MANILA, Philippines - There are two distinct achievements of Christian Bautista’s A Special Symphony, which opens tomorrow, Aug. 3, nationwide. First, it successfully touched the heartstrings of the viewers with its honest discussion of the plight of kids with special needs and their teachers who have selflessly dedicated their lives to these children. And, it paved the way for the public to see the marked improvement of Christian as an actor.
The performance of the Romantic Balladeer in the movie, though not worthy of any nomination in the next awards season, is laudable — less awkward movements, more stable stance and more sincere delivery, compared to his previous acting assignments.
A Special Symphony follows the journey of Filipino struggling singer Jayden (Christian) towards finding his purpose and happiness, which he later discovered in the company of special children. The movie, endorsed by Autism Society of the Philippines, was inspired by the amazing story of a chorus of special children in Beijing, China.
In the movie, it is obvious that Christian has learned and employed a few acting tricks to make his performance more credible, most notable of which was the touching final scenes of the movie, supported by the Autism Society of the Philippines and World Vision.
Christian was ably supported by Maribeth, Ira Wibowo, Ira Maya Sopha, Gista Putri and a host of incredibly gifted kids.
The songs chosen for the movie were also successful in strengthening the movie’s message of hope, self-discovery, friendship and love like the Beatles’ Imagine and the original song I Am Already King, which is currently on top of the MYX Music Charts. The single is the carrier track of Universal Records’ latest compilation album, The Best of OPM Love Songs Vol.1.
During the movie’s Premiere Night held last July 31, Christian’s friends from showbiz came in full force including Rachelle Ann Go, Erik Santos, Mark Bautista, KC Concepcion, Miriam Quiambao, Cristalle Henares, Martin Nievera, Robi Domingo, Kuh Ledesma, Isabella, among others. Talent5 and Stages Talents also came in full force to support their Kuya Ian.
Christian, who is in the thick of taping for the upcoming TV musical series The Kitchen Musical with fellow Stages talent Karylle, flew in from Singapore last Saturday night to appear in a host of activities in Manila and to attend the premiere night.
“I made it a point to attend the premiere because this project is very close to my heart, being my first solo film,” says Christian. “More than being a commercial venture, this movie aims to inspire, educate the viewers.”
A Special Symphony will premiere in Indonesia this September.