CABRAL: “Coco and I are good friends.” INQUIRER PHOTO
The mild-mannered indie star Mercedes Cabral is piqued.
“Every so often, I meet people who ask whether or not my sex scene with Coco Martin was for real,” she laments. “What kind of a woman do they think I am? Do they see me as someone so desperate, that I’d have sex with him for real, knowing that hundreds of people all over the world would get to see the movie?”
Mercedes is referring to the Brillante Ma. Mendoza movie, “Serbis,” which was released in 2008. It competed in the prestigious 61st Cannes International Film Festival in France and was regarded as the most controversial movie there that year. In the film, their characters Merly and Alan make love in a dilapidated movie house.
Bold scenes
“It’s so disappointing that, up to now, people talk about the movie just because it has bold scenes. Why can’t they look at the movie as a whole? Its story is quite deep. The characters didn’t have sex just for the heck of it,” the actress points out. “Why did they do it? For Merly, who is pregnant, it’s to show her boyfriend how much she cares for him, that she’ll do anything for him. For the guy, it is to say that he plans to leave her very soon.”
Mercedes denies that she and Coco were an item. “We’re good friends. We simply shrug our shoulders when this issue comes up. It’s like, we’re that good! Our scene together was so realistic and controversial that people still keep talking about it.”
Mercedes went on to make 20 more indie movies after “Serbis,” including the latest Mendoza masterpiece, “Thy Womb,” that brought her to the Venice International Film Festival in Italy in 2012. She was last seen in the romantic thriller “Bad Romance,” by Ian del Carmen. She will be part of the 2013 Cinemalaya film fest entry, “Transit,” by Hannah Espia.
For Mercedes, film is a unique form of story-telling. “Actors serve as tools of writers and directors to tell their stories. I’m happy to be part of the story-telling process, to be able to show what’s happening in real life.”
Preference
The actress, who also dabbles in TV acting, says she still prefers to be seen on the big screen. “It’s more prestigious. People all over the world will get to see it, unlike TV, which only has a specific niche market,” she says. “TV work aims to entertain, not to inform. Yes, there is truth to what we see on TV, but that is a little sensationalized. This is because most of the viewers watch to enjoy, to forget their worries, if only temporarily.”
Mercedes says she is pleased that the line between independent and mainstream moviemaking has become blurred. Actors identified with mainstream are now appearing in indie films, particularly in the coming 2013 Cinemalaya in July.
“I guess these artists decided to join indie movies to test their capacity as actors,” Mercedes observes. “That’s actually a good thing. Actors should be flexible. While I still prefer films, I also dream of joining theater. If only I was given a good singing voice, I’d probably do musicals, too.”
On TV, Mercedes was last seen on the GMA 7 political drama “Bayan Ko.” She will be part of TV5’s latest horror-fantasy series “Cassandra: Warrior Angel.”
(Email mcruz@inquirer.com.ph)