his film to all the heroes and martyrs of that period and one of them is our social worker friend, Purificacion Pedro, who was killed by the military while doing community organization work in Bataan in the mid-70s. In the marker for the heroes shown in the film, the name of our friend Puri was there and we remember that time in 1972 when we went to their hometown in Ilocos Norte and had a good time touring all its towns, not knowing martial law will be declared soon, changing our lives forever.
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“Sigwa” is the story of six friends who all got involved in activism during martial law: Dolly (Megan Young then, Dawn Zulueta now), Cita (Pauleen Luna and Zsa Zsa Padilla), Azon (Lovi Poe, Gina Alajar), Oliver (Marvin Agustin, Tirso Cruz III), Rading (Jay Aquitania, Jim Pebanco) and Eddie (Allen Dizon). At the heart of the film is a mother’s quest for her missing daughter. It starts in 2009 when Dolly arrives from the U.S. and reconnects with old friends while searching for the daughter she thought she died. She’s a U.S. citizen who worked in the 70s as a junior correspondent, sided with the leftist movement and had a child with Eddie. She is arrested and deported back to the U.S., entrusting the care of her daughter to Azon.
As she searches for her child, we learn what happens to each of her friends. Among them, it’s Cita who stays in the rebel movement as a hardened amazon who still wants to bring down the government. Oliver is the opposite, an activist who becomes an apologist of the status quo, just like Gary Olivar who was SDK chief honcho and later became Gloria Arroyo’s spokesman. Rading remains poor as a community organizer in the slums while Azon has gotten tired of it all and just wants to lead a quiet life in the province. Eddie is a different story altogether and you’ll have to see the film to find out what happens to him. Suffice it to say that Allen Dizon gives an impressive performance in that key scene (shot tuhog style) showing the fate that befalls Eddie.
Lamangan is well served by the his fine cast who delivers first rate ensemble acting. Dawn Zulueta will be hard to beat in the best actress derby, totally consistent from start to finish, even with her accent. All of them have their shining moments. Gina Alajar will surely be nominated as best supporting actress for her wonderfully restrained acting in that scene where she reveals to Zsa Zsa that the daughter she raised is actually Dawn’s, not hers. Not for a moment did she go overboard. Tirso Cruz is magnificent in the “burol” scene where he meets Dawn and Zsa Zsa in the wake of their former professor (Tony Mabesa) where he explains his reasons for going over to the side of the establishment. This is a very difficult role and it’s to Tirso’s credit that he carries it all so persuasively. At first, we thought Zsa Zsa might not be totally credible in the role of the aging cadre but in all fairness to her, she had herself totally deglamorized and comes out so convincingly in that crucial wake scene where she confronts a former boyfriend after they had a bitter falling out 40 years ago.
Even the younger members of the cast are splendid. Who would have thought Megan Young would be believable as the balikbayan who has a political awakening in her motherland? Her breakdown scene after discovering the man she loves is a traitor is quite heartbreaking. Lovi Poe is also superb in the scene where she’s raped by her tormentors and she gives in to them when she sees them threatening to harm her daughter. Pauleen Luna is properly intense in the scene where she realizes that Marvin has betrayed them.
Boni Ilagan’s script fleshes out the characters well and it’s obviously written by someone who experienced the First Quarter Storm first hand. The film’s technical aspects are also commendable, from the production design to the cinematography and musical score. “Sigwa” opens at the Cultural Center this Friday, with Gala Night on Saturday. Don’t miss it. We won’t be surprised if it’d win as best picture as it succeeds to heartwarmingly tug at our emotions.
IN YOUR EYES will be shown on August 18 yet but GMA and Viva Films already held its presscon since Richard Gutierrez is leaving for “Survivor Philippines” taping in Thailand today. He told us he expects questions about his past romance with Anne Curtis to be asked and he’s right. There’s the usual query: Wala bang nanariwa sa inyong dalawa? Di ba kayo nagkabalikan? Even if it’s common knowledge that Chard is now with Jewel Mische and Anne is cozy with Israeli model Erwan Heusaff. We can’t blame the press for asking such questions as these make the film’s promo more colorful. But Chard requests the press to refrain asking questions about his off-cam lovelife. “I hope you don’t mind if I keep it to myself for now para naman may maiwan pang konting privacy sa akin. I hope you’ll understand.”
He’s confident “In Your Eyes” will be one of his best films. As Direk Mac Alejandre says, it’s not the usual romantic comedy he does but a straight drama. “Richard performed beyond our expectations,” he adds. “This is his first heavy dramatic role and he delivers well as a man torn between two sisters.”
This film is really more deserving of the title “Hating Kapatid” as Claudine and Anne share Chard in the story. Claudine is Ciara, the Ate who takes care of her younger sister Julia (Anne) after their parents died. Claudine works in the U.S. as a physical therapist and later petitions Anne who’s already on with Storm (Chard). For Chard to also be able to live in the U.S., they arrange a marriage of convenience with Claudine and becomes an immigrant. But they really fall in love with each other, crushing Julia’s heart. Chard has sizzling love scenes with both of them. So which one will he ultimately choose: the younger or the older sister? “In Your Eyes” also stars Joel Torre, Maricar de Mesa, CJ Jaravata and the U.S. based Leandro Munoz.
