Currently streaming on AQ Prime’s Director’s Cut app and arousing the curiosity of many is Greg Colasito’s Upuan, a contemporary motion picture that presents the lives of two women who share a meaningful and passionate different kind of love and a man that seems to be the hindrance to their “happily ever after and new forever.”
According to director Colasito, Upuan is a cut above the rest because it is a lesbian movie that presents its points of view, emotions, honesty, fears, troubles, and how they fight to make their relationship work. Also, Krista Miller and Nikka Madrid hare are not the lesbians that we are so used to seeing on screen.
“What we have here are two women who are sincere with their love and kung paano naging kumplikado ang mga buhay nila dahil marami ang may hindi gusto sa mga relasyong babae na nagmamahal sa kapwa babae,” Colasito expalins.
Miller’s character has another layer of emotional complication because she is married to Sean, which Andrew Gan portrays.
Gan describes Sean as a hard-working, successful man whose priorities are his family and of course, the love of his life, Kristina. However, something unfortunate happens to him, and becomes disabled. This reality sucks big time for Sean.”
“It was difficult for him to accept that he is baldado, so dependent on others for his care and welfare. He easily flares up, and shouts. He does all that to hide his insecurities, especially his feeling of being kaawa-awa,” Andrew says of Sean’s emotional ordeals.
“As an actor, all these emotions that Sean experiences are not only challenging but daunting. On my part, ninamnam ko talaga si Sean. My imagination helped me in fleshing Sean out. When I start embracing my character and eventually becoming him, my imagination becomes ballistic. It helps me as an actor to not only be in my character’s shoes but give him the emotional truth that I must invest,” Andrew states.
Gan’s Sean, is not privy to the sexual preference and orientation of his wife Kristina and this reality, says Andrew: “That is a bigger emotional blow to him. Kasi nga disbled na siya then he discovers that lesbian ang wife niya and is in love with somebody else. Big-time pain and shock, definitely!”
“The truth exacerbated his insecurities,” Gan goes on. “Feeling talaga ni Sean, mas lalo siyang naging walang silbi, walang sinabi, lala na yung pagiig lalaki at pagkalalaki niya.”
“How a man like him goes through that whole emotional cycle of anger, denial, and eventually, accepts that what is happening to him and to Kristina, is not for naught, but for the best, is the most admirable thing about Sean,” avers Andrew.
The rising actor believes that viewers must support Upuan because all the characters in the film are relatable – flawed and beautiful at the same time.
“The experiences they go through as characters in this film by director Gilbert, we can relate to their hurt and happiness, pleasure and pain, choosing between I love you and goodbye, of a love or a dream that is worth fighting for.”
Gan declares: “I am ready to give life, heart, and soul to everything. Doing roles that are totally different from who I am, becoming them and showing to all that these people, there is so much about them that we do not understand, and pushing forward the envelope of confused, demented, troubled, and dark characters and being able to show their humanity to others and get the sympathy they deserve, as an actor, ang sarap nun.”
Andrew hopes that more AQ Prime films get more support and love from the public since the streaming platform offers movies with narratives that are daring, out of the box, and titillating.
“They definitely spark conversation and the deeper understanding of people, their morality and psyche. AQ Prime does its share in enlivening and boosting the entertainment industry. Tumutulong ang AQ Prime sa mga Pilipino at sa bayan. Proud to be part of this progressive film company,” he ends.