1st Sem role close to Lotlot’s heart

When art imitates life, the line between the reel and the real disappears.                                      

In her award-winning movie 1st Sem for which she won Best Actress at the All Lights India International Film Festival (ALIIFF) last year, Lotlot de Leon plays mother to three children played by Darwin Yu, Miguel Bagtas and Sebastian Vargas. In real life, she’s the mother of four children — Janine, 27; Jessica, 26; Diego, 20; and Max, 16.            

“So close to home” is how Lotlot described the movie.

“Totoong-totoo ang estorya,” she told Funfare last Sunday, the eve of her departure for Houston, Texas, where 1st Sem is in competition at the 50th Annual Worldfest-Houston International Film Festival (WHIFF). “It’s very simple and very honest, walang halong kaepokritahan. No hypocrisy whatsoever.”        

Directed by Allan Michael Ibañez and Dexter Paglinawan Hemedez for Kayan Productions & Team Campy Entertainment, the movie is so titled because it kicks off with Precy (Lotlot’s character) and family accompanying Maru (Darwin) to enroll as a freshman at a university in Manila. Separation blues hit Maru when he sees his mother become emotional and start to cry as she leaves, hitting him hard on his first night at the dormitory. He rushes back to the province and pleads his mom to let him study in a nearby school but his mom insists that he goes back to Manila. As Maru disobeys Precy, mother and son’s relationship is challenged.            

“I have gone through the same experience even before I became a real mom,” related Lotlot, referring to the time when she served as virtual mother to her younger siblings Matet, Kiko, Kenneth and Ian when their mom, Nora Aunor, prolonged her stay in the US and her dad, Christopher de Leon, was starting to raise a new family with Sandy Andolong (with whom Christopher has several children, one of whom, Maria Angelica, is competing again in the current Bb. Pilipinas pageant with the grand coronation night set for Sunday, April 30, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum). “I know how it is to help (my siblings) make the right decisions and to change whatever decisions they already had in mind. I met so many trials. The hardest was to change the direction they were taking at kelangan pagdaanan ang maraming hirap bago nila ma-realize na mali pala sila.” (Lotlot, Matet, Kenneth and Kiko are adopted children while Ian is the biological son of Nora and Christopher.). In Nora’s absence, Lotlot would run to Christopher only when badly needed.

“Dad is always there for us,” said Lotlot, “but we didn’t bother him with small problems so he wouldn’t get a headache.”            

As mom to her own children, Lotlot admitted that she’s a disciplinarian.                                    

“But I am also liberated in a way,” she qualified. “Communication is important so I try to be as honest with them as I can. I say what I have to say even if it hurts and they don’t want to hear it. I tell them the truth. And if they want to tell me anything, I let them. I’m always ready to listen to them. And then we try to settle things out.”                                                  

Even now that Janine is living independently in a condo unit that she bought with her earnings, Lotlot continues to guide her, seeing to Janine’s needs (bringing Janine her favorite food, especially sisig, to stock up in her ref).      

“I treat Janine as a friend, a kabarkada, because I had her when I was 17 at hindi naman malaki ang age gap namin,” adding with candid sincerity, “I always remind her not to repeat my mistakes, huwag akong gayahin.” (Lotlot had to marry Ramon Christopher while heavy with Janine. Several years later, they broke up. Lotlot has found new happiness with Lebanese.)              

While her relationship with Janine is going great, Lotlot and Nora are somewhat estranged. They seldom, if ever, see each other.

But Lotlot is willing to work with Nora if ever there’s a good offer.

“I think my mom will do it kung maganda ang story. You see, she had done all kinds of roles. What she might be waiting for is a different story, something new, ‘yung malalim ang estorya at may kabuluhan.”

I suggested that, if they were to remake a Nora Aunor movie, it should be Ina Ka Ng Anak Mo, directed by Lino Brocka with Nora and Lolita Rodriguez in a mother-against-daughter drama in which Lolita as Nora’s mother gets pregnant by Nora’s husband (played by now US-based Raoul Aragon).

“Why not?” exclaimed Lotlot. “I saw it and my mom was so good in it. I just don’t know if I can match her acting. Hindi ko alam kung magagawa ko ng maayos.” 

Graded A by the CEB (Cinema Evaluation Board), 1st Sem will be screened today, April 26, in Houston, simultaneous with its release nationwide here.

“This is one movie that I am very, very proud of,” said Lotlot who is hoping (against hope) that something good will come out during the awards night in Houston on Saturday, April 29. “I’m inviting everybody to watch the movie. It is worth your time…promise!”

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