Status: It's Complicated' A Tribute To National Artist Ishmael Bernal's 'Salawahan'

WRITER-DIRECTOR CHRIS Martinez (best known for “100”, “Here Comes the Bride”, “I Do Bidoo”) pays tribute to one of the late National Artist Ishmael Bernal’s charming sex-comedy, “Salawahan”, made in 1979, a very prolific year for Bernal as he also did “Aliw”, “Boy Kodyak”, “Menor de Edad” and an episode in the twinbill “Bakit May Pag-ibig Pa” that same year. “Salawahan” starred Miss Rita Gomez, Jay Ilagan, Matt Ranillo III, Sandy Andolong and Rio Locsin. Chris also plans to do a movie later on the life of Bernal, with the script written by Ricky Lee.

For today’s generation, “Salawahan” has been retitled as “Status: It’s Complicated” and now stars Miss Eugene Domingo, Jake Cuenca, Maja Salvador, Paulo Avelino and Solenn Heussaff. Just like “Salawahan” that dealth with love and sex and relationships, “Status: It’s Complicated” also tackles the same ticklish issues but updated to give the film a more modern flavour. For instance, Jake says this line in one scene: “Walang lovelife, walang sex life equals nganga!” Very now, isn’t it?

Jake plays Manny, a ladies man who can get any woman he fancies, until he meets Maja as Rina, a hot babe who proves to be hard to get as she’s very conservative. It’s Maja who’ll change his liberated views about love and courtship. Will they be able to accept each other’s value systems? Direk Chris says viewers will surely laugh and be able to identify with the various characters’ quirks and situations in “Status: It’s Complicated”, a revealing portrait of today’s generation that is raised on social media. The film opens in theatres on November 6.