CHERRY PIE PICACHE didn’t have second thoughts playing the role of a woman who gave birth to a fish in “Isda, Fable of the Fish”, the 3rd Cinemalaya entry of Dir. Adolf Alix (after “Donsol” about whale sharks and “Kadin” about a goat) that might give her another acting award and opens at the CCP and Greenbelt 3 on Saturday. “Very challenging ang role kasi napakasimpleng babae ni Lina,” she says. “Mas simple, mas mahirap gawin. Galing sila sa province ng husband niyang si Miguel (Bembol Roco) and they moved to Manila to improve their lives but nasadlak sila sa dumpsite sa Catmon, Malabon. Dream niya maging ina but when she gave birth sa gitna ng baha, isda ang lumabas. Tinanggap niya ng buong-buo na anak niya nga ito at tinawag niyang Miguelito, kahit mismong asawa niya, hindi makapaniwalang minahal niya yung isda. Challenge din yung palabasin mo siyang normal at hindi baliw. Pati yung lugar where we shot, challenge din kasi mabaho, maputik, and the mountain of plastics is just incredible kaya ayoko ng gumamit ng plastic kasi kita mong di talaga sila natutunaw kahit after several years. But it’s an honor working with Bembol as my husband. Masarap katrabaho at plakado niya yung role niya. I respect him so much.”
Adolf Alix says the film is based on the short story of Jerry Gracio that won at the Palanca Awards in 2002, which is in turn based on a story featured in the late Inday Badiday’s “Eye to Eye” years ago about a woman who gave birth to a mudfish. For the movie, they wanted to get a milkfish as Cherry Pie’s son but it dies easily so they got a bala shark instead that cost P2,500 each. All in all, they used a total of 7 bala sharks in the course of the filming. “Mas mahal pa siya kaysa sa talent ng mga artista,” says asst. director Arman Reyes.
“You don’t do films like this naman for the money,” says Cherry Pie. “You do it for your soul.”
Also in “Isda” are Anita Linda as the comadrona present when Cherry Pie delivered the fish, Rosanna Roces as the wife of Arnold Reyes with several kids, Angel Aquino as the journalist who reports on the incident, Evelyn Vargas as Cherry Pie’s best friend, and Alan Paule as Bembol’s drinking buddy.
