AJ Raval, Hasna Cabral, and Alex Medina are taking on a sensitive story about abuse, trauma, and survival in the upcoming short film ‘The Flickering Bonfire.’
Produced by Fil-America Productions, the 25-minute narrative film tackles abuse against women and girls and how fear, shame, and family secrecy can make it difficult for survivors to speak about what they have experienced.
The production says the film is based on a true story and draws from real-life experiences involving trauma and domestic violence.
For Raval, who plays the central character Princess, dealing with difficult experiences also brought the conversation back to one of the ways she personally learned to cope: her faith.
“Growing up, natuto akong mag dasal–mag pray, ask for guidelines, ask for protection,” Raval shared while discussing how she learned to cope with traumatic experiences.
‘The Flickering Bonfire’ centers on Princess, a young girl whose seemingly ordinary home life gradually reveals a more troubling reality.
Her story is closely connected to her mother Mirna, played by Hasna Cabral, and Mirna’s live-in boyfriend Julio, portrayed by Alex Medina.
As circumstances inside the household become increasingly difficult, Princess is forced to confront experiences no child should have to endure.
For Cabral, playing Mirna reinforced the importance of reaching out instead of dealing with trauma alone.
“Sometimes, it might not be our family, it might not be our mother or daughter, but we can also ask help and somehow get like [help] from the people around us. It takes talaga other people, you just need ti share your story and share what you went through to get to a better place,” Cabral said.
Her character represents another complicated dimension of the story, as Mirna’s circumstances and decisions become intertwined with what happens to her daughter.
Through Princess, meanwhile, the film explores vulnerability, fear, and the beginning of a journey toward survival and resilience.
Medina takes on one of the story’s darker roles as Julio, whose violent behavior becomes a source of trauma within the household.
Reflecting on the character and the larger issue addressed by the film, Medina stressed that men also have a responsibility to intervene when they see abusive behavior from other men.
“Men should actually stop other men from you know, doing such a mascular violence, or whatever emotional, or physical, or mental abuse,” Medina said.
Rather than separating Julio’s actions from the consequences experienced by the other characters, Medina connected the role to the different forms abuse can take and the trauma they can leave behind.
‘The Flickering Bonfire’ is an American-Filipino co-production led by filmmakers Matthew Rusling and Sarah Cinco.
The project brings together Filipino and international creatives for a story intended to reach audiences both in the Philippines and abroad.