photo from Facebook/@jodistamariaph
‘Ganito, Ganyan, Ganoon’ examines estrangement and the responsibility of confronting pain before it reaches another generation
MANILA — Jodi Sta. Maria says unresolved family wounds should not become an inheritance.
The actress, discussing the Netflix film Ganito, Ganyan, Ganoon, said people who carry pain from the past have a responsibility to confront it rather than pass its effects to their children or others close to them.
“Healing is our responsibility,” Sta. Maria said during a Netflix Philippines media launch, describing the need to recognize personal wounds and prevent them from reaching another generation.
Sta. Maria stars as Joanne, or Jo, a television writer whose life is disrupted when her estranged mother, Paz, played by Agot Isidro, returns after 27 years. Netflix describes the reunion as bringing a secret that changes Jo’s life. Gardo Versoza, Ruby Ruiz, Gabriel Lazaro, RK Bagatsing, Mitch Valdez and Angel Aquino are also in the cast.
Directed and co-written by Cholo H. Laurel, the film examines estrangement, forgiveness and tensions within Filipino families.
Sta. Maria said playing Jo led her to consider how unresolved hurt can shape relationships. Forgiveness, she said, does not require immediately dismissing pain. She first acknowledges feelings such as hurt, betrayal or disappointment before making the decision to forgive.
Laurel has stressed that the film does not tell audiences that reconciliation or forgiveness is required. Its emphasis, he said, is on communication and bringing unresolved wounds into the open, leaving viewers to draw their own conclusions.
Isidro similarly described healing and forgiveness as “inner work.”
Ganito, Ganyan, Ganoon began streaming on Netflix on Aug. 13.
