Charo Santos and Boots Roa-Rodrigo play lesbian lovers in “Until She Remembers”

Brillante Ma. Mendoza finally fulfills Charo Santos-Concio and Boots Anson Roa-Rodrigo’s long-held wish to play lovers in a heartfelt lesbian drama.

Brillante Ma. Mendoza doesn’t do things halfway. So when he decided to make a full-on lesbian love story, he went big, casting Charo Santos-Concio and Boots Anson Roa-Rodrigo, no less, in “Until She Remembers.” 

It’s the kind of pairing that feels both quietly radical and long overdue, especially coming from a filmmaker known for leaning into uncomfortable truths.

A promise kept in Portugal

The script came together quickly, almost casually, during a single trip to Portugal. Pitching it to the two actresses was even easier. Both Santos-Concio and Roa-Rodrigo immediately said yes, recognizing it as the kind of material they’d been waiting for their entire careers.

Now, as the film nears its local release, Mendoza reports that Santos-Concio is bursting with excitement. “She told me, ‘Now, my filmography is already complete,’” the director shared with Radar Entertainment during a recent get-together at his Mandaluyong City home.

The idea of bringing Santos-Concio and Roa-Rodrigo together, Mendoza said, came from unfinished business. “I made a promise to Ma’am Boots and I made a promise to Ma’am Charo,” he explained, referring to earlier projects that never pushed through. 

This time, everything aligned. 

While on an extended vacation in Portugal, Roa-Rodrigo messaged him, and something clicked. “I remembered the project. I was like, wait a minute—I’ll start writing here.”

By September, the script was done. Mendoza pitched it to Santos-Concio, who immediately liked it. The story centers on an elderly lesbian couple, with Alzheimer’s disease as a key emotional anchor—but Mendoza is quick to clarify that the film is not defined solely by sexuality. “It’s not necessarily the lesbian [aspect]. Also, the meaning of love,” he said. Love that persists, softens, and endures, even as memory begins to fray.

The weight of legacy

Interestingly, the project echoed a long-held wish shared by the actresses themselves. As industry friends, Santos-Concio and Roa-Rodrigo had often talked about working together, and not in the usual mother-or-aunt roles. “They said it would be a waste if they get together for a simple project,” Mendoza recalled. “It would be better if it were a lesbian relationship.” Whether coincidence or manifestation, Mendoza simply answered the call.

Despite the premise, “Until She Remembers” steers clear of sensationalism. There are no kissing scenes, no overt physical intimacy. “That’s not my intention,” Mendoza said. “It’s more of an emotional connection, not a physical one.” 

Even a scene where Santos-Concio helps Roa-Rodrigo bathe was carefully handled, with no nudity involved. “That’s where I compromised,” he admitted, mindful of Roa-Rodrigo’s conservative background.

The film’s emotional texture is deepened by its literary and musical choices. Mendoza cites Pablo Neruda when speaking of pain and longing and deliberately places love against the idea of an ending world through the use of Skeeter Davis’ “The End of the World.” “There’s love, but the world is ending,” he said. “The world will end, but your love remains.” Music from the era of the characters’ youth heightens the irony—songs that function like memories themselves, echoing long after everything else begins to fade.

A granddaughter’s discovery

Completing the emotional triangle is Barbie Forteza, cast as the granddaughter who slowly uncovers the couple’s past. Mendoza chose Forteza for her seriousness and instinct. “Among the young stars I see now, she has promise,” he said. True to his process, Mendoza didn’t give her a full script—only the essence of her character and the emotional space she occupied. Forteza embraced the method, doing her own research on how young people internalize difficult truths. “They don’t confront the problem,” Mendoza noted. “They just absorb.”

When Santos-Concio and Roa-Rodrigo finally saw the finished film, the response was immediate and emotional. This was when Santos-Concio talked about her filmography being complete, while Anson-Roa remarked how easy it was to get attached to the story. “Sometimes, when we watch, we watch the actors perform,” Mendoza said. “This one, you forget that.”

Though “Until She Remembers” marks Mendoza’s second lesbian film—following Cherry Pie Picache’s character in “Kaleldo”—it feels like a culmination. 

Shot with a limited budget and an intentional intimacy, the film is slated for a February release, just in time for Valentine’s Day, with Women’s Month close behind. Limited theatrical screenings are planned, followed by streaming.

For Mendoza, the timing feels right. The story, the actresses, and the quiet power of a love that refuses to disappear resonate deeply, even when memory fades.

“Until She Remembers” is set to open in local cinemas on February  25.

 

 

Sometimes, when we watch, we watch the actors perform. This [movie], you forget that.

Brillante Ma. Mendoza

 

 

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