Of past loves & future friends

MANILA, Philippines - The presscon started with the media being asked, “Would they still consider being friends with past lovers?”

In the panel were director Prime Cruz and the cast of Star Cinema’s Can We Still Be Friends? featuring Gerald Anderson and Arci Muñoz.

The general consensus is that it will depend on how partners broke up.

Gerald says he would prefer being friends with past girlfriends than to act total strangers.

“Showbiz is a small world and whether we like it or not, we will bump into each other sooner or later. But truly, I prefer being friends with past partners. It is good for the soul and for your peace of mind as well. For one, high regard for past lovers is what I try to keep regardless of how you broke up. When we were at the prime of that relationship, respect has always been there. I don’t see why we should lose it just because the relationship has ended. We make mistakes, we learn something from that and we move on by just being friends. Like I ended up being in a project with a past relationship and we were both cordial throughout the taping and ended being friends again. We never really lost our respect for each other.”

Direk Prime says he got the idea for the movie when her writer-girlfriend Jen Chuaunsu learned about partners moving on from past relationship. “We got curious and the story was developed as we discussed the idea of past partners still ending up as friends. It is a complex situation but somehow we found a way to make the story relatable to everyone.”

The young director admits there were nervous moments during the first shooting day. After all, this is his first major project with a major network and with big stars in the cast.

Gerald with his pet dog. He keeps high regard for ex-partners regardless of how they broke up.

He bravely got to work by simply reminding himself that filmmaking is a product of good collaboration. “Of course, we have the script but before they face the cameras, I ask the cast if they have other ideas on how a scene should be executed. So, if they suggest something that will help bring the character to life, I give them that leeway. I have always believed actors can contribute a lot in the outcome of the film.”

On his part, Gerald says he enjoyed his first collaboration with Prime. “He has an open mind about how we can make the characters more interesting. So, I suggest something and more often than not, he agrees without losing track of the main thread of the story. I really enjoyed working with him.”

For the record, direk Prime was discovered in the indie circuit and his first feature film Sleepless (still showing in SM cinemas) won the NETPAC Jury Prize for Best Picture at the Quezon City International Film Festival and he bagged the Best Director award for his second output, Ang Manananggal Sa Unit 23-B.

Direk Prime is aware that his latest output is meant for bigger audiences and bigger stars with bigger following. “The transition is not tough after working closely with your actors. In any project, you always try to find the truth and incorporate your own experience in it. Of course, it will happen that it will never be 100 percent the truth you have in mind because you are not alone in this endeavor. There is the studio, the audience and your vision on how the film should look like. I don’t really work with certain specific audience in mind. I just want to tell a good story and if millennials and non-millennials can relate to it, it is good enough for me.”

Can We Still Be Friends? opens in cinemas on June 14.