By Flory Ann Tacuban
What if two characters find themselves stuck in n a weird space between “friends” and “lovers”? Filipinos who love watching romantic comedy films can now watch out for the upcoming film, My Amanda, available on Netflix this July 15.
My Amanda tells the story of two unusually close friends TJ and Amanda, starred by Alessandra de Rossi and Piolo Pascual, as they share every aspect of their lives together but as their own worlds change and evolve while, their bond remains constant.
TJ appears to have romantic feelings for his best friend Amanda but they are also entangled with their own complicated relationships and heartbreaks.
In a virtual press junket last July 7, Alessandra shares that the movie is about friendship and how much she treasures connections that are sincere, overwhelming and a very profound impact.
Piolo describes My Amanda as bringing out a baby
My Amanda was previously set to premiere in 2020, but it was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic as cinemas operations are halted.
“We worked on this project for- we’ve been working on it for three years, so finally so much anticipation, we’re finally here and the rest of the world is going to see the film in a couple of weeks, so we’re just so excited to finally bring the baby out,” Piolo said.
Piolo further adds that they waited for so long for the film to come out, finally and it’s just so nice to be able to share something so personal and to be given this kind of support by Netflix, is something really huge.
My Amanda marks Alesandra’s directorial debut
Alessandra, as the director, scriptwriter and actress for the film said that this film is her proud gift to Piolo and Spring Films who produced “Kita Kita.”
When asked by the press on where did she find the inspiration for the story about a very close friendship, Alessandra mentioned that actually based on actual persons in her life and her guy friends.
“I wanted to share a different kind of love story. It’s a friendship that’s intimate and not superficial, rare and sincere. That’s what I wanted to talk about because all Pinoys are fans of romcoms,” Alessandra said.
Alessandra further mentioned that she wrote the film because she wants people to treasure friendships and appreciate them as they are, and just stop adding malice, not everyone is there for sex or relationships.
Alessandra hospitalized while filming My Amanda
According to Piolo, Alessandra also got hospitalized while filming My Amanda as she was taking on it so much and it has taken a toll on her physically because she was getting frustrated of the things she wanted to do.
Alessandra said that she gave it her all because its her first time to write, direct and act in a movie she co-produced with Piolo. Despite the stress Alessandra would love to direct again after My Amanda.
“Sometimes, while I was directing, I did not have the luxury, the privilege not to see myself really on screen and acting because that’s impossible,” Alessandra said.
When asked by the press about what was the experience having Alessandra as the director, Piolo said that it was easy being directed by Alessandra because she knew her material, her script, her shots, and what she wanted.
A love advice from Piolo and Alessandra
Piolo said that the there was so much respect for the relationship, for the dynamics to just stay the way they are so that you can explore the relationship even better it’s not to cross the line because you value the friendship so much that there’s more to it than just being romantic.
“Don’t fall too soon. Make sure you know the person first. It’s so easy for us to
fall in love, but the thing is nowadays, it’s just everywhere, it’s so easy to be with
somebody. You got to treasure that. You got to make sure you make the right
decision. It’s not always right, but enjoy it, savor it, and don’t rush into anything,” Piolo mentioned.
Alessandra futher adds, “Don’t be afraid to love. Don’t be afraid to make friends. Don’t beafraid of the journey. You’ll never know what you find and how far are you willing to
go for friendship for a friend.”
Piolo encourages the audience to watch the film My Amanda as he said that the relationship between TJ andAmanda is just an icing on the cake.
“What transpires through the course of time and what happens because of that relationship is the true gem of the film. That’s why you have to watch it,” Piolo said.
After its official release of the trailer last July 7, My Amanda is coming to Netflix on July 15.
