Janine Gutierrez. Image: Instagram/@antheabueno
Janine Gutierrez admitted she’s still overwhelmed by joy after being given the opportunity to grace the Venice Film Festival as one of the cast members of the film “Phantosmia,” which touches on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Gutierrez will star as Reina in the Lav Diaz-helmed film “Phantosmia” which will premiere at the Venice Film Festival on Sept. 2. The movie also stars Ronnie Lazaro, who will portray the central character.
Since the actress will be in Italy, she will end up missing some of the promotional activities for the drama “Lavender Fields,” although she’s grateful to the cast and crew for their understanding.
“Sobrang happy ko. At sobra rin ang pasasalamat ko sa ‘Lavender Fields’ kasi pinayagan nila ako to be [away] for a week to attend (I’m so happy. And I’m so grateful to the ‘Lavender Fields’ team because they allowed me to be away for a week to attend),” said Gutierrez in an interview with MJ Marfori via Tiktok.
Gutierrez shared that “Phantosmia” was filmed sometime in December of last year, adding that it was her first time working with Lazaro. She also hinted that she filmed another film with Diaz although she kept her lips sealed on the details.
“Sumisigaw at umiiyak ako [noong nalaman kong pupunta ako ng Venice]. They didn’t tell me agad, they just told me na [nasa festival] ang ‘Phantosmia’ with Direk Lav,” she said. “We filmed this noong December [2023] and January [2024]… This stars Ronnie Lazaro and I haven’t worked with him yet.”
(I was screaming and crying when I found out that I was heading to Venice. They didn’t tell me right away. They just told me that the film “Phantosmia” will be screened at a festival with Direk Lav. We filmed this in December 2023 and January 2024, this stars Ronnie Lazaro and I haven’t worked with him yet.)
Touching on the film’s theme, Gutierrez said it would revolve around the struggle of Lazaro’s character with phantosmia, a condition caused by PTSD.
“Parang may naaamoy ka kahit wala naman talaga, because of someone’s trauma and past experiences. ‘Yun ang condition ni Tito Ronnie, babalik siya sa mga lugar [kung saan siya nanggaling] para mabalik ang mga nagawa niyang mali, and isa ako sa mga character na makikilala niya,” she said.
(It’s like you can smell something, even if you really can’t. It is because of someone’s trauma and past experiences, which is Tito Ronnie’s condition. He will return to the places he was part of in his past to recall his past mistakes. I will be one of the characters he’ll meet.)
On her Instagram Story on Wednesday, August 28, Gutierrez shared a photo of the plane touching down in Venice through a monitor, saying it’s her first time to visit Italy.
“My first time in Venice and it’s for the [Venice Film Festival], for a film we made in a small town with an amazing group of people. Counting blessings,” she wrote.
Image: Screengrab from Instagram/@janinegutierrez
Aside from “Phantosmia,” the actress is one of the leads in the revenge drama “Lavender Fields” which also stars Jodi Sta. Maria, Jericho Rosales, Maricel Soriano, Jolina Magdangal, Edu Manzano, and Albert Martinez.