How Mike Tuviera Came Up With a Provocative Winner of a Film

Be warned: in this article, I will gush about the Metro Manila Film Festival 2024 entry "The Kingdom," which was directed and co-produced by my brother-in-law, Mike Tuviera, who is married to my bunso sister Penny.

- WITH PAT-P

Mike and Penny invited me, my kids, mom and brother Paul to the Red Carpet premiere in Gateway II last Dec. 20, and we were all bowled over by the film, which is a thought-provoking drama set in an alternate world that asks a simple question: what if our country had never been colonized by Spain and the USA?

Smartly scripted and masterfully directed, the surprising and shocking twists and turns made for a nail-biting experience that was made even more engaging thanks to the stellar (and revelatory) performances of lead actors Vic Sotto and Piolo Pascual, both of whom went out of their comfort zones for the film. For Piolo, "The Kingdom" marks the first time he has done full-blown action scenes. As for Vic Sotto, the film is his first foray into serious drama.

This isn't to say that only the leads are good. The supporting cast—which includes Cristine Reyes, Sid Lucero, Ruby Ruiz, and Sue Ramirez—is uniformly flawless, as are Iza Calzado and Cedric Juan in brief but pivotal roles. When the movie ended, my heart swelled with pride as the sister-in-law of the director/co-producer. My children Gabbie and Paolo also raved about how good the film was, as did my mom Jullie and brother. I wanted to interview Mike immediately after the screening for this article, but Penny told us he was mobbed by reporters right after the lights came on.

I finally got the chance to chat with Mike about "The Kingdom" when he and Penny hosted our traditional Christmas Eve lunch in their lovely home with mom, her four children and all nine grandchildren present.