Against the current

For first-time actress Laila Ulao, the film ‘Women of the Weeping River' became an outlet toward confidence, healing, and inner peace.

MANILA, Philippines — Laila Ulao thought none of it when filmmaker Sheron Dayoc, whom she had met doing field work, messaged her online and invited her to audition for a movie he was making.

She was a nurse, and thought she was all set following a noble path in the public health sector that many in her family had tread before. But it happens sometimes: roads diverge, and they take people to places they never quite foresaw. So Laila had ignored the message. But two days later, the director wrote her again — and this time, she figured she would give it a try.

The result is Women of the Weeping River, which would go on to win Best Picture at the 2016 QCinema International Film Festival, where it had premiered as a feature film entry. At last year’s Gawad Urian Awards, it led with 12 nominations and won six, including Best Picture, earning Best Director and Screenplay for Dayoc as well.

Laila, now 27, plays Satra, one of two women caught in the crossfire as the long-running blood feud between their families escalates. They reflect on their experiences and losses, hoping to put an end to the animosity and violence once and for all.

The film was shot over the course of two weeks in Zamboanga City and Jolo, featuring an all-Muslim cast of non-actors from Western Mindanao. Laila attended acting workshops, where she learned to express emotion through her eyes and cry on command. She was chosen out of five women in the running for the lead role, with the producers telling director Sheron that it was because “totoong tao siya.”

?On her first day, she took one look at the set and realized just what she had signed up for. “Pwede bang umatras?” she recalls thinking. But her contract was already signed. “Sabi ko, ’Wala na ’tong atrasan.’ It was just a matter of getting used to it.” ?

Filming was out of order, and she had to shoot one of the most emotionally heavy scenes on that first day. But it wasn’t difficult for Laila to enter into such a headspace — her real life was unfortunately not without tragedy.

“’Yung tatay ko, he was shot to death and we don’t know why,” she says. “He was a really good man and wala naman kaming kalaban.”

Laila was in Palawan when he passed away, and they were not on the best of terms. For a long time, she carried her grief, made worse by guilt and rage that bordered on hatred. Acting, for her, became an outlet that she hadn’t expected, and this is how she grew to love it. “Hindi ko na-realize until si direk Sheron ang nagsabi sa akin,” says Laila. “I’ve had a rough life. Topsy-turvy. Nung nagawa na ’yung film, after that, gumaan na ’yung pakiramdam ko.”?

Before becoming an actress, Laila was a nurse and a volunteer worker focusing on reproductive health and empowering women in Balisan, Sulu, and Tawi-tawi.

For her performance, Laila earned a Best Actress nomination from Gawad Urian and took home prizes in the same category at QCinema and the first ASEAN-China Film Festival held in Malaysia. “It’s important to me,” she says of representing her tribe (the Tausug) and her family. “I’m [carrying] my father’s name, my lolo’s name, [and giving it prestige].” Her aunts had told her: “Ibangon mo ulit ang pangalan ng tatay mo.”

?She has since quit nursing and has spent some of her time working with makeup artist friends, assisting with hair styling. But Laila is no longer a “non-actress” — she has chosen to pursue it full-time.

Laila, who grew up shy, ended up developing confidence in herself as a result of Weeping River. When I ask what she learned, she quietly begins wiping at her eyes to get rid of a sudden wave of tears.

She moved out to Manila in March last year, battling loneliness and financial instability because she didn’t want to bother family. “Tiniis ko lahat,” she recalls. “I knew it would be hard, to the point na nag-breakdown ako and I had to go home.” She says, “What I learned is that piliin mo ’yung mga taong sincere sayo,” adding that she’s doing much better.

She credits Sheron and TBA Studios with helping her get back on her feet. She’s also particularly indebted to former Mindanao congresswoman Sitti Djalia Turabin-Hataman, whom she calls “Ate Dada,” a human rights and women’s rights advocate who founded Pinay Kilos (PINK). As a nurse, Laila had done volunteer work for the women’s organization, which focuses on reproductive health and empowering women in Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi.

According to Laila, the female perspective of Weeping River is important, not just in terms of storytelling, but also when it comes to making sense of the Tausug clan wars or what they call rido as a whole. Tensions between dueling families can lead to bombings or shootings. “Ubusan talaga ng lahi,” she explains. “Ang mga babae, nadadamay.”

She adds that the film goes to great lengths to explore the role of women in Moro country and posits that if they were in charge, there might be some semblance of achievable peace. They wouldn’t be so quick to resort to violence. “Emotionally strong ang mga babae,” she says. “Ang mga lalaki kasi, init ng ulo ang papairalin.” Women of the Weeping River is must-see Philippine cinema that raises awareness and understanding. It implores its audience, especially those outside of Mindanao, to dig deeper into an issue that few have truly shed light on. Laila has no doubt that first-time viewers will become involved and invested: “What do you do? What can you do?”

“It’s educational and timely,” she adds. “Mapapaisip ka talaga.”

In the film, Satra’s mother shares her daughter’s sentiment that the wars must come to an end, that they might talk it out. But in their area, it’s considered disrespectful to stand up to the men, the heads of the house. “Puro mga lalaki ang nasusunod,” Laila laments. “Walang ibang choice ‘yung kababaihan kundi sumunod na lang. But with this movie, it might help to change that perspective.”

The Tausug women are often forced to cope through their ordeals and keep their families together. But Weeping River attempts to give them some much-needed agency — so they may realize the power they hold. Put simply, Laila says, “Girls can do everything.”

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Catch Women of the Weeping River in select cinemas starting March 23.