**********
WHEN RUFA Mae Quinto took the lie detector test under Ricky Lo in "Showbiz Central", it was insinuated that her mystery boyfriend is a member of the previous First Family, with Ricky calling him Mr. M, referring to Mickey Arroyo. Last Sunday, Rufa Mae was grilled by her co-hosts Pia Guanio, Raymond Gutierrez and John Lapus about this and she said Mr. M refers to Misteryoso. "Kung si Mikey Arroyo ang Mr. M, siya mismo ang tangungin nyo ng diretso," she stressed. "Kung nakabili man ako ng bahay worth $200,000 pinaghirapan ko naman yun. Basta ako, wala akong ginagawang masama, happy ako, ang priority ko is trabaho ko. Ayan nga, may bago na naman akong sitcom with JOEY Marquez and Rhian Ramos, 'Kaya Ba ng Powers Mo'."
**********
THE ANNUAL CINEMALAYA Indie filmfest opens this Friday and the first entry you should see is Joel Lamangan’s emotionally charged drama, “Sigwa”, about the First Quarter Storm that saw the rise of political activism in 1970. This will be nostalgic for all those who belong to that generation and got involved in protest rallies of that era. It opens with Marcos declaring martial law. We were volunteers then at the 1972 flood relief operations in Taguig, working with activists who belong to the Zone One Tondo Organization or ZOTO so the scenes in the movie brought back memories of friends who were then active with the movement and who we haven’t seen for ages. Joel dedicates his film to all the heroes and martyrs of that period and one of them is our social worker friend, Purificacion Pedro, who was killed by the military while doing community organization work in Bataan in the mid-70s. In the marker for the heroes shown in the film, the name of our friend Puri was there and we remember that time in 1972 when we went to their hometown in Ilocos Norte and had a good time touring all its towns, not knowing martial law will be declared soon, changing our lives forever.
**********
“Sigwa” is the story of six friends who all got involved in activism during martial law: Dolly (Megan Young then, Dawn Zulueta now), Cita (Pauleen Luna and Zsa Zsa Padilla), Azon (Lovi Poe, Gina Alajar), Oliver (Marvin Agustin, Tirso Cruz III), Rading (Jay Aquitania, Jim Pebanco) and Eddie (Allen Dizon). At the heart of the film is a mother’s quest for her missing daughter. It starts in 2009 when Dolly arrives from the U.S. and reconnects with old friends while searching for the daughter she thought she died. She’s a U.S. citizen who worked in the 70s as a junior correspondent, sided with the leftist movement and had a child with Eddie. She is arrested and deported back to the U.S., entrusting the care of her daughter to Azon.
As she searches for her child, we learn what happens to each of her friends. Among them, it’s Cita who stays in the rebel movement as a hardened amazon who still wants to bring down the government. Oliver is the opposite, an activist who becomes an apologist of the status quo, just like Gary Olivar who was SDK chief honcho and later became Gloria Arroyo’s spokesman. Rading remains poor as a community organizer in the slums while Azon has gotten tired of it all and just wants to lead a quiet life in the province. Eddie is a different story altogether and you’ll have to see the film to find out what happens to him. Suffice it to say that Allen Dizon gives an impressive performance in that key scene (shot tuhog style) showing the fate that befalls Eddie.
Lamangan is well served by the his fine cast who delivers first rate ensemble acting. Dawn Zulueta will be hard to beat in the best actress derby, totally consistent from start to finish, even with her accent. All of them have their shining moments. Gina Alajar will surely be nominated as best supporting actress for her wonderfully restrained acting in that scene where she reveals to Zsa Zsa that the daughter she raised is actually Dawn’s, not hers. Not for a moment did she go overboard. Tirso Cruz is magnificent in the “burol” scene where he meets Dawn and Zsa Zsa in the wake of their former professor (Tony Mabesa) where he explains his reasons for going over to the side of the establishment. This is a very difficult role and it’s to Tirso’s credit that he carries it all so persuasively. At first, we thought Zsa Zsa might not be totally credible in the role of the aging cadre but in all fairness to her, she had herself totally deglamorized and comes out so convincingly in that crucial wake scene where she confronts a former boyfriend after they had a bitter falling out 40 years ago.
Even the younger members of the cast are splendid. Who would have thought Megan Young would be believable as the balikbayan who has a political awakening in her motherland? Her breakdown scene after discovering the man she loves is a traitor is quite heartbreaking. Lovi Poe is also superb in the scene where she’s raped by her tormentors and she gives in to them when she sees them threatening to harm her daughter. Pauleen Luna is properly intense in the scene where she realizes that Marvin has betrayed them.
Boni Ilagan’s script fleshes out the characters well and it’s obviously written by someone who experienced the First Quarter Storm first hand. The film’s technical aspects are also commendable, from the production design to the cinematography and musical score. “Sigwa” opens at the Cultural Center this Friday, with Gala Night on Saturday. Don’t miss it. We won’t be surprised if it’d win as best picture as it succeeds to heartwarmingly tug at our emotions.
