Separada

{{Infobox film

| name = Separada

| image = Separada.jpg

| caption = Poster of the film's restored version, designed by Justin Besana

| director = Chito S. Roño

| screenplay = {{ubl|Ricky Lee|Tessie Tomas}}

| producer = {{ubl

| Charo Santos-Concio

| Lily Y. Monteverde

| Simon C. Ongpin

| Malou N. Santos}}

| starring = {{plainlist|

}}

| music = Nonong Buencamino

| cinematography =

Jose Batac Jr.

| editing = Joe Solo

| studio = Star Cinema

| distributor = Star Cinema

| released = {{Film date|1994|10|12|df=yes}}

| runtime = 118 minutes

| country = Philippines

| language = Filipino

}}

Separada (English: A Separated Woman) is a 1994 Philippine melodrama film directed by Chito S. Roño from a screenplay written by Ricky Lee and Tessie Tomas. The film stars Maricel Soriano and Edu Manzano, who were separated in real life in 1991, as the married couple whose marriage became dysfunctional when the husband committed an affair with another woman, leaving his wife to take care their two children single-handedly.{{cite news|title=Maricel and Edu: Together again|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=8cBNEdFwSQkC&dat=19941007&printsec=frontpage&hl=en|access-date=10 August 2024|newspaper=Manila Standard|publisher=Kamahalan Publishing Corp.|date=7 October 1994|page=18|first=Norma |last=Japitana}} It also includes the special participation of Eddie Rodriguez, Liza Lorena, and Lani Mercado, and the introduction of then-child stars Patrick Garcia and Angelica Panganiban in cinema.

Produced and distributed by Star Cinema, the film was theatrically released on 12 October 1994 and became successful at the box office and received acclaim from critics and audiences.{{cite news|title=The message from Marilou Diaz-Abaya|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=8cBNEdFwSQkC&dat=19941113&printsec=frontpage&hl=en|access-date=10 August 2024|newspaper=Manila Standard|publisher=Kamahalan Publishing Corp.|date=16 November 1994|page=22|first=Norma|last=Japitana|archive-date=11 August 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240811005630/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=8cBNEdFwSQkC&dat=19941113&printsec=frontpage&hl=en|url-status=live}} In 2018, the film was digitally restored and remastered by ABS-CBN Film Restoration, in partnership with Central Digital Lab.{{cite press release |author=ABS-CBN Corporation Communications |title=‘Separada’ leads Ricky Lee Festival by ABS-CBN Film Restoration on KTX |url=https://www.abs-cbn.com/newsroom/news-releases/2021/3/12/separada-leads-ricky-lee-festival-on-ktx?lang=en |location=Quezon City, Metro Manila |publisher=ABS-CBN Entertainment |date=12 March 2021 |access-date=10 August 2024 |language=en-PH}}

Synopsis

Melissa became a single parent to their two children, Vincent and Jenny, when she discovered that her husband Dodie committed an affair with another woman.

Cast

{{cast listing|

Maricel Soriano as Melissa
Edu Manzano as Dodie
Sharmaine Arnaiz as Sandy
Patrick Garcia as Vincent
Angelica Panganiban as Jenny
Liza Lorena as Carmela
Eddie Rodriguez as Melissa's Daddy
Lani Mercado as Susan
Raquel Villavicencio as Mabel
Ai-Ai Delas Alas as Cookie
Teresa Loyzaga as Benny
Mandy Ochoa as Cyrus
Lloyd Umali as Sonny
Dennis Roldan as Arman
Ronnie Lazaro as Hector
Ramon Recto as Carlo
Gamaliel Viray as Atty. Serafio
Khryss Adalia as Commercial Director
Idda Yaneza as Manang Bella
Madeleine Nicolas as Teacher
Estrella Antonio as Cook / Maid
Streetboys as Commercial Dancers
Mimi Yaptiongco as Maid}}

Production

Director Chito S. Roño directed many films of different genres including family dramas and romance and when it comes to directing films about "separation", he decided to make Separada unique from most films about the said subject. He said that he wanted to direct a film "that is sophisticated, something different from the usual domestic melodrama" and departs the idea of a woman going into a state of sadness and despair when her husband ditches her for the mistress.{{cite news|title=Chito Roño: Portrait of a ("bad") director|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=8cBNEdFwSQkC&dat=19941015&printsec=frontpage&hl=en|access-date=11 August 2024|newspaper=Manila Standard|publisher=Kamahalan Publishing Corp.|date=16 October 1994|page=22}}

Sharmaine Arnaiz, who was cast as Sandy in the film, said that she is not concerned and worried about typecasting her as the "mistress" and she admitted that the film relates to her because the separation between Maricel and Edu's respective characters are reminiscent to her parents' separation.{{cite news|title=Sharmaine Arnaiz: Hardly the other woman|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=8cBNEdFwSQkC&dat=19941011&printsec=frontpage&hl=en|access-date=11 August 2024|newspaper=Manila Standard|publisher=Kamahalan Publishing Corp.|date=11 October 1994|page=21|archive-date=11 August 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240811005630/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=8cBNEdFwSQkC&dat=19941011&printsec=frontpage&hl=en|url-status=live}}

Reception

Chantal Ramos, a reviewer for Sinegang.PH, gave the film four out of five stars, praising its plot, direction, acting performances, and emotional impact to the audience. According to Ramos, the film is described as "a querida movie that, for once, prizes authenticity over sensationalism" and "a stark contrast" to the other film also helmed by Roño, Lee, and Soriano, Minsan Lang Kita Iibigin.{{cite web |url=https://www.sinegang.ph/filmreviews/separada-1994-cr |title="Separada" REVIEW: What all querida movies should be |first=Chantal |last=Ramos |date=17 March 2021 |access-date=10 August 2024 |website=Sinegang.PH |archive-date=10 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240810150416/https://www.sinegang.ph/filmreviews/separada-1994-cr |url-status=live }}