Frankie Pangilinan steps into her first major film role in “Edjop,” navigating new territory as an actress including an intimate scene with Elijah Canlas that initially made her feel self-conscious.
Pangilinan plays young Joy Asuncion in the biographical drama, while Canlas portrays Edgar “Edjop” Jopson, the activist whose life and legacy are at the center of the film.
During the film’s press conference, Pangilinan admitted that she did not expect the intimate scenes like hugging to be among the most challenging parts of her debut.
“My whole body just reacted without me realizing it. There was something in me that wasn’t used to doing those kinds of things,” Pangilinan said.
She initially thought the film’s dramatic sequences would be more difficult, given the emotional weight of the story.
“I didn’t think that would be the part that would be hardest to get over, because there are so many dramatic scenes. Of course, there were so many emotionally tense moments. But of all the things, the ‘kilig’ moments were what really made me conscious,” she said.
One of those moments was their first on-screen kiss.
“That was shot was on top of the mountain with the tree at dawn. There was no sun yet. We were climbing the mountain... toward the sunrise,” she recalled.
That scene helped break the awkwardness between the two actors. Pangilinan said Canlas became more open between takes.
“I was a little surprised because he started telling me about his life after that. Somehow, I lost my shyness,” she said. “I’m very honored that Elijah and I are now close, and I can honestly say he’s one of my best friends now.”
Beyond the intimate moments between the characters, “Edjop” tackles a far more complex story about political awakening, family, sacrifice and the struggle against Martial Law.
Directed by Katski Flores and co-written with Jade Castro, the film follows Edjop’s transformation from a privileged Ateneo student leader into one of the prominent activists of his generation.
Father-daughter relationship
The story spans Edjop’s student years in the late 1960s through his involvement in the First Quarter Storm, his confrontation with then-President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., and his eventual decision to go underground and join the resistance against Martial Law. Edjop was killed in 1982.
The film also follows the story of his eldest daughter, Joyette Jopson, in 2019. An elite triathlete preparing for the North Pole Marathon, Joyette carries resentment toward the father she never knew. Her journey becomes one of confronting her grief and reconciling with the historical legacy left behind by her father.
Jodi Sta. Maria plays Joyette while Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo portrays the older Joy. Kakie Pangilinan plays young Joy, with Cedrick Juan as Noy Jopson, Teroy Guzman as Hernan Jopson, Issa Litton as Josefa Jopson, Nour Hooshmand as Sucel, Gab Pangilinan as Portia, and Christian Esguerra as Marcos Sr.
For Flores, telling Edjop’s story also means asking younger Filipinos what activism looks like today. The filmmakers have been taking the film to campuses and speaking directly with students, many of whom have raised the question of who Edjop would be in the present day.
“In the film, there’s something Edjop himself says — that you don’t have to go underground and follow him to be an activist and to fight. Of course, the ultimate sacrifice that any activist can make is the sacrifice of life. And he paid the ultimate price for that,” she said.
Speaking up
For Flores, activism does not always have to take the form of dramatic rebellion. It can also begin with smaller, everyday decisions to speak up.
“There are many things you can do to stand for what is right. You don’t necessarily need the most dramatic form of rebellion. It’s a valid choice, and there’s no judgment in the film. But you can be an activist. You can stand for the truth. You can call truth to power and call power to account,” she said.
She pointed to ordinary acts of speaking up as another way people can carry Edjop’s spirit.
“When you call out something or somebody in your circle for doing something that you think is wrong, or when you’re not afraid to say something that you think should be said, when you’re not afraid of being canceled, when you’re not afraid to sacrifice something valuable to you for the sake of saying something right — that, to me, is the bar,” Flores said.
Pangilinan similarly sees Edjop’s legacy not only in historical figures but in Filipinos who continue to challenge injustice.
“I believe that at this time, all of us who stand up for what is right... and call out injustices, we are all Edjop in those moments. There’s an Edjop within us,” Pangilinan said.
“All of us who don’t accept what is unacceptable, who become a voice for people who can’t speak or are afraid to speak because they feel that they don’t matter — that’s part of it,” she added.
In that sense, “Edjop” connects a daughter’s personal journey to a larger national history, using Joyette’s attempt to understand her father as a way to revisit the sacrifices and ideals that shaped his life.
The film opens the conversation not only about who Edjop was, but about what his legacy means to Filipinos who continue to confront injustices in their own ways.
“Edjop,” distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures Philippines, opens in nationwide cinemas on Sept. 16.