The sonata of their lives

The movie industry is not dead after all. Neither has it been, as often been described by worried industry people, dying a slow death, afflicted with symptoms caused by competition from foreign films and television, worsened by film piracy.

“Eight years ago,” Peque Gallaga admitted with a note of surrender in his booming voice. “I did say that Filipino movies are dead. Nobody was talking about movies anymore; they were just talking about teleseryes. I was wrong.”

Like phoenix, the movie industry has risen from the doldrums, proving that it’s alive and well, kicking with lethal impact.

“There’s a lot of exciting things happening in Philippine movies again,” continued Peque. “We have great, new and young directors and scriptwriters, actors and cinematographers…ang dami-daming talents,” lamenting over the days when producers, singling out Regal Matriarch Mother Lily Monteverde, were producing movies but no body was watching. “Mother Lily had, as she herself confessed, one foot in the grave. Like Charo Santos-Concio (previously of Star Cinema and now ABS-CBN big boss), Mother Lily was a great producer because both she and Charo were great movie fans. They admitted watching shootings and chasing stars when they were young.”

Well, happy days are here again!

The indies are lording it over film festivals both locally and internationally, attracting a new market. Kicked off last Saturday is the pioneering National Film Festival All Masters Edition which is showcasing the works of 12 directors (did anybody back out?) set for screening Sept. 11-17 nationwide in SM Cinemas which is supporting the brainchild of Briccio Santos, chairman of FDCP (Film Development Council of the Philippines), which gave each director P1M seed money to do a movie preferably shot (maybe entirely or in part) in their native towns (Maryo J. delos Reyes’ Bamboo Flowers in Bohol, Gil Portes’ Isang Tag-araw ni Twinkle and Mel Chionglo’s Lauriana in Quezon, Chito Roño’s Badil in Samar, etc.).

“It’s a celebration,” said Peque’s co-director Lore Reyes, an important film event that hasn’t happened since the 1982 Experimental Cinema of the Philippines (ECP) spearheaded by then First Daughter and now Ilocos Sur Gov. Imee Marcos. It showcases the great minds in the industry, with potential classics lined up. “Most of them have been Rated A by CEB (Cinema Evaluation Board),” noted Lore.

Peque shot his entry (the filmfest is non-competition), Sonata, in eight days in Manapla, Negros Occidental, with scenes right in the house where he filmed his classic 1982 epic drama Oro, Plata, Mata, employing his fellow Bacolodnons who are acting neophytes, one of them a boy as the bosom buddy of the character of Cherie Gil.

Written by Peque’s son Wanggo, Sonata is the story of Regina Cadena, an opera diva on the verge of a nervous breakdown after losing her voice. She returns to Negros Occidental and through a young boy (Chino Jalandoni, who turned out to be the grandnephew of Joel Torre who himself was discovered by Peque for Oro) rediscovers her life and her art. As the world of the well-traveled opera diva collides with the world of the boy in the throes of exploration, they both discover the healing powers of art and love…and music.

Music and sound play an important role in Sonata (musical director is Emerzon Texon and sound designer is Mike Idioma) — so you have to be “all ears” when you watch it — as music does in the Peque Gallaga style of directing.

“Yes,” said Peque whose “comeback” movie, Seduction (with sweethearts Richard Gutierrez and Sarah Lahbati), was shown early this year, “I motivate my actors by making them listen to music which varies depending on the kind of scene that we’re shooting,” adding with a laugh, “I’m done with sex and violence, with which I’ve been involved in all my professional life. But I’m 70 years na and all of a sudden sex and violence have become pretty useless to me. You will know what I mean when you see Sonata which is a beautiful love story.” Yes, sans sex and violence, only music and how it can beautify one’s life.

Peque and Cherie have worked together on several projects (starting with Oro when Cherie was barely 20). They are not just professional partners but very good friends, more like brother and sister.

“I’m overjoyed because it’s the first time I’m doing anything like this,” said an excited Cherie who is not only starring in the movie but also co-producing it, investing P1M of her own money. “It’s a dream role, something I’ve never done before. It’s a welcome departure from the kontrabida roles I’ve been doing,” adding in jest, “I’m tired of slapping my co-stars. Before the shoot, I thought I would be going through difficulty in Bacolod but my worry was proven wrong. I have to learn French, German and Ilonggo, and the hardest by far was Ilonggo. The set was a perfect environment for good work and creativity. I was in good hands.”

Cherie named her company MYOWNMANN because her paternal German surname, Eigenmann, means “own man” in English, having been wanderers or freelancers who survive in whichever way necessary then.

“I took the liberty of adding MY to arrive at the acronym MOM,” explained Cherie. “Through most of our growing-up years, my brothers Michael and Mark and I were brought up by our mother whose name is Rose Marie. In the logo, the ‘o’ was changed to a rose.”

There’s one good reason why Cherie deeply identifies with the Regina Cadena character, the second diva that she’s portraying after Maria Callas in a play last year. In September 2012, in danger of losing her voice, Cherie went to New York to have her vocal cords treated by a specialist. She was, like Regina Cadena, depressed (though not on the verge of a nervous breakdown), facing a crossroad in her life.

“I went to New York hoping that I’d be transplanted with Adele’s voice box,” joked Cherie whose voice is better now, smoother and less husky. “It was Adele’s doctor who also treated me. You see, the voice means more than just the voice box; it’s more an instrument of an actor. Arriving at this stage in my life, I have a new voice. Binigyan ako ng second chance. It’s kind of symbolic that I went through an operation. They only cleaned one side, not both, but I feel better now. I’m still struggling with singing but I’m getting there.”

In more ways than one, Cherie Gil is Regina Cadena and Regina Cadena is Cherie Gil.

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