It was quiet on the set. Everyone was busy but the atmosphere was all chill. Former senator Jinggoy Estrada was seated in a corner with some of his co-stars.
Sylvia Sanchez, Ariella Arida, Jake Ejercito, and Martin del Rosario were in front of the vanity mirror while the makeup artists prepare them for the next scene. Julian Estrada, Edgar Allan Guzman, and Shaira Diaz were also on the set.
“It’s our last day [of taping] today. It’s a wedding scene,” he told Manila Standard when we approached the 57-year-old former politician.
The movie they’re filming is a family drama, it tackles the complex dynamics of a Filipino family dealing with issues and challenges that threaten to tear it apart.
“But the story revolves around how the power of love prevails, and how forgiveness and redemption can put the broken pieces back together,” Jinggoy shared.
The story centers on the triumphs and travails of Benedicto “Benny” Librada (Jinggoy) who rises from his humble beginnings to further his studies and eventually provides for his family’s brighter future as he works as an OFW in Qatar.
But even the toughest and most loyal patriarchs can stumble and succumb to temptation.
Away from family and caught at his most vulnerable moment, Benny soon finds himself smitten by the charm of Mercy Dungca (Ara Arida), a registered nurse working in a Qatar hospital, who eventually ends up as Benny’s “reluctant mistress.”
Through all her family’s turbulent storms, Salve Librada (Sylvia) threshes out her role as martyr wife to the hilt—maxing her strength and sacrificing her own interests just to keep her family together, and even doing her best to conceal her terminal illness until it’s too late.
“I wanted to do an action film for my comeback movie, but I think I’m too old for that. You think I can still do it? You’re kidding me,” Jinggoy said in jest.
Line produced by ALV Films and produced by Maverick Films, Coming Home eyes to premiere in April as part of the inaugural Summer Metro Manila Film Festival.
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‘Untrue’ unspools tomorrow
Writer and director Sigrid Bernardo describes her film Untrue as acting piece, the cast as brilliant, and the location as gloomy and mysterious.
“The actors gave their all. When you see them onscreen, you will see the characters they play not the celebrities that they are,” Sigrid told Manila Standard.
“And you will see the connection between the characters and the city where the film was shot. It’s gloomy and mysterious, just like Mara and Joaquim in the story. There are so many things that need to be uncovered. The place is unfamiliar and that adds character to the film. We could’ve chosen a different city but that means the story would change, too,” she carried on.
Untrue was partly shot in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia. In this big-screen project, Cristine Reyes and Xian Lim star as two lonely Filipino migrants in the country.
After finding solace and companionship in each other, they hastily get married, without even getting to know each other very well.
When their fiery romance turns into heated arguments and physical abuse, Mara (Cristine) goes straight to the Georgian police. Following her narration of how she married a mad man, Joaquim (Xian) defends himself with his own version of the events, pointing to his wife as the real lunatic.
In this he-said/she-said film, a strange apparition of a woman adds to the suspense. As Mara and Joaquim fight to discredit each other, truth, lies, and a dark past are brought to the surface.
