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Alden Richards, Sharon Cuneta. Image: Instagram/@sparklegmaartistcenter
Sharon Cuneta couldn’t help but see the similarities between her character Maricar in the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) entry “Family of Two (A Mother and Son Story)” and herself as a mom, as she noted that letting go of a child will always be a “heart-wrenching” part of life.
The MMFF entry tells the story of Mateo (Alden Richards) who wants to find a partner for his single mother Maricar (Sharon Cuneta), before he moves to Singapore with his girlfriend.
During the film’s press conference, Cuneta related Richards’ character to her real-life children KC Concepcion and Kakie Pangilinan, who opted to finish college abroad. “I’ve been through this twice already. I have two more [children], Miel is leaving next year.”
“We brought KC to Paris back in 2003, then Frankie to New York in 2019. While Miel, who’s still in her gap year, she’s leaving next. And I only have Miguel left,” she continued. “I realized na talagang dadating sa point (you will arrive at a point) when your children will leave you.”
As a mother, Cuneta is aware of the reality that her children “will live their own lives” at some point, but admitted that it will always be—if not even more—“heart-wrenching” when it finally happens.
“Your children will live their own lives. I’ve been through that. My brother has been through that. I’m sure my parents went through the emotions I went through. You’re kind of thinking that you’re prepared. Pero kapag aalis na siya, nadudurog ang puso ko (But when they leave, it breaks my heart),” she said.
The actress-singer, however, reminded mothers about the “two gifts” they can give to their children which they can impart in their daily lives. “It’s heart wrenching for a mother. But like I said, you give them roots, then you give them wings. And when you give them wings, you don’t pull them back.”
“You just keep on reminding them. And you have to trust them [based] on how you raised them. And if they decide to be something other than what you expect, that’s their life. You will love them anyway,” she further explained.
‘Instantaneous’
On the other hand, Richards admitted that his late mother was one of his key inspirations in bringing Mateo to life. His character in the film deals with the loss of his father when he was five years old.
“I felt that I could relate to every scene. Ang bilis ko talagang na-attach sa character ni Mateo (I got easily attached to the character of Mateo). In real life, my mom is absent,” he said. “But this time, my father is absent. When we do scenes, our emotions are instantaneous and it’s like we’re not acting at all.”
The Nuel Naval-helmed film also stars Miles Ocampo, Pepe Herrera, Jackie Lou Blanco, Tonton Gutierrez and Donita Rose.
The MMFF entry, which is produced by CineKo Productions, will premiere on Dec. 25 and will run until Jan. 7 as an entry of the annual festival.