After five years, Viva film Sa Muli is finally out
Five years after it was conceptualized, direk Fifth Solomon’s Sa Muli is finally being shown in cinemas nationwide, starring Xian Lim and Ryza Cenon. The film is about reincarnation and time travel in which the two souls, Pep (Xian) and Elly (Ryza) always find their way back to each other and fall in love. But their romance is cut short every time the latter dies in three different periods — 1900s, 1950s and 2020. Will their love defy death this time around and have a happy ending, or will they have to wait for another lifetime and try again?
Direk Fifth shared in a press conference that he wrote the script in 2018 after watching documentaries about reincarnation. “May mga batang nakakaalala nung dati nilang buhay (in the documentaries). So I believed in reincarnation. I said, ‘I will romanticize it.’”
“What if there are people who would remember their past lives? Lagi silang pinagtatagpo sa bawat buhay nila tapos lagi din silang pinaglalayo kasi laging namamatay yung girl,” he said. The filmmaker is also aware of reincarnation-themed movies such as Maruja (1996) and Karma (1981).
For his latest film, he went to Vigan to get inspiration and consulted some historians to develop the concept since it includes different eras. They filmed in Quezon Province and Taal, Batangas.
“One year din kaming nag-casting,” recalled direk Fifth. “We held a press conference in 2020. Ang tagal. Sumabog na yung Taal Volcano. That’s where we shot the film.”
“Ryza already gave birth (in 2020). I got into a relationship, battled through depression and on my way to recovery. A lot happened. Our makeup artist passed on. In the middle of the shooting, they announced that there would be a lockdown. We were in Quezon (at that time). Nagmamadali na kami, sabi namin, ‘We need to go back to Manila.’”
It was just February of last year when they finally finished filming. “Then, we edited the film for months. Ang tagal talaga ng movie since 2018 to 2023 talaga ginawa. It’s really a labor of love,” the filmmaker said.
Ryza and Xian, nonetheless, commended each other and the team for holding it together to complete and pushing through with the film even if it took a long time to make it.
Ryza described Xian as a “very supportive” co-star. She recounted a scene while filming, “Nag-pack up na siya. Buti na lang nasa lock-in (taping) kami. Packed na po siya that time. Kaya lang po sa tagal naming hindi na umarte, parang nangangapa ako ulit.”
“The scene was heavy so I begged na kung pwede tawagan si Xian to come back (on set) para maramdaman ko si Pep (Xian’s character),” she continued. “He was easy to work with, even direk. He (direk Fifth) would address my concerns. He would always be there for you. It’s like we were just having a vacation while working.”
Xian, on the other hand, said Ryza would always put on her “game face.” “I have a tendency na maging makulit sa set because I want to enjoy the environment and I would always talk to everyone. I would also crack jokes tapos light lang to find the mood.”
“But si Ryza talaga lagi siyang naka-game face. She is really an actress. So, I think that helped a lot for us to get into character and mag-round lang talaga kami na, ‘OK we have to stick to the vision na meron si Fifth,’” he added.
Xian furthered that they, nevertheless, enjoyed doing the movie despite the difficulties they went through. “Especially nung Day 1, parang dun pa lang nag-sink in na merong 1900s, merong 1950s and 2020. Parang nasa isip namin ni Ryza minsan, hindi na namin sinasabi pero parang… How are we going to do this? Paano natin iraraos ‘to?”
“But everyone was just very supportive and we just held on to each other, especially to our good director,” maintained Xian.
A quick trivia, Xian and Ryza performed the love scene during the first day of shooting. Xian revealed, “I said to direk, bakit naman? Parang nakakahiya naman na ito agad ang kukunan natin. ‘Maybe we can do a bit of warm-up?’ (Direk Fifth replied) ‘Ay hindi, ito yung (gauge) to know if this film will work. Kung gagawin pa natin ‘to.’ Pero ang galing lang. Those are the tricks that he has up his sleeve.”
Ryza reacted, “It was a good strategy to break the ice.”
Since the movie is about reincarnation, the director and cast members were gamely asked what they think they would be if reborn in another lifetime. Direk Fifth said he wanted to get rich and still be a filmmaker. Ryza and Xian’s answers were a dog and an eagle.
“I want to be rich (laughs). Maybe I still would want to be a filmmaker because I really love filmmaking. Then, I would like to be a son of a politician… (laughs). Mayaman talaga, that’s what I always think of. Ang hirap kasi ng adulting, eh,” said Fifth.
Ryza, for her part, explained, “I witnessed how dogs are being taken care of. (They) also give pure love and happiness in return to people who are looking after them. Kasi ‘di ba ‘pag baby ‘pag tumatanda, parents give a different (kind) of love. But with dogs, even if they get old, it’s the same. Nadadagdagan pa habang tumatanda. Sobrang spoiled.”
“I wanna be able to soar high (and) fly,” Xian said on why he would like to be an eagle. “Yun yung napapaniginipan natin na parang lumilipad ka lang, without a care in the world.”
Meanwhile, direk Fifth said if he could revisit his past, “I wished I had a strong support system and mas pinili ko yung mga taong dapat pala mas deserving sa buhay ko. I want to go back to the time when I would wake up happy. Hindi yung gigising ako na natatakot ako na, ‘Ah baka malungkot na naman ako.’”
The young filmmaker admitted his struggles with depression. “But, hopefully, lumalaban naman ako every day for me to recover and return to (how I was before),” he said.
(If you or someone you know need/s help, call the National Center for Mental Health Crisis Hotline through the following hotlines: toll-free Luzon-wide landline (1553); for mobile, dial 0917-8998727; 0966-3514518, or 0908-6392672.)
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