Sound memories from ‘Sunny’

What sounds were you listening to during the early ‘90s? If you were a little girl, chances are you would have looked extra cute and made your parents happy by flapping your arms and singing Sha-ram-dara… from Kapag Tumibok ang Puso by Donna Cruz.

If you were a budding rocker, you would have felt cool getting into the mindset of the Eraserheads and going crazy with Pare Ko or Ligaya or Ang Huling El Bimbo.

If you had been a Barbie wanna-be at that time, then you would have liked Cool Ka Lang by the pinkest of female Pinoy female bands of all time, Pretty in Pink.

Donna, Eraserheads and Pretty in Pink were big selling acts during the ‘90s. So, to set the time frame correctly, their songs were used in the motion picture “Sunny.”

“Sunny” is the Filipino adaptation of a very popular South Korean movie. It has already been adapted into Indian and Indonesian versions. Now, here comes one from the Philippines produced by Viva Films, written by Mel Mendoza del Rosario and directed by Jalz Zarate.

“Sunny” is a comedy/drama about a group of girls who were close friends and who protected each other while also having fun in high school. They called themselves “Sunny.” Somehow unforeseen events led them to lose touch with one another during the past 25 years.

Then two of them bumped into each other in a hospital. One of them is very sick and she makes this request. Can the girls of “Sunny” get together one more time? That reunion might be her last and it will make her very happy.

Of course, meeting up with one another after a long quarter of a century means conjuring up loads of memories. That is what happens in “Sunny.” When there are memories, there is always a soundtrack to go with them. And in the case of “Sunny,” those are the hit songs from the ‘90s.

Leading the list is a new version of the wistful Eraserheads classic With a Smile, performed by the lovely and talented Shane Dandan. “The Voice Philippines” winner has a quirky feel for old tunes. She made a great cover of Cinderella’s T.L. Ako Sa ‘Yo. She does an excellent job with With a Smile. It is both sweet and torchy and lifts the tune to standard category.

Also heard in the “Sunny” soundtrack is Cool Ka Lang by Pretty in Pink. The song composed by the group’s lead singer Lei Bautista may sound like another fun tune but the lyrics do deeper than that. It means stay cool. Things will change and hopefully get better soon.

Now Kapag Tumibok ang Puso, composed by Aaron Paul del Rosario, is a fun look at the initial onset of young love. It launched a pretty, plump 13-year-old named Donna Cruz to stardom.  “Sunny” uses the original version effectively. My only problem with this is it made me miss Donna in the cast of “Sunny.”

No matter. Those stars from the ‘90s who made it to the cast to play the present renditions of the girls of “Sunny” and their classmates are not only more beautiful than before but also do their roles very well. These are Vina Morales, Angelu de Leon, Anna Roces, Sunshine Dizon, Candy Pangilinan, Tanya Garcia and Katya Santos.

The “Sunny” girls of high school are portrayed by a bunch of today’s most promising young actresses. Heaven Peralejo, Bea Binene, Ashtine Olviga, Abby Bautista, Aubrey Caraan, Ashley Diaz, and Heart Ryan.

“Sunny” is alternately happy and sad, playful and somber. It is pretty much just like every look we take at memories of our high school years. So all you guys from the ‘90s, come join the girls of “Sunny.” Get your arms shaking and start singing “Kapag tumibok ang puso, walang magagawa kundi sundin ito…”