Cristine-Baron’s ‘Dearly Beloved’ is contemporary spin on Vilma-Christopher’s iconic ‘Relasyon’
MANILA, Philippines — Baron Geisler and Cristine Reyes are paired up in the relationship drama “Dearly Beloved,” which evokes the spirit of Vilma Santos-Christopher de Leon’s revered 1982 starrer “Relasyon.”
The iconic film of the late Ishmael Bernal followed the “trials and tribulations” of Vilma’s character, a young woman who got entangled with a married man (Christopher). When they decided to move in together, that was when all the problems came to surface. “Relasyon” gave Vilma her first-ever grand slam victory after she swept all major acting awards that year.
In Viva Films’ upcoming “Dearly Beloved,” Deo (Baron) and Shel (Cristine) fall madly in love with each other after a chance encounter at a bar. They soon live together and start building their own family but things unravel not long after, as both Deo and Shel are still legally tied to their ex-spouses.
Adding to the complexity of their situation are challenges of living within a blended family. Apart from their own son, Gelo, they also have Nathan (Shel’s son with her ex-husband) and Trixie and Levi (Deo’s children with his ex-wife). This setup exposes them to harsh judgements that inevitably affect their relationship further. Given all these, can they ever stop their relationship from imploding?
When The STAR asked what served as inspiration for “Dearly Beloved,” director Marla Ancheta revealed, “It was Boss Vincent (del Rosario) who gave this idea that he wanted a story similar to ‘Relasyon’ of Vilma Santos and Christopher de Leon. I personally got excited because I really have friends in this situation — blended families — that whenever talked about, it’s just among us. Feeling nila, tinatago ba?
“So, I was excited when Boss Vincent told us to develop a story and script with that theme. And I found it challenging because I loved that film. (When I learned about it, my reaction was), ‘Shucks, we’re going to do our own version, a modern version, this is a big deal.’”
Part of her preparation was to rewatch “Relasyon.” “Ni-review namin ulit, tiningnan paano siya gagawing modern yung take ng story, how to make it relatable because it was set in the ‘80s. Iba yung atake nuon. We really reviewed it so as to determine how we would approach (the story) and make present-day families relate to it more. One of them was about the blended family talaga.”
As for the casting, they had to enlist actors who could be the Vilma and Christopher of today.
“Of course, kasama talaga yun. Iniisip namin sino ang younger version nila ngayon. Kailangan natin isipin yun because ganun yung atake ng film. Since this was also Viva, of course si Cristine. And for the guys, sino papasok natin dyan? And at that time, Viva pa si Baron.”
Of course, it also helped that she and Baron worked together in the 2022 Netflix hit “Doll House.”
Direk Marla further explained that they were looking at “not the looks but more on the acting capability and range that they can deliver because this is a serious film.”
Meanwhile, the stars themselves shared the reason why they said yes to the project. For Cristine, the film was nothing like anything she has done in the past.
“It is a mirror of the other kind of family setup that we don’t often see on screen,” she said.
Baron, on the other hand, shared that when it was first offered to him, he initially thought it was a joke. “Oct. 2022 when Boss Vic (Viva Big Boss Vic del Rosario) called me up and said, ‘You’re going to do a film. This is like ‘Relasyon’ of Boyet (Christopher) and Vilma. Maganda linyahan dito. Magaling writer, maganda pagkasulat,at saka yung director mo, si Marla of ‘Doll House.’
“Akala ko dyino-joketime ako kasi dati puro Vivamax yung binibigay sa akin (laughs). I said, wow, big responsibility! So, when I read the script, I called up direk Marla and told her that I was feeling nervous and that the lines were long that she had to guide me. I even asked for a workshop! I asked her a lot of things but the only thing she told me was, ‘You know, Baron, you can do it.’”
Blended families
Call it coincidence but perhaps it’s safe to say that the film struck close to home for its lead stars.
It’s not the most ideal family setup to be in but in the case of Baron and his wife Jamie Evangelista, “it’s working.”
When asked how they could connect film’s core themes and messages to their personal lives, Baron shared, “Well, I think most of you know that I’m in a blended family and by God’s grace, it’s working. We’re happy, I have no complaints.”
“It just takes a lot of effort like when I started with Jamie, when our relationship was still very new, hindi lang po siya yung niligawan. Niligawan ko rin yung two boys niya and by loving their mother so much, naging normal yung respect nila sa akin. Nagkaroon ako ng relationship with my two boys and I treat them as my own,” added the actor, who also has a baby girl named Tali with Jamie.
“And it’s a decision of making good choices,” he continued.
“Still, your choices may be good but there will always be consequences when it comes to a blended family. So, I just have to be… actually, me and Jamie, we just have to be ready for whatever life brings us. To be ready and prepared.”
Cristine also offered her take on the theme, saying, “In terms of having a blended family, I think sa ano lang yan nagma-matter, yung parang common sense lang ‘di ba? Past is past and you have to move forward to your present life. So, you just deal with what you have right now and deal with it accordingly.
“You just take out the drama because it’s all in the past. Move on and give it your best shot. You know, just bring with you the learnings from the past and itama mo na ngayon,” said the actress, who is reportedly annulled from her ex-husband and the father of her daughter Amarah, and happily in a relationship with actor Marco Gumabao.
Baron further reflected that his blended family turned him into a more mature person. “Because it takes a lot of maturity to understand, you know, her past, past traumas. Then, healing together and of course, our mission and vision not only for the kids but also for our love — where is this relationship heading to?” he shared.
“And that feeling of security that whatever happens, knowing her past and she also knows mine, the most important thing is we both respect each other as individuals. We just have to stumble forward and be prepared. Because there are lot of obstacles in life, it’s not all flowers.”
“But if you have a strong mind and faith in God, you can make it,” stressed Cristine.
To which Baron wholeheartedly agreed: “Ako lang, mag-fa-five years na kaming married ng wife ko. That’s my longest relationship. We’ve been together for six years and a half, and five years (as a married couple). And I’ve learned so much from my partner also because sobrang open ko rin.”
“Dearly Beloved,” which opens in theaters on March 30, also stars Althea Ruedas, Phoebe Walker, JC Tiuseco, Robbie Watchel, Tyro Daylusan, Charles Law, Ivan Padilla, Rey PJ Abellana, Marissa Sanchez, Ana Luna, Erica Ladiza, Guji Lorenzana and Nicco Manalo.
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