Kit hindi nagpa-cover sa ginawa nila ni Mylene

CEBU, Philippines —  Wow sold out na agad ang gala night ng pelikulang Belle Douleur sa Cinemalaya 2019, ang movie directorial debut ng magaling na abogadong si Atty. Joji Alonzo starring versatile actress Mylene Dizon and hunky newbie Kit Thompson.

Actually hindi na bago ang pagdidirek kay Atty. Joji pero sa short film lang na Last Order. Pero long time dream ni Atty. ang magdirek na natupad niya sa pelikulang ito.

“I was in third grade. I was 9 or 10? Gusto ko nang magdirek. Strangely kasi my sister, for example. Yayayain akong manood ng John Travolta, ‘yung mga sikat that time. Ako naman gusto kong manood ng Lino Brocka, ng Ishmael Bernal, Mike de Leon. Gusto ko manood ng Kisapmata, puro patayan. Sabi ko, hindi, gusto ko ‘yun. Ang ganda-ganda niyan. Ibang-iba,” Atty. Joji relates.

Dagdag pa niya : “Kasi I saw film not just a mode of storytelling but very powerful medium. It’s not just an entertainment at all.”

Naging inspiration naman niya sa Belle Douleur ang story ng isang French woman na napanood niya sa social media pero ito, hindi naka-focus sa May-December affair.

“So I decided to focus now on the women of Philippine society and how up to this day you continue to be shackled by so many dictates like, ‘Oh mag-asawa ka na kasi, maiiwan ka nang train, ganoon. O ikaw wala ka pang anak, ba’t wala ka pang anak?   

“So these things over and over again na parang the Filipino woman has been put in a shell, in a mold, in a container despite everything. Hindi pa rin siya nawawala eh,” the lawyer-producer points out.

Sa pelikula ay gaganap si Mylene bilang Liz, 45 years old, single. Isa siyang clinical psychologist who has devoted most parts of her life sa pagtulong sa special and gifted children.

Inalagaan din niya ang kanyang may sakit na mga magulang hanggang sa kanilang dying days.

Hanggang makilala ni Liz si Josh, a 26-year-old antique dealer, na solong namumuhay after his father and grandfather’s death. Growing up, walang memory si Josh ng kanyang mother.

At doon made-develop ang special bond kina Liz and Josh wherein the former is able to set herself free from the dictates of society.  

“Mylene was my only choice. Yes, there was no other choice. Kasi I saw Elizabeth (the woman) on her. When I was conceptualizing the material, siya ‘yung nasa isip ko. Number 1, she’s a very good actress. Ang galing-galing niyang artista as in wala akong masabi. Hindi ako mahihirapan as a director kung magaling ang artista, di ba? Plus she exuded everything that Elizabeth was in the story.

“Si Kit ang medyo mahirap kasi kailangan ko ng bata. Kailangan way younger half the age of Mylene. In fact when we shot the film, Kit was 21 and Mylene was 44 so less than half!

“So kailangan bata, may hitsura kasi why would a 45 – in my story, she’s just 45 – why would a 45-year-old, single who was resolved to remain single for the rest of her life, fall for this guy kung walang hitsura? Siyempre kailangan yummy plus marunong umarte,” paliwanag pa ni Atty. Joji, who first saw Kit in the Cinemalaya 2014 entry #Y megged by Gino Santos.

Dumaan sa sensuality workshop sina Mylene and Kit bago sila nag-umpisa ng shooting.

Matindi ang love scenes nila na ayon kay direk ay hindi niya ginawa para lang masabing may hubaran ang pelikula. Bawat eksena raw ay may kuwento.

At all out din daw si Kit dito. “In fact, Kit – sabi ko, mag-cover tayo, maglalagay tayo ng cover-cover. ‘Direk, okay lang ako na wala.’ Sabi ko, ‘wag mong gawin ‘yan. Hahaha! Malayo pa ang mararating mo bata, huwag mong ipakita lahat. Ako pa ang nagsabi and which is true!” the lawyer-producer shares.

Sana hindi man kasing laki ng kita ng Hello, Love, Goodbye, pilahan din ang Belle Douleur (Beautiful Pain).