Juday excellent in ‘Kusina’

Judy Ann Santos delivers a knockout performance in the Cinemalaya entry “Kusina.” The movie is directed by David Corpuz and Cenon Palomares, who wrote the script that won the grand prize at the 2006 Palanca Awards.

 The structure of the film is like that of a theatrical play and the whole movie is stylized from beginning to end. It is something that might not appeal to viewers who go for escapist entertainment. The story revolves inside a kitchen, an improvised set with some makeshift props built on a soundstage. The film makes use of daring dramatic license and minimalist theatrical devices.

 While the audience might have some problem watching the movie because of its unconventional way of telling the story, it is the performance of Juday that holds the film together and makes it work.

 She was very good, in fact, we should say very excellent in her portrayal. We can’t think of any other actress to play the role of Juanita.

 Juanita is Juday and Juday is Juanita. One thing you should watch out for is her breakdown scene where she’s shown writhing and caterwauling on the floor. She did it so well and it was so moving. Done by a lesser actress, that scene would have probably come out flat. But Juday owns the scene and delivers it with aplomb.

 The ending shows a smiling Juanita finally serving her favorite adobo dish to the all the people she loves. Her smile and her expression shows that she is happy with the life she chose – a mother who will give her unconditional love to all those who are dear to her.

 Providing good support are Luis Alandy and Joem Bascon who play the men in Juanita’s life, and Gloria Sevilla, who plays Juday’s grandmother. The directors could have chosen better actresses for the other roles and that would have made the movie even more interesting. Nonetheless, Juday’s performance alone is already worth your while.

 “Kusina” will have its gala premiere on Tuesday, August 9, at the CCP Main Theater. It will also be shown at Ayala Center Cebu. Check the Cinemalaya website for the exact screening hours.

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Barbie Forteza is playing an important role in the movie “Tuos,” a Cinemalaya entry where she co-stars with Ms. Nora Aunor. She plays the granddaughter of Nora in the movie and she accepted the film for the chance to work with the iconic actress.

 But it seems her home network or should we say, GMA Artist Center, is not proud of her. They are not supporting her by at least holding a solo press conference for her to drumbeat her participation in Cinemalaya, a prestigious indie filmfest.

 Two years ago, Barbie won a best supporting actress at Cinemalaya for the movie “Mariquina,” but GMA Artist Center chose to be silent about it. We don’t remember them coming out with press releases or congratulatory plugs to support Barbie’s victory.

 Just recently, Barbie won an acting award in an international film festival for her work in Louie Ignacio’s “Laut,” but as usual, GMA Artist Center greeted it with silence. That’s how proud GMA Artist Center is of the achievement of their stars.

 It is not only Barbie who gets such kind of treatment from GMA Artist Center. Same predicament happened to Kristoffer Martin who won best supporting actor honors at the Golden Screen Awards. No fanfare for his victory. Not even press releases to say they are proud of their homegrown star’s achievement.

 Had Barbie been a talent of ABS-CBN and is being managed by Star Magic, her victory in Cinemalaya two years ago or at the international film festival joined by “Laut” would have probably been given prominence. They would have probably given her a solo presscon to celebrate her triumph.

 And she would probably have a solo presscon as well for her being a part of “Laut” where she works for the first time with the Superstar. That would have been great news.

 Despite the shabby treatment that Barbie is getting from GMA Artist Center, we are happy that she is taking risks in her career. She understands that taking risks in accepting projects will move her career further. She is aware that she should not be limiting herself to cutesy rom-com teleserye roles. She can do better than making pa-tweetums with her leading man.

 Taking a risk like auditioning for Cinemalaya projects is certainly a good move for her. In “Tuos,” she even has a love scene with Ronwaldo Martin. More than the love scene, it is the chance to work with Nora that made her audition and she was understandably thrilled when she got the part.

 Of course, the love scene was another matter that she had to hurdle because it is something that she is not ready to do. Good thing her director, Derick Cabrido, took pains to explain to Barbie and her parents how important the love scene is for her role. And she was assured by her director that the love scene will be handled well. Her dad was on the set when the crucial scene was shot.

Part of getting through her depression is learning how to manage her pain in a healthy way, which she’s found by practicing yoga.

 “Yoga’s the only way I can really feel things and check how I am. Because there is always pain somewhere, even if it’s completely irrational pain, and it’s always good to find it and get it out,” she explained.

 “If I don’t cry pretty much every day I will hold it in, and it will manifest in me in things that are destructive, like my skin.”

 Crying is a bit of a rough subject for Delevingne, who associates it with her childhood. However, she’s had to learn how to do so for her acting career.

 “I don’t think I have ever, ever cried in front of more than one person,” the British star admitted. “Because I grew up in this very ‘Emotion is weak, head up, move on, onward and upward’ kind of way. Which is not healthy.”

 “Will Smith was telling me he brought up his kids to put their emotions first, and when I heard that, I was just like, ‘Oh my God, that sounds like a fairy tale.’ Because emotions should be put first.”

 The “Suicide Squad” star had previously told E! News about publicly discussing her depression: “Mental illness goes unseen, but hopefully I don’t want it to be unheard. I want to speak up for it,” she said. 

 Despite her stardom, she had taken a relatively private approach to her personal life until 2015 when she spoke openly about her relationship with 33-year-old musician St. Vincent.

 A year later, the blossoming actress has discovered what she considers the true meaning of life. “I’m completely in love. Before, I didn’t know what real love was,” she said in the September issue of British Vogue.

 Initially, she was not so open to the thought of having a relationship with a woman. Last year, she told Vogue “it took me a long time to accept the idea.”

 Now, Delevingne does not have any qualms about what you call her. “As a child, I used gay as a bad word, as in, ‘that’s so gay.’ All my friends did. I’m obviously in love, so if people want to say I’m gay, that’s great.”