By Maridol A Ranoa
There’s something director Sigrid Andrea Bernardo loves most – more than the accolades and the merry ring of the box office. It’s giving voice to the unheard, that part of humanity we call the voiceless.
That’s why she embraced a job others turned down – directing Metro Manila Filmfest Best Picture I’m Perfect. The fact that lead stars Krystel Go (who won Best Actress) and Earl Amaba have Down Syndrome didn’t keep her from directing the moving film.
Advocacy films
I Fell, It’s Fine, the latest in her list of advocacy films, isn’t about the physically challenged. But its story, revolves around two socially challenged people, Chicks (Rhian Ramos) and Anne (Glaiza de Castro). Anne seems to have it all – a popular resort and an efficient, loyal staff. But she’s an emotional wreck. Her husband (Rafael Rosell) is in love with another woman and wants an annulment. As a child, she found comfort in an imaginary friend whenever her parents fought it out at home.
Chicks is neither here nor there. She lives in the real and unreal world. Their fates collide, and the laughter and tears start to unravel.
To say that the two leads rose to the challenge of playing characters who hesitated between living up to social expectations and being true to themselves is an understatement. Rhian and Glaiza – with their to-die for bodies and beautiful faces – are not mere eye candy. They mirror a full range of emotions – doubt, joy, confusion, surprise. You name it, they can do it convincingly.
It helps a lot that Rhian and Glaiza, or RaStro, exude the chemistry of those who have worked together in the romance film The Rich Man’s Daughter, in 2015. Fans, who flashed LED signs that read RaStro during the I Fell, It’s Fine’s red carpet premiere , are ecstatic. They screamed their lungs out when their idols appeared –Rhian in a flowing lavender gown, Glaiza, in black long sleeved vest and pants.
Sense of humor
It also helps that Bernado, who also wrote the script, has a sense of humor that makes viewers sit up and notice. She played around with the name Chicks and showed how its literal meaning – chicken – tie up loose ends of the story. The viewer can connect the dots about Chicks and Anne, when they see the luscious chicken that appeared twice – ready to be devoured.
Also ready to be devoured – for audience’s viewing pleasure – is the crystal-clear blue waters of the place where Rhian and Glaiza frolic. The picturesque scene engages viewers the way the actresses’ one piece swimsuits bring out their curves.
The danger lies in staying stuck in the obvious — the lovely faces and gorgeous bodies on screen. These shouldn’t mask the deeper message – about breaking age-old stereotypes and staying open to possibilities – about gender, love and all things in between.
If someone like Chicks hogs the real and unreal world, we must look beyond the obvious. We must acknowledge that we can be wrong in judging others based on what we see or hear. We must redefine things and look for other perspectives.
The film takes potshots at gender biases. One can also expand this to other biases – looks, intellect, age, etc. This reduces or removes the fear of taking the road less traveled, because it leads to many wonderful discoveries.
Bernardo not only shows this in her films. She lives it in her career as celebrated writer and director.
(I Fell, It’s Fine, produced by Wide International, opens April 4 in cinemas nationwide).
