Film Review: Seven Sundays
What if someone tells you that he’s about to die?
What if that someone happens to be a loved one?
Spending time with our families has always been necessary. Somehow, they are the constant to the change of the world. However, it is inevitable that our lives give focus on something else than them. More often than we want to, we fail to spend quality time with our family. When I watched Seven Sundays, I realized how time is not really about the things that we can do with it. Perhaps time is precious because it’s something we can never have back once we’ve lost it.
The trailer of Seven Sundays was aired in television and was uploaded in Youtube between the last week of September and the first week of October. And who wouldn’t be interested to watch? The trailer showed the members of the cast, and the leading roles are played by well-renowned artists- Renaldo Valdez, who acts as the widowed father, and his children: Aga Muhlach, Dingdong Dantes, Cristine Reyes, and Enrique Gil. Now we can see that all of them are excellent actors from their own generations, but the credits don’t stop there. The film was directed by Director Cathy Garcia-Molina, and we all know how she creates blockbuster films and teleseryes. People were easily encouraged to watch it, as it looks full of charm.
So how did Seven Sundays teach its viewers about time and family? And how is it different from other family-oriented films?
The trailer depicted how the character of Valdez named Manuel Bonifacio, the patriarch, was wondering why his children do not visit him in their home anymore. In his tightly-knit community, he is looked up to by everyone and all the people around him shower him with affection- something that his children have not done for years. When his doctor informed him that he has cancer, he texted his children to come home. Around the dining table, he informed his children that he was dying, and asked if they can spend the remaining Sundays, which counts to seven, with him. Normally, people who are dying do not have to request for time and attention. People will willingly give it to them, afraid that it will be the last time they can see that person. That is where the story unfolds, as we learn how and why his children were not spending time with him. The uniqueness of Valdez’s character can also be seen in the entire film- he was an optimistic, lonely father who only wished for the time of his children who are always too busy. Perhaps, he was also trying to answer the first sentence of the trailer: “When was the last time your family felt like home?”
His children- Allan, Bryan, Cha and Dexter, seemed to have their own lives already. They are not that close with each other anymore, and they are also troubled with their own individual struggles that they choose to not share to the family. The variety of their problems as adults was effective in making its audience relate to the characters. Clearly, the film was successful at portraying ordinary people living ordinary lives. It did not need exaggerations to be a good film. Somehow, we have been an Allan with our financial problems, a Bryan with our achievements and secrets, a Cha with our relationships, or a Dexter of our own- too occupied with our own lives that we forget to spend time with our parents anymore.
The best thing about the film was the fact that no actor overshadowed anyone else’s performance. They were able to find the chemistry and the balance that is needed to give everyone the spotlight. The division of the scenes were also equal among the children for the audience to know more about them. The script was well-written for us to understand the dialogues of the characters and what the conversations reveal about the family. The plot of the movie was also comprehensive to be followed. Although there are some details that the film failed to show, it was able to make up for those by mixing comedy and drama well, with the funny parts coming mostly from the lines of Ketchup Eusebio. Still, it was evident how the scenes that dealt with the life of Manuel Bonifacio were the ones that will really pinch your heart- he was a character that portrayed something else: lost time and what ifs.
The values of the movie do not go far from our values as Filipinos: spend time with your family, they are the people who will stay when everyone else has gone. Communicate with the people you have conflicts with and you will find a way to rekindle the relationship. More than anything else, things can be done when they are done with unity. If you think you need to be reminded of these things, make sure to watch the film.
Perhaps now is the time to ask ourselves: When was the last time your family felt like home? What if someone tells you that he’s about to die? What if that someone happens to be a loved one?
