Mother Lily on love & marriage

MANILA, Philippines - Through her films, Regal’s Mother Lily Monteverde has consistently and courageously confronted controversial themes. She has never shied away from tackling important issues — from the political (Mike de Leon’s Sister Stella L in 1984) to the social (Ishmael Bernal’s City After Dark, 1980).

A true romantic by nature, Mother Lily has also focused on matters of the heart — particularly, the complicated nature of love, marriage and unending tug-of-war between men and women.

As an advocate of women’s rights, Mother Lily received the Diwata award from the University of the Philippines Film Institute, along with other female achievers like Vilma Santos, Charo Santos-Concio and scriptwriter Lualhati Bautista in 2006.

Mother Lily was cited by Diwata organizers for “tirelessly supporting filmmaking even in times when other producers have abandoned the industry.”

The Diwata citation also noted that Mother Lily championed critically-acclaimed filmmakers and “experimented in non-formula films that gave rise to new directors and fresher ways of telling stories contributing to the discourse of gender issues and the struggle of women.”

Indeed, Regal’s films — like Bernal’s Relasyon (1982) and Broken Marriage (1983) — have tackled the highs and lows of relationships among modern-day Filipinos.

In Relasyon, the mistress was sensitively portrayed as a human being, while in Broken Marriage, a married woman was shown as a complex, vital individual who juggles career and family life against all odds. (In both films, Vilma Santos personified the modern Filipina.)

In later Regal movies like Elwood Perez’s Bilangin ang Bituin sa Langit (1989) and Maryo J. delos Reyes’ My Other Woman (1990), strong women characters were also highlighted, as portrayed by Nora Aunor and Alice Dixson, respectively.

This year, Mother Lily continues Regal’s tradition of producing noteworthy and trend-setting films on contemporary relationships in Jun Lana’s My Neighbor’s Wife, which opens nationwide on Sept. 14.

“I want to show the realities of modern marriages, but at the same time share the lessons and consequences of wrong decisions,” Mother Lily said.

In the end, she said, “family is important, above all else.

“Oftentimes, parents have to make the supreme sacrifice and set aside their personal wishes for the good of the children,” she said. “A mother usually gives up her own happiness so that her kids would grow up in a happy and stable home. Mothers epitomize strength and devotion.”

With My Neighbor’s Wife, she aims to provide a cautionary tale for reckless, impulsive young people.

“Passion can blind us,” she said. “It’s crucial for young people to realize that marriage is a commitment you renew and work on every day of your life.”

She was amazed by the stars who play the lead characters in the movie: Lovi Poe, Dennis Trillo, Jake Cuenca and Carla Abellana.

“They’re very daring. Direk Jun pushed them to the limit and the actors rose to the challenge. They were not afraid to show their real emotions onscreen,” she said.