Family Matters ‘snubbed’ by MMFF jurors, not by movie-going public

When an elderly parent meets a health scare, the adult children understandably press the panic button. Plans, suggestions and decisions have to be made. Not everyone will agree, but everybody wants the best for the situation.

That is what happened in the plot of the heartwarming and light drama, Family Matters, with director Nuel Naval at the helm.

Megging a light drama with tear-jerking scenes is nothing new for direk Nuel, who reunited with his screenwriter, Mel Mendoza del Rosario in Family Matters. They previously worked in the award-winning adaptation of Miracle in Cell No. 7 (2019), an entry in the 2019 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF).

Four years ago, a similar senior pairing happened when octogenarian actors Eddie Garcia and Gloria Romero teamed up in Joel Lamangan’s Rainbow Sunset (2018), although the actual story of the film revolved around an LGBT twist, with Tony Mabesa joining the romantic triumvirate.

In Family Matters, elderly parents Francisco (Noel Trinidad) and Eleonor (Liza Lorena) Florencio have been married for 55 years. When the dad needs to be confined to a hospital, both parents didn’t want to be a burden to their four children.

The eldest, Kiko (Nonie Buencamino), is a rich engineer married to Odette (Agot Isidro), a baker. They have three kids. The eldest, Francis (Ian Pangilinan), constantly yearns for the love and attention of his father.

The second, Fortune (Mylene Dizon), owns a pet grooming spa with her hubby Nelson (James Blanco). The couple has a very unstable financial situation.

The third, Ellen (Nikki Valdez), is single and tasked to take care of her parents. She meets a prospective partner online, so she readily flies to the US for a vacation.

The youngest, Enrico (JC Santos), is estranged from his wife, Glenda (Ina Feleo), so the other siblings regard him as a failure.

The cast turned out to be reliable dramatic performers who never disappointed viewers with their ensemble acting, given the respective characters they played. The intelligent choices of the actors turned out to be well thought-of and executed.

The family drama makes the most out of its endearing plot and definitely did not waste the material presented. Evidently, the film puts importance on the Filipino family even as it understandably centers on complexities of the relationships.

Thankfully, the film did not rely on the usual histrionics of actresses who probably thought they could best display their acting brilliance that way.

Unfortunately, Family Matters did not deserve any major award at the 2022 MMFF, even if many of those who watched it felt some of the actors in the cast should have been nominated.

Family Matters was clearly snubbed but only by the MMFF jurors and definitely not by the movie-going public. In fact, many believe the film should have been in the Top 3 Best Picture winners.

The cast, who displayed their acting chops, was not even nominated in the acting categories. How can the performance of Nonie Buencamino not even land in the list of nominees?

Family Matters had many emotionally-charged scenes but did not end up being a cellar-dweller at the tills. Instead, the film merited strong support from the public. Positive word-of-mouth sustained the interest of the moviegoers, who trooped to the cinemas to add to the box-office gross and merits of the film.

As of writing, the film is screening in over 140 cinemas nationwide. The 2022 MMFF runs until Jan. 7.