The less than three-minute trailer of Cathy Garcia-Sampana’s Meet, Greet & Bye, shown for the first time at the Dolphy Theater, left everyone in the venue emotional, some even in tears, after getting a first look at Star Cinema’s latest family drama.
Right after the unveiling of the teaser, the cast members were seen onstage with tears forming in their eyes. The host then asked audience members what they thought about the film’s premise, and most admitted they could easily relate to the story, saying they had once been in the same situation as the characters.
Meet, Greet & Bye tells the story of the Facundo family and explores love, laughter, togetherness, and pain. The film stars Piolo Pascual, Joshua Garcia, Belle Mariano, Juan Karlos, and Maricel Soriano.
Opening in cinemas nationwide and in some international territories beginning Nov. 12, the newest offering from Star Cinema follows Mama Baby (Soriano), a mother who faces cancer anew but refuses to undergo chemotherapy after losing hope of recovery. Her four children, Tupe (Pascual), Brad (Garcia), Leo (Juan Karlos), and Geri (Mariano) join forces to find and push for alternative treatment before time runs out.
During the film’s media conference, Soriano, who’s returning to Star Cinema after her 2007 film A Love Story, expressed pride in the project.
“Umikot na agad yung utak ko when they gave the casting, and I asked, ‘So, kailan ang shooting?’,” she said. “Sana yung mensahe umabot sa manonood natin. It will give so much importance to the people you love in your life.”
Pascual, who is also doing his first Star Cinema project after eight years, described the film as painfully relatable.
“It was really hard to do because, I don’t want to say personally, but it hits close to home, especially for Filipino families. It’s something we have to face inevitably, no matter who we lose, as long as he’s part of the family,” he said.
Juan Karlos agreed, saying, “Especially with what I personally went through in life, it’s also way too close.”
According to writers Jumbo Albano and Patrick Valencia, the story was inspired by the universal fear of losing a parent.
“What really pushed us to tell this story is that this is our love letter to our parents, the same way kung paano siya naging love letter din ni Direk [Cathy] sa kanyang mga anak,” Albano noted.
“It’s a universal fear for everyone to lose yung mahal nila sa buhay, so yun ang naging focus namin while writing this story na sana maraming tao ang maka-relate. Gusto naming ikwento ‘to kasi kwento natin itong lahat,” added Valencia.
