Direk Laurice Guillen is very proud of comeback project "I Love You, Goodbye"

CEBU, Philippines - She is back! Multi-awarded director Laurice Guillen is back at what she does best and she will definitely not disappoint moviegoers in her latest opus, “I Love You, Goodbye.”

Starring Angelica Panganiban, Kim Chiu, Derek Ramsay and Gabby Concepcion, the movie is Star Cinema’s entry to this year’s Metro Manila Film Festival and will hit theaters nationwide on December 25.

“It’s about people who are in love. It starts with two lovers who get separated, hearts are broken and one of them falls in love with someone else. Then they have a real relationship, bumalik yung old love. It’s a domino effect of relationships between people in love who get separated and fall in love again. Kumabaga ang stars nila get crossed. So parang from a simple tale, a simple love story it becomes a complex love story involving four people,” said Direk Laurice Guillen.

Her last directorial assignment with Star Cinema was the critically acclaimed and box office hit “Tanging Yaman” in 2000. Now, her comeback project with the movie outfit is said to be contending for accolades this 2009.

“It feels just like the last time, yung ‘Tanging Yaman,’ nung shinooting namin yung pelikula, di naman namin shinoot yon para sa film festival. Yet somehow by the time it was finished it was just right for the festival. Eto din, nung sinimulan namin, we actually started this sometime in April I think, or even earlier. So di namin iniisip na magiging entry sa film fest. So parang kasi pag gumagawa ka pa sa festival ngayon, it’s really pampamilya. But then again it hasn’t always been like that,” said Guillen.

“Unique din itong aming storya dahil actually wala naman talagang love story sa mga entries ngayon. There are dramas, but this is a love story. And I know that a lot of people are hungry for love stories for a change. And I haven’t done a film in five years. And I haven’t done a love story in a long time. But this is one of my comfort zones sa filmmaking.”

Her actors are very much honored to have been handled by Direk Laurice.

Angelica, who had worked with Direk Laurice in “Santa Santita” for another movie outfit, said, “Si Direk Laurice kasi ang daming artistang Nangangarap na makatrabaho sya. Kapag may nagtatanong sa akin kung sino director ng movie na to, alam mo yung proud mong sasabihin na si Direk Laurice Guillen tapos reaction ng maririnig mo dun sa tao na ‘Wow talaga buti ka pa! Ako gustong gusto ko syang makatrabaho, ikaw pangilang beses na.’ So ikaw pag nasa harapan ka nya, sobra kang intimidated minsan, di mo alam kung ipapakita mo. Mas mahirap pa dun nagkatrabaho kami before na sinasabi ko sa kanya na as in umiiyak ako kaya nung sinasabi ko kay Direk na natatakot ako.” 

Angelica continued, “Feeling ko mas mataas expectiations nya sa akin ngayon kesa yung nakatrabaho ko siya dati. Syempre ilang years nang nakalipas yon. Mas marami kang experiences na napagdaanan, sinasabi ko sa kanya natatakot ako na ayoko syang madisappoint and at the same time ayoko maging pushy masyado. Ang hirap timplahin nung una pero eventually ok naman. Sobrang thankful lang ako na lagi akong nabibigyan ng chance na makatrabaho ang magagaling na tao.”

Gabby, who has already worked with her several times before, said, “Namimiss ko nang nakakasama si Direk. Nagfa-flashback yung dating ginawa namin, mga workshops na hanggang ngayon ginagawa pa rin nila. Ang laking tulong ng nagawa ni direk in terms of getting to the role, relaxing, getting to the mood. She has the authority and she has that respect, madali na makatrabaho ang isang tao pag ganon. Tsaka matagal ko na siya kakilala. Very smooth ang working relationship namin.”

Gabby also noted that even with the death of Direk Laurice’s husband, the award-winning actor Johnny Delgado, who will be sorely missed by the film industry, as they were still shooting the film, Direk pressed on.

It was also the wish and concern of Delgado before he succumbed to cancer sometime this November; that his wife’s work shouldn’t be affected with his passing.

Gabby said, “After ng nawala na si Johnny, Direk is very sensitive. I can just imagine how she feels. Tuloy tuloy pa rin ang pelikula, aside from Johnny, ito rin yung alam kong love niya sa buhay. It’s nice to be back, it’s nice to be working with her again.”

Derek and Kim, on the other hand, are both first-timers with Direk Laurice and they both had a grand time with the filmmaker. Derek shared, “Si Direk! That’s the biggest pressure on me, because she’s Direk Laurice. And at the beginning I was actually scared, now I’m not scared, I’m just pressured that I want to please her; I want to make her happy and after all those emotions, I was feeling before we started shooting, she’s really really nice.”

He added, “She really really helps me, and brings out the best in me when we do scenes. She talks to me, she briefs me before each scene and she makes sure I’m ready. I want to give her my best, not to disappoint her. This is the most I’ve learnt in everything I’ve done.”

Kim, for her part, shared, “Syempre kahit sino naman bilib kay Direk Laurice Guillen di ba. Winoworkshop niya kasi ako dati, nung bago magstart ang ‘Tayong Dalawa.’ Medyo alam na nya rin way of acting ko. Tinutulungan nya na lang ako, pag di tama sasabihin nya ‘Panoorin mo to’ tapos pag papanoorin ko sasabihin nya ‘May kulang di ba?’ Sabi ko opo. ‘Ulitin natin’ ulit ulitin naming hanggang makuha tamang timpla ng character.”

Catch Direk Laurice’s comeback project, “I Love You, Goodbye” on Christmas day, December 25, 2009.