ROSELYND HARIETTE A.

AGASANG

sequence
of events
SEVEN SUNDAYS

01 BEGINNING
Star Cinema's "Seven Sundays revolves around
the story of Bonifacio family, whose patriarch,
Manuel, (Ronaldo Valdez) is diagnosed with a
terminal illness. Seeing the family he built with
his now deceased-wife, falling apart, Manuel has
only one dying wish: see his four children
together again and reconnected, happy and
looking for each other, like when they were still
kids

02 MIDDLE
But time and distance have taken a great toll on his children's relationships
which have been mostly strained by insecurities and pride among them.
His eldest, Allan (Aga Mulach), is a struggling father trying to make ends
meet for his own family. Bryan (Dingdong Dantes), the middle child, who in
spite of being the most successful, harbors bitterness towards Allan,
whom he thinks has remained his father's favorite. Cha (Cristine Reyes),
now a mother of three, tries to hide her malfunctioning marriage, and
Dexter (Enrique Gil), the youngest, keeps himself distant from the family he
thinks abandoned him. They are forced to reconcile under the same roof,
and as they try to grant their dying father's wish, a recollection of their
history and some assessment of where they are and have gone as a
family, are inevitably ensued But Dingdong Dantes has arguably emerged
as the strongest performer. There is a powerful exchange of accusations
and revelation of insecurities among the siblings, where Bryan bares his
bitter struggle to prove himself and his worth in the family.
Enrique Gil's Dexter has practically the same baggage. He struggles to
connect to the members of his family whom he feels left him when he was
in need of someone to guide him through growing up. As anticipated, every
member of the family has to survive the pains of growing up, but it is
growing apart that proves to be more damaging to the Bonifacio family,
and it is more evident in Dexter.

03 ENDING
But then, all these characters radiate around Manuel, played by
Ronaldo Valdez, who has singularly maintained his dramatic genius
throughout the film. His struggle as a father trying to keep the
foundations of his already rattled family makes his character
accessible, hence it emerges as the most relatable element of the
film. For what it's worth, while "Seven Sundays" struggles to
abandon the conventions of its genre, this Cathy Garcia-Molina-
helmed family drama turns out to be actually memorable. Its utter
earnestness to relate a familiar story moves the film to levels that
are bracing enough to capture audience and tug at their
heartstrings. With its poignant sentiments about family, it hits right
in the heart, and for that, "Seven Sundays" is exceptional.