‘Until She Remembers’ examines love when memory fails
MANILA, Philippines — Amid the well-photographed, crisp trailer of “Until She Remembers,” images of women emerge one by one, accompanied by their voices. They presumably represent three generations of “life’s passers-by,” defined and shaped by their era’s pervading norms.
Two of them seem to have already found what living entails, like love, while the youngest is still in the process of discovering it.
The unnamed dramatis personae are enveloped in this melancholic sound, yet with a tinge of hope and anticipation of knowing what it was like before.
Coming together to bring the story, encapsulated in it, to the big screen are seasoned actresses Boots Anson Roa-Rodrigo and Charo Santos-Concio, young actress Barbie Forteza as well as the Cannes-winning filmmaker Brillante Mendoza.
Boots takes on the character Catherine with dementia, while Charo and Barbie play the grandmother and granddaughter, Concha and Angel, who help take care of Catherine.
Telling the intersecting lives of Catherine, Concha and Angel is direk Brillante.
“Actually, marami kasing aspeto yung film (it has many aspects and facets),” said the director when he and his stars were asked about the takeaways and themes about gender and love that the film might offer to viewers in a recent presscon.
“It might be, makikita natin from the LGBTQ community (perspective), meron kasi silang take dun sa film na parang very positive and at the same time, yung mga elderly din natin, maganda rin yung kanilang take (the LGBTQ community and the elderly have a positive take on it).”
Prior to the media call, added he, they had a private screening with various organizations representing the LGBTQ community, the medical field, composed of psychologists and physicians, and an Alzheimer’s support group.
“And so far, lahat sila very positive ang kanilang mga comments about the film (they all gave very positive comments), especially (regarding) the elderly, (like) how the young people should take care of the elders,” shared direk Brillante. “Yung ating kultura na pagmamahal sa ating mga lolo at lola, di ba?”
As for the LGBTQ community, he described the portrayal as “very enlightening and very positive.”
So, the LGBTQ relationship in the movie is devoid of the usual stereotypes, as one may put it.
“Ang inaasahan ko sana bilang isa sa mga takeaway ng mga manonood dito ay ang kanilang pananaw sa pagmamahal or love (what I’m hoping for as one of the audience’s takeaways from the movie is their perspective about love),” said Boots, “that love is really a decision… and a commitment.”
And at its core, it can transcend or go beyond differences and disparity in gender, culture and community, as one could glean from her comments. So, love is love, regardless of social stature, age and gender.
With Charo, as a viewer and not the character Concha, she shared, “Yung great love mo hindi mo yan makakalimutan (you will never forget your great love). Mananatili siya sa puso mo… at kahit na may dumating na pagsubok (It will remain in your heart, despite challenges), like loss of memory, ganyan.”
The behind-the-scenes videos and short interviews, meanwhile, had Boots sharing that “Until She Remembers” is a “love story, it’s a family story… it’s very relevant to the times,” and Charo saying, “This is an unusual love story, may twist silang aabangan… But just like every love story di ba, falling in love is, I think, the same for every human being who feels love and dedication for a lover… ‘pag umibig ka, umibig ka talaga. And I think it’s the same feeling that everyone goes through.”
And the witness of this love is the 16-year-old-girl Angel, played by Barbie.
“Dahil galing ho siya sa pamilya na hindi siya pinapansin (since she comes from a family that doesn’t give her attention), so, from there, nakulangan siya sa pagmamahal galing sa pamilya niya (the character lacks in parental affection),” said she.
“She (Angel) went and searched for the true meaning of love because she couldn’t get it from her family, and so when she discovered that there was such a thing as ‘great love,’ she hurriedly participated in that just to make it come true.”
So, even as it may sound cliché, one deserves to love and to be loved.
True love defies and survives not just the passage of time, but also the “inconsistency” of memory. Please watch “Until She Remembers” on Feb. 25 in cinemas nationwide.
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