Bruises still showed on the knees and legs of actress Jasmine Curtis-Smith at the media conference for her new movie co-starring Carlo Aquino, The Time that Remains.
Instead of hiding the marks, Jasmine bore them like badges of honor at the launch, even wearing a high-slit white dress that showed the blemishes that were partly due to her shooting a delicate scene for the movie.
A Netflix original movie, The Time that Remains is a romance drama with touches of horror and Filipino culture. But beyond its Twilight-like storyline that makes it a good Halloween watch, are real-life “horrors” like rape that need to be addressed.
“I think, for all scenes that portray — it’s all what it is — rape — being taken advantage of, it’s very difficult to swallow the fact that it does happen. It’s a reality for many women,” Jasmine said.
“There are still moments in today’s society where people or women or anyone who’s taken advantaged of have a hard time speaking up, being vocal about it, looking for help.”
Apart from being Jasmine’s love interest in the film, Carlo portrays Jasmine’s savior or unlikely knight in shining armor that exacts justice for Jasmine in the movie.
“Isn’t that what we all want? Someone to equally feel, to know what we feel? To save us when we need the saving? Isn’t that very satisfying to see in this film, there is someone who can do that for you? So even if it was a violent way of saving, (my character) is happy. Because for her once, throughout her journey, there is someone who noticed her. Someone saved her and understood her. And that’s always gratifying — no matter how heavy or light the situation.”
Carlo, whose origins in the movie rooted from the tattooed headhunting tribe of the Cordilleras, “transformed” in the film — physically through the tattoos, then emotionally as a vampire.
“This is among the biggest movie launches I’ve ever done in my entire career in my 20 something years in the industry,” he affirmed.
Directed by Adolfo Alix Jr. and written by Mixkaela Villalon and Jerry Gracio, The Time that Remains is now available for streaming in Netflix.