‘She Said, She Said’: A heartfelt, nuanced look into the parent-child bond

“She Said, She Said” tells the story of an unnamed mother, her daughter Calista, and how their relationship plays out until Calista graduates from college. The film is divided into two parts: The first half is told from the mother’s point of view, while the second is from Calista’s. Both women recall similar, pivotal moments that shaped their relationship for better or worse.

Packing a full story into three and a half minutes is no easy task. It’s especially tough when the story is supposed to span several years, as in the case of “She Said, She Said.” However, Nic Reyes — who previously directed other commercial films such as The Debt — manages to pull it off with a tightly-written script, careful directorial choices, and the authentic acting by the two featured actresses.

“She Said, She Said” wastes no time establishing its main theme. From the very first line, “Hay, my prinsesa Calista (Oh, my princess Calista),” the film underscores a fundamental truth about parenting: Sometimes it’s hard, other times it’s rewarding, and often it’s both at the same time.

But the film can’t have two “She Saids” in its title without the daughter’s perspective. Like her mother, Calista isn’t quite sure how to navigate their relationship, but does her best all the same. It helps that the film effectively utilizes little details — like Calista calling her Mom “reyna (queen)” and her mother calling her “prinsesa” — to reinforce the kind of bond they have.

Using carefully-chosen moments, the film is able to capture the complexities of the parent-child relationship within its short run time. From the subtle changes in lighting to fit each scene’s mood, to the actresses’ expressive nonverbal cues, no visual element feels wasted. Add to that the retrospective narration by both women, and their scenes together become even more powerful.

Even though Calista and her mother recall the same moments, it’s clear that they perceive those moments differently. It’s also clear that both of them feel the pressure to be the “best” for each other, even though, as Calista poignantly put it: “You were the only one I had. But you were more than enough.”

As a result, both points-of-view feel realistic and relatable, and not just because the script was inspired by the true-to-life story of a Sun Life Financial client.

Direk Reyes, being a new parent himself, is well aware of the ups and downs of parenthood. “’She Said, She Said’ is very close to home, because I based it off my wife and what we go through as young parents,” Reyes says in an interview with the Inquirer. “Parenthood is great, but it’s also really hard. And in the daily struggles of contending with [children]… you get tired, [since] they aren’t always the easiest to deal with.”

At the same time, Reyes is still able to identify with Calista’s struggles.

“I still remember what it’s like to be a son… It’s interesting for me to explore both perspectives of parenthood… being a parent now and also being a child myself. So through the development of the film, I liked to explore that idea of two sides to the same story.”

True enough, Reyes was able to translate his personal experiences into a poignant, authentic portrayal of the fun and foibles of parenthood. “She Said, She Said” may be short in length, but it’s definitely not short on heart, empathy, and relatability.

“She Said, She Said” first screened at the Sun Shorts 2 event last June 7, 2017. The film officially premiered on June 14, 2017 at www.sunshorts2.com. ADVT