An emotional, apologetic, and grateful Nora Aunor, National Artist for Film and Broadcast Arts, arrived at Victorino’s restaurant, Sct. Rallos Street, Quezon City, last 4 February to meet the entertainment press.
She was there for the story conference of her upcoming project titled Pieta, to be directed by acclaimed filmmaker Adolfo Alix Jr. (Donsol, Mga Munting Tinig).
The veteran actress, overwhelmed by the love of the press who gathered around to welcome her, was in tears, saying she was touched that she had not been forgotten.
But who can forget Nora Aunor? She is an icon. An institution. A superstar. At almost 70, she still looks great. Healthy and robust.
Her arrival that lunchtime finally completed the main cast of Pieta, who appeared before the press. She sat next to co-stars Gina Alajar and Alfred Vargas and director Alix, as they talked about their previous and future collaborations.
Alajar, now 63, and Aunor, both revered thespians, will play best friends in Pieta. This is not, however, the first time that the two will work together.
The women first co-starred in a movie 51 years ago, in My Little Brown Girl (1972). Then they appeared in four more features: Condemned (1984), Bulaklak ng City Jail (1984), Tatlong Ina, Isang Anak (1987), and Andrea, Paano Ba Ang Maging Isang Ina? (1990).
For seven months, from late 2018 until early 2019, Alajar — who has become a director of TV shows, mini-series, and soap operas for Philippine television — helmed Aunor in the drama series Onanay.
This makes Pieta their seventh time on set together.
Meanwhile, Aunor worked with Alix in 2016’s Whistleblower and in 2022’s Kontrabida, which won the Best Asian Film at the Hanoi Film Festival and will be released in the country this year.
Gina Alajar
It is Vargas, the producer, who will be working with all three for the first time.
At the storycon, he shared how he visited the national artist’s home to invite her to join the project and how he continues to be starstruck seated next to Aunor.
“It’s a huge honor for me na makasama both sina Nora and Gina in this film dahil pareho ko silang tinitingala, hinahangaan pero, ‘yun nga may kaba din. Malaking kaba. Pero it’s a good kind of kaba dahil may halong excitement (It’s a huge honor for me to work with both Nora and Gina because I look up to and admire them both, but there’s some fear — fear with excitement),” he said.
The politician-actor Vargas not only produces but also plays Pieta’s lead actor
It was made clear at the storycon that this is not a remake of the 1983 Carlo Caparas film, which starred Ace Vergel, Vivian Velez, and Charito Solis.
While this Pieta is also about a mother and a criminal son just like the 1983 movie of the same title, Alix said the two movies are very different.
In this new Pieta, Vargas plays Isaac, who goes home to his mother, Rebecca (Aunor), after years spent in jail for killing his father.
The reunion of mother and son yields conflict when Isaac becomes determined to find out what really happened on the day his father was killed.
Rebecca, now suffering from dementia and can barely see, is under the care of Beth (Alajar), her loyal and devoted best friend who also protects the secrets of the past from Isaac.
Given the dramatic premise and the powerhouse cast, the movie will no doubt be exciting to cineastes — especially to fans of Aunor, whose range will once again be showcased in the role of a visually impaired old woman with Alzheimer’s.
Yet Aunor remains humble, said Alajar, with zero sense of entitlement — “Hindi ko siya kinakitaan ng pagka-diva (She has no diva attitude).”
Pieta will begin filming this month.