Pains of OFW separation from kids shown in Swedish indie film

MANILA, Philippines - Filipinos in Western-produced movies are often reduced to roles of a maid with a crooked English accent or worse, a Chinese kung fu master. But once in a while a movie like Mammoth comes along. The independent film, which was released in theaters in Sweden last week, features the character of a Filipino domestic helper who longs to be home with her two sons in the Philippines. What makes Mammoth different from other films – indie or mainstream – is that the Filipino character does not merely sit on the sidelines, scrubbing floors or changing bed covers, but is pivotal in the main characters’ change of heart. Mammoth tells the story of Leo (Gael Garcia Bernal) and Ellen (Michelle Williams), a successful New York couple, who are both so immersed with their work, their live-in housekeeper Gloria (Marife Necesito) becomes the parent-figure for their eight-year-old daughter. When Leo flew to Thailand on a business trip, his wife Ellen, a surgeon, realizes that she needs to prioritize her child more, seeing how their nanny has established a closer relationship with her daughter. At the same time, Gloria’s own family back in the Philippines struggles to deal with her absence. (See movie trailer here) Swedish film director Lukas Moodysson, who had always been intrigued with the concept of the family and the fragile role of the child in it, casts three main Filipino actors in the film – Necesito and her sons in the film played by Jan David Nicdao (as Salvador) and Martin de los Santos. “I think one of the things I’m always interested in the family in particular are the children. How grownups are treating children and how they are treated in this world," Moodysson said in a recent press conference. There are other themes Mammoth wishes to convey to the audience, Moodysson said. Among them is the social cost of migration. “Longing maybe, missing someone or something?" Moodysson said. On Wednesday, the film cast, including the two Filipino actors, were invited to the opening of the Berlinale Film Festival in Germany where Mammoth is in competition, Nicdaos’ father told GMANews.TV. - GMANews.TV