Max essays a woman in love in Lockdown

Max Eigenmann continues the cinematic tradition of essaying a self-less woman in love through her character Luz in the Joel Lamangan film, Lockdown, with Paolo Gumabao as the protagonist Danny.

“I play Danny’s girlfriend,” said Max in an e-mail interview. “She would do anything for her partner. And I think any woman who has been in love can relate to that.”

This is far different from her Verdict character, Joy, a victim of domestic violence who seeks justice against her alcoholic husband the perpetrator. Max’s moving performance won for her the Best Performance by an Actress award at the 13th Asia Pacific Screen Awards.

As the film title suggests, Max and Paolo’s personal stories are set against the global health crisis. Paolo’s Danny is among the Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), who got retrenched due to the pandemic and returned to the Philippines. He has to find ways to provide for his family, whose patriarch is ailing. Aside from that, Danny and Luz have plans of getting married.

Max with co-star Paolo Gumabao, as Overseas Filipino Worker Danny, in a scene from the Joel Lamangan film.

For the sake of survival, Danny will consider job possibilities available at hand. One is to enter the world of cybersex performing.

Max’s character, on the other hand, is somehow confronted by the idea of whether to support Danny’s newfound work or not. Is her heart resilient enough to make sense of everything? It’s one of the questions viewers may ask when the movie, produced by the For the Love of Arts Films, streams on July 23 via ktx.ph, upstream.ph and RAD. The lock-in shoot began in September of last year.

According to a showbiz insider, who attended the recent Lockdown’s special screening and followed health and safety protocols, Max proved that there are no small parts (roles) but only small actors. Her take on Luz made it clearer the struggles Danny had to deal with. Max, along with fellow actors, revealed the “truths” about living in these trying times.

“As an artist, you must always present the truth in the work that you do, no matter how inconvenient it is to other people,” said Paolo in a statement. “Truth is truth. The pandemic situation is not a walk in the park to the majority.”

Asked how the pandemic has changed her personal life, Max answered: “It made me filter out my circle. It made me realize more what my priorities really are. It affected my income and I think that was the same for everybody.”

At the beginning of the lockdown last year, recalled Max, she tried yoga to keep a positive outlook in life. “Yoga really helped my mental health. It made me stay calm and be patient. One thing that came out good from the pandemic is that I got to spend a lot of time with my family.”

Since the pandemic has given everyone the time to reflect on, the actress couldn’t help but share insights gained these past months.

“That many of the things I held dear to me turned out to be some things I didn’t need,” said Max. “It made me appreciate the simpler things in life. Like getting to sit down with your family and eat dinner together, every day. It made me realize that above all, family is the most important and most stable part of my life. And it gave me inspiration to start new things I was always afraid to do or try.”

With that, Max started a small food business during the pandemic. It was a smart move for anyone in the creative industry, especially when acting projects were few and far between.

“I’ve always been passionate about food,” said Max. “If it wasn’t for the pandemic, I don’t think I would have found the courage to start selling my food. And I finally did. Blessing din in disguise yung pandemic (The pandemic was a blessing in disguise in a way).”

As for the takeaways audiences will learn from the movie, direk Joel said in a statement that, “what (it) is saying is that in the troubled times that we are all in, it is always safe to follow strict protocol to avoid unnecessary transmission of the virus. Ang taong gipit na gipit sa buhay, kahit na anong uri ng pagkakakitaan ay gagawin, makatulong lang sa mga mahal na magulang kahit ang kabayaran ay ang kanyang dignidad bilang tao o kanyang buhay man.” Max’s Luz is a witness to it as Danny tries to make ends meet for his family whatever it takes.

What are her impressions about Paolo as a collaborator in the film?

“I love his passion and hunger,” said Max. “Nakakahawa yung energy niya (His energy was contagious).”

Also in the cast are Alan Paule, Ruby Ruiz, Jess Evardone, Paul Jake Paule, Jim Pebanco, Angellie Sanoy, Jeff Carpio, Kristian Allene, Sean de Guzman, Dincent Lucero, Mauro Salas, Neil Suarez and Alexis Yasuda.