Each story has an interesting premise and inspiration. It can be ordinary or controversial.
The movie Her Locket was inspired by true events that unfolded when lead actress and producer Rebecca Chuaunsu discovered a diary and the last will and testament of her parents.
“This story has been on my mind for 32 years. I told myself that if I don’t produce the story, I wouldn’t be able to live,” she shared during the movie’s press junket.
It was during the pandemic, with time to reflect, that Chuaunsu began to delve into her parents’ past. She went through 26 diaries belonging to her mother and 6 diaries of her father, uncovering details about a family inheritance issue.
Her Locket tells the story of Jewel Ouyang, a senior Chinese woman who has lost everything – her youth, beauty, popularity, and fortune. Now with dementia, she lives with her lawyer son and a young caregiver who seems more ambitious than caring. She finds an old locket that lets her recall memories from her past.
These memories include her family’s opposition to her career and love life, a happy marriage cut short by her husband’s untimely death, of achieving success as an actress, and her brother tampering her father’s will to rob her of her inheritance.
Her Locket is J.E. Tiglao’s second feature film as a director, following Metamorphosis, for which he won Best Director at the Cinema One Originals 2019.
“Two women want to do something about their memories. One wants to get it back; the other wishes to forget. Both came from experiences of pain and loss. Both a victim of patriarchy under two familial cultures of Chinese and Filipino. However, this is also a restorative story of women who choose not to be silenced, who choose to hold the line. My intention is to portray an empowering tale of feminism in front of a backdrop of conservative milieu,” says Tiglao.
Chuaunsu’s portrayal of Jewel was truly remarkable, earning the film widespread acclaim on the international stage. Her exceptional performance garnered her the Best Actress award at the 2023 Festival International du Film Transsaharien de Zagora in Morocco.
Building on this success, the film has also impressed audiences at several prestigious festivals, including the London East Asia International Film Festival, the 22nd Dhaka International Film Festival, the Wu Wei International Film Festival in Taipei, and the Marché du Film at the Cannes Film Festival.
It was a thrill seeing more cast of the film during their press conference, including Director of Photography (DOP) Jag Concepcion who’s debuting his first feature film via Her Locket.
We are looking forward to the lines of non-Chinese speaking cast Boo Gabunada who spent hours and hours trying to sound as authentic as possible thanks to their patient dialect coach.
Produced by Rebecca Chuaunsu Film Production in cooperation with Rebelde Films, ‘Her Locket’ features a talented cast including Elora Españo, Boo Gabunada, Zoey Villamanca, Benedict Cua, Sophie Ng, Francis Mata, Jian Repolles, Tommy Alejandrino, Norman Ong, Nellie Ang See, Angela Villarin, Ashlee Factor, Matthew Seaver Choy, Roberto Uy Kieng, George See, Banaue Miclat, Kesterson Cua and Rolando Inocencio.
The film is a finalist in the Full Length Category at Sinag Maynila 2024, running from September 4 to 10, at Gateway, selected SM and Robinson’s cinemas including Market Market.