To meet ‘Mr. Right’ is Eugene Domingo’s only birthday wish

Award-winning actress Eugene Domingo, who turned 40 on July 23, said she had only one birthday wish—to finally meet Mr. Right.

“I couldn’t ask for more,” said Eugene, who is still basking in the success of her latest indie film, “Ang Babae sa Septic Tank,” which won five awards—including best picture—in the recently concluded 7th Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival. “I’m very grateful for what I have now. I didn’t even want to celebrate, but my friend, [comedian] John Lapus, surprised me with a birthday cake. I guess my only wish for myself is to finally meet Mr. Right and settle down.”

“Ang Babae sa Septic Tank” was also the top-grosser during the annual 10-day festival.

Lifestyle change

Asked if she’d welcome a younger man, Eugene said it really didn’t matter, as long as they’re compatible. “It’s important that we’re both interested in what each other does,” Eugene told a group of writers last week. “I’m not rushing, though.”

Eugene is sporting a leaner and healthier look these days. She lost almost 20 lbs. since she started “living healthy” two years ago.

The lifestyle change started when she became frustrated because she could no longer fit in her favorite clothes. She stopped drinking alcohol, refrained from eating fatty foods and became serious about exercising. Anything is possible, she said, if you put your heart into it.

Eugene, who first acted in plays for the UP Repertory Company and Dulaang UP, said she never imagined her career could go this far. “All I ever wanted was to be able to work with the people I admire and be part of projects that are challenging and worthwhile,” she said. “The first time I saw a legitimate play at the CCP [Cultural Center of the Philippines], I already knew that was what I wanted—to be an actress on stage.”

The actress said the hardest thing she had to do for “Septic Tank” was to act out three different and very difficult scenes in one location—in very limited time. She recalled, “We were supposed to present the same scene in three styles—melodrama, musical and straight, in-your-face indie drama. Since we were out of budget, we had to finish all of it in one day. I was lucky to have worked with a smart and quick-thinking director (Marlon Rivera). He managed to find solutions to all the problems we encountered.”

Movie times three

“Septic Tank,” based on a script by Chris Martinez, chronicles a day in the life of three ambitious, passionate but misguided filmmakers as they set out to make their dream movie. As Rainier (Kean Cipriano), Bingbong (JM de Guzman) and Jocelyn (Cai Cortez) discuss the possible execution of the story, the movie is reborn in Jocelyn’s imagination several times—as a gritty neo-realist film, a glossy musical, an over-the-top melodrama and, last but not least, a docu-drama.

The group decides to depict the worsening condition of poverty in the country and picks the Payatas dumpsite as their film’s backdrop. Soon enough, the young wannabe directors are made to face the real effect of the subject they picked.

All praise

Eugene’s young costars are all praise for her.

“She’s a professional,” said JM. “She comes to the set prepared—meaning, she has memorized her lines and already knows what she’s supposed to do.”

“It’s because of her that I want to make more films,” said Kean, also known as vocalist of the band Callalily.

“My classmates are envious of me because I was able to work with her,” said Cai, a theater arts student and daughter of actor Rez Cortez. “We all idolize her. I hope to imbibe her work ethics and professionalism.”

Meanwhile, “Septic Tank” has been invited to three international film festivals—two in Europe and in Asia—according to Joji Alonso, who coproduced the film with Martinez and Rivera. But they’re still waiting for the formal announcements from the festival organizers.

Star Cinema has agreed to help with the film’s distribution. It will be shown in select local theaters starting Wednesday, August 3.

“People in the mainstream industry are slowly realizing that there are a lot of talents on the other side of the fence, that some independently produced films can cross over to mainstream,” Alonso said. “My wish is for the two industries to eventually marry. I hope mainstream will soon produce alternative film, not just the formulaic.”

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