For the first time in Philippine film history, Charo Santos and Boots Anson-Roa will star together in a movie intriguingly titled Until She Remembers. The title itself raises questions — mysterious in its suggestion, as it is unclear which of the two women portrayed by Santos and Roa is the one who will ultimately remember.

Adding another layer to the narrative is a third lead character portrayed by Barbie Forteza, who is also appearing in a film with Santos and Roa for the first time. Forteza’s character may well be the one who uncovers or recalls something crucial to the story. This project likewise marks Forteza’s first collaboration with two of the country’s most esteemed leading actresses.

Behind this casting coup is director Brillante Mendoza, still the only Filipino to have won Best Director for a full-length feature at the Cannes International Film Festival, an honor he received in 2009 for Kinatay. It bears noting, however, that another Filipino filmmaker reached Cannes glory earlier in the realm of short films: Raymond Red won the Palme d’Or for Short Film in 2000 for Anino, becoming the first Filipino to receive that prestigious award.

Red is also the director of Manila’s Finest, this year’s Metro Manila Film Festival entry starring Piolo Pascual and Enrique Gil as hard-edged policemen.

Joining Santos, Roa and Forteza in Until She Remembers are Angel Aquino, Albert Martinez, Eric Quizon, and Vince Rillon. Flashback scenes feature Bianca Alexa L. Kierulf as the younger Santos and Angel Jed Zaragoza Latorre as the younger Roa.

Mendoza wrote the film’s script himself — seemingly a first for the filmmaker, who is known for his unconventional approach. He has often told actors that there is no script, insisting that it exists only in his head and heart. In practice, however, a working script does exist and is used by the cinematographer as a guide for camera placement and lighting.

The film was given a private preview for eight journalists handpicked by Mendoza, all of whom were strictly requested not to reveal the storyline. We were among those invited, having covered Mendoza since his early days as a production designer for films by William Pascual, including the Gawad Urian-winning Takaw-Tukso (1987), which starred the late Jaclyn Jose. Ten journalists were originally invited, but two were unable to attend the screening held at Mendoza’s villa-like residence in Mandaluyong City.

After the preview, Mendoza shared that in scenes with only brief dialogue, he did not dictate the flow of conversation between the two senior actresses. “But in scenes with long lines, I wrote the dialogue for both of them so they would have enough time to memorize,” he said. Roa is 80 years old, while Santos is 61.

Mendoza also makes it a point to shoot scenes chronologically whenever possible, allowing actors to understand how their characters evolve — “but I don’t tell them how their characters end in the story,” he added.

The director was particularly impressed by how quickly Forteza adapted to his filmmaking style. Her character has significant interactions and emotional entanglements with those of Santos and Roa.

Until She Remembers is slated for a mid-February release, one of the reasons Mendoza is keen on keeping the plot under wraps. He may even choose not to reveal it at all, preferring audiences to discover the story for themselves — ideally in cinemas, not on Netflix.

Set in contemporary Metro Manila, the film focuses on well-off characters, signaling what could be a new phase in Mendoza’s career. In the past, he was known for his near-obsessive focus on stories rooted in poverty.

Mendoza’s most recent release prior to this was Motherland (2024), which premiered at the Busan International Film Festival. His other recent films include Bansa (2024), Moro (2023), Apag (2022), Virgin Forest (2022), Bahay na Pula (2022), Sisid (2022), and Gensan Punch (2021).