Celebrity makeup artist and talent manager Bambbi Fuentes is turning to film to explore the lasting effects of mental health struggles and the mistakes that can pass from one generation to another in “Mantsa,” a psychological thriller and family drama.
Produced by Fuentes through Dragon Entertainment Productions and co-produced with Tine Areola and Ric Valenzuela, the film is directed by Louie Ignacio and written by Fuentes and Krista Taclan-Fuchs.
The story centers on Lola Pacita, an elderly matriarch who lives with her daughter on a remote island. A family reunion takes an unsettling turn as the arrival of her grandchildren brings buried secrets, emotional wounds and tensions to the surface.
For Fuentes, the film is intended to leave audiences with more than the experience of watching a thriller.
“I feel that if we are going to make a movie, we should make it a point that it leaves a mark... not necessarily that it has to be super commercial, but hopefully it has an impact on people,” Fuentes said during the film’s media conference.
“Mantsa” tackles mental health issues at a time when such conversations are increasingly important among young people.
“There should be something we leave with the audience, something they can take away. Actually, there are many scenes here that are realistic,” she said.
She explained that even disturbing events in the story were given motivations within the narrative.
“We were able to show why things happen, and things happen for a reason. There is a reason why a child behaves that way,” Fuentes said. “There should also be an understanding from the parents, from the family, on why there is a ‘stain’ in someone’s life.”
The film’s title serves as a metaphor for the emotional marks left by painful experiences and wrong decisions.
For Fuentes, confronting those “stains” begins with self-forgiveness.
“To forget the stain in your life, first of all you have to forgive yourself for all of those mistakes. You have to forgive yourself so you can release it,” she said.
“Of course, you have to ask for forgiveness. But first you have to forgive yourself,” Fuentes said.
Veteran actress Pilar Pilapil, who leads the film’s cast as Lola Pacita, likewise reflected on experiences that leave their mark on a person.
“I am not hurt. The fact that I’m still here at this age means I am successful in the business,” Pilapil said when asked about her long career.
She said her decades in the entertainment industry was proof of her staying power, noting that she has appeared in more than 100 films as well as numerous television shows.
“Because if I was not [successful], then you wouldn’t see me anymore, right? The many, many movies, and many television shows that I’ve done, shows you that there is success there,” she said.
“Mantsa” brings together performers from different generations, with Pilapil joined by Gelli de Belen, Lloyd Samartino, Dino Guevarra, Khai Flores and Shira Tweg, among others.
Snooky Serna and Janice de Belen have cameos in the film. The supporting cast includes LA Santos, Miles Poblete, Than Perez, RJ Ariar, Jass Dela Torre, Milli Marzo, Ghia Garcia, Bo Bautista and Rain Barretto.
The film opens in Philippine cinemas on Oct. 7.
