Gloria at her most daring

In 2007, the Directors’ Guild of the Philippines (DGPI) entered into an agreement with Tony P. Tuviera, Eat, Bulaga! boss and producer of the graded A films Txt and the animated film Urduja. As his contribution to the local film industry, Mr. Tuviera had generously agreed to finance a series of digital movies — the materials of which would come from a pile of scripts (some were just sequence treatments) submitted to DGPI.

I was among those tasked to go over the materials (300 in the beginning, but whittled down to just about a hundred) and I remember spending my birthday that year in a resort down south going over a mountain of scripts. Anywhere I went — on the plane and in the car (if I didn’t have to drive) — I brought those scripts with me.  

Except for a couple or so that were trite and dated most of the materials submitted had a lot of promise. But there was one that stood out from the rest. No, not necessarily because it was the greatest story ever told. It caught my attention because it was daring: About a woman who lived in one house with two husbands. No, don’t get excited yet. Casting didn’t require the hottest screen studs and the latest FHM centerfold.

The story is about Mameng, who is now in her 70s. As a young bride, her husband, Eloy, abandons her to join the US navy. She finds comfort in the loving arms of her husband’s best friend, Gener, and they live together as husband and wife. After several decades, however, Eloy returns to the country as Mars (his full name is Marcelino), old, but rich, and invites Mameng and Gener to live with him in a house he built in their hometown and the arrangement they have among them scandalizes the entire community. The title of this story, incidentally, is Fuchsia, the color of the dress Mars gives Mameng as a homecoming present.

I pushed for this material (and apparently so did the other members of the panel) not for the shock value (the plot doesn’t leave a bad taste at all), but for the subplots that envelop the story.

Now a finished product, Fuchsia stars Gloria Romero as Mameng, Eddie Garcia as Mars/Eloy and Robert Arevalo as Gener. Armida Siguion-Reyna is also cast as Mameng’s older sister, who frowns on the idea of the three living together under one roof.

No, Fuchsia is not a movie about morality (it even takes a dig at social conventions). Directed by Joel Lamangan from the script of Ricky Lee, the film is rich in socio-political issues and traces Mameng’s fight (on Gener’s behalf) with the greedy town mayor (Tony Mabesa) who wants to sell all the farmers’ rice lands to Korean investors out to turn the entire place into a modern cemetery.

In spite of the political and social content of the film, however, I have to say Fuchsia is not one of those indie projects that try to test the patience of the viewers with its length, complex message and the director’s masturbatory practices. And don’t get intimidated by the title because I promise they will not ask you to spell the word fuchsia when you get your ticket at the booth.

What is overwhelming about Fuchsia is the presence of some of the best talents in the industry. Imagine award-winning Iza Calzado who has played leading lady in GMA films and TV projects doing a supporting role here (as Armida’s granddaughter and wife to Richard Quan). And then there’s heavyweight Gina Alajar in a short but significant part as the widow of Jim Pebangco, a farmer killed by the mayor’s henchmen for refusing to sell his land to the Koreans.

The character portrayed by Celia Rodriguez, as Eddie Garcia’s swearing and cussing best friend, wasn’t in the original draft, but I’m glad they put her there because she adds even more life to the film with her very colorful performance, spiced up by the language she uses in her dialogues.

Armida Siguion-Reyna also shines here and her portrayal of the conservative sister who always has to conform to the norms of society is the perfect foil to Mameng’s liberated ways.

As the second husband who feels left out with the arrival of spouse No. 1, Robert Arevalo is very effective. Although his part is the quiet one, he tries not to get eclipsed by the showier character played by Eddie Garcia, who goes to town with his flamboyant balikbayan role. But Garcia is a delight to watch in this movie and I like him best in his dying scene where he utters “baka kahit pusa hindi makipaglamay sa akin.” It is supposed to be a poignant scene, but with Eddie Garcia there, the whole thing gets a comical twist and this even brings higher the entertainment value of the film.

Gloria Romero, of course, is the one, true gem that sparkles in Fuchsia. It is a demanding role that requires her to do comedy, drama and even dabble in a couple of suspenseful moments when she gets abducted by a gang of hooligans out to threaten her. She does everything with brilliance, especially the comical parts (don’t forget that she won her first acting award in a comedy — for Dalagang Ilokana) and Fuchsia is now one of the more important films of her career that spans six decades, going to seven. She is surely up for a Best Actress nomination for this movie.

Scheduled for a tentative playdate on March 4 in SM Cinemas, try not to miss this Joel Lamangan film. With its unconventional love triangle juxtaposed against a backdrop of very relevant social and political problems, Fuchsia is one more indie project that adds color to the landscape of local movies.