Liza Soberano couldn’t help but share her thoughts about a poster for an upcoming movie, especially when it didn’t sit well with her.
On Twitter, Liza posted the movie poster for “Tililing,” directed by Darryl Yap who is best known for his VinCentiments series, and spoke out about how it seemingly presented mental health issues in a derogatory way.
Really hoping that this movie will spread awareness and enlighten us on the struggles of dealing with mental health. But the poster? It’s a no for me. Mental health is NOT a joke. Stop the stigma. pic.twitter.com/EHndPS2khs
— Liza Soberano (@lizasoberano) February 8, 2021
“Really hoping that this movie will spread awareness and enlighten us on the struggles of dealing with mental health. But the poster? It’s a no for me,” she wrote in her tweet.
“Mental health is NOT a joke. Stop the stigma.”
The term “tililing” is commonly regarded as an insult to describe people suffering from a mental illness or those who act a bit too quirky and off-beat. Many netizens sided with Liza, calling out the usage of the term as well as how the poster was presented.
Director Darryl, however, took to Facebook to defend his decision.
“Sa iyo Miss Liza Soberano, ang iyong pag-asa na sana’y makapagbigay liwanag ang aming pelikula sa pagpapalawak ng kaalaman sa pangkalusugang pangkaisipan ay hindi masasayang, HINDI KA NAMIN BIBIGUIN,” he wrote.
“Ang aking mga artista sa pelikulang ito ay nagdaan sa mga pagsubok na nagpatatag din sa kanilang kalusugang pangkaisipan. Sigurado kaming hindi nila tatanggapin ang isang proyektong ikapapahamak ng kanilang prinsipyo at pagkatao; Matatalino ang aking mga artista, at matapang ang kanilang direktor.”
He also added that things will be much clearer once the movie premieres.
“Kapag napanood niyo na po ang #Tililing ay mauunawaan ninyo bakit ito ang titulo, bakit nakalabas ang kanilang dila; at bakit namin tinitindigan ang kalidad at mensahe ng pelikula. Kaisa po ninyo kami sa inyong adbokasiya. Maraming Salamat po,” he said.
Baron Geisler, who is one of the cast members, also responded to Liza in defense of the film.
“Di siguro Alam ng mga Tao na I was once a PMHA Cebu warrior. I still battle with the sickness everyday and it’s no joke to wake up and fight for your life EVERY SINGLE DAY,” he said in a post. He then shared that he and his wife, Jamie, will be flying to Davao this weekend to do a radio tour on mental health, just in time for the premiere of the movie.
He did, however, plead to netizens not to “bash” Liza as he believes her intentions were pure.
“Please Don’t bash Liza. Please be kind. Sometimes we get overprotective with our advocacies. She did not mean to look down on the poster,” he wrote in the comments section of Darryl’s post. “I believe she meant well folks. Please be kind. Masakit ma bash naranasan natin lahat Yan one way or another.”
To this, Liza expressed her thanks.
“Thank you kuya Baron for the kind words and sorry if I have offended anyone. I’m afraid my intentions were misinterpreted. I always want the best for films that tap into mental health, so I wish this film all the best. Looking forward to seeing it,” she said.
Thank you kuya Baron for the kind words and sorry if I have offended anyone. I’m afraid my intentions were misinterpreted. I always want the best for films that tap into mental health, so I wish this film all the best. ??Looking forward to seeing it. ?
— Liza Soberano (@lizasoberano) February 8, 2021
(ALSO READ: Liza Soberano Rumoured to Shoot with Thai BL Stars!)
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