Snooky returns to drama

MANILA, Philippines - Snooky Serna returns to top form in Joel Lamangan’s forthcoming drama, Sagrada Familia. For her new role, Snooky is deglamorized as she plays Merle Asero, a working mother and wife who applies for a job as an OFW for financial stability for her family. Married to a security guard, Johnny (played by Urian award winning actor Emilio Garcia), Merle has big dreams for her daughter Kat who wants to take up medicine. Little does Merle know that her being away causes her family to fall apart. Returning to the country after a few years, Merle discovers that her family has disappeared. Here begins her endless search for her husband and daughter, and the devastation that awaits her.

Snooky is excited about her new role because it brings her back in her finest elements. Her last big role was more than a decade ago in Reyna films’ Inagaw Mo ang Lahat Sa akin. While it is true that Snooky  recently won several awards for her realistic portrayal as an organ broker in last year’s Paupahan, and has appeared in several acclaimed films this year, namely, Mel Chionglo’s Bente and Lamangan’s Dukot, both political dramas, Snooky admits that these roles are supporting in nature. But not in Sagrada Familia. Co-star Gloria Diaz, who plays Snooky’s mother-in-law in the film, admits that it is Snooky’s lead performance that holds this film together. “She worked very hard in this picture, and she was always ahead of all of us in the cast on the set,” recalls Diaz. It also stars Lovi Poe.

Sagrada Familia is the initial venture of Legalas Entertainment Production. It will have special screenings on Dec. 23 at the Robinsons Galleria Cinema 3. The screenings are at 5 and 7:30 p.m. (Premiere and Celebrity Night). Tickets are available at the gate. The screenings are presented by Manila Bulletin, Cherunbim Manpower, Inc. and LVD Multimedia.