Kuwaresma

Kuwaresma, also known as The Entity, is a 2019 Filipino supernatural horror film directed by Erik Matti and starring Sharon Cuneta and John Arcilla, with Kent Gonzales, Pam Gonzales and Guila Alvarez in their supporting roles. The story follows Luis Fajardo (Kent Gonzales), who returns to his home in Baguio to mourn the death of his twin sister. He is welcomed by his parents—Rebecca (Sharon Cuneta) and Arturo (John Arcilla)—in their family, but they remain silent on the truth about the death of his sister. Cast Sharon Cuneta as Dr. Rebecca Fajardo: A doctor and the passive matriarch of the Fajardo family. Cuneta, the first and only choice for the female lead, accepted the role 15 minutes after Matti offered it to her. The film would reportedly "not have pushed through" had Cuneta refused to star in it. She was offered the role in December 2018 after working on a commercial for Selecta in Makati. Cuneta shot her scenes for 25 days, and lost weight as a result. Matti characterized Cuneta's character as an unkempt woman. John Arcilla as Arturo Farjardo: The strict patriarch of the Fajardo family who harbors a secret. There was apprehension as to Arcilla's casting as he was occupied shooting the television series Ang Probinsyano. However, Arcilla accepted the role after Matti offered it to him, and Arcilla traveled back and forth, from Manila to Baguio, to film his scenes. Kuwaresma marked the first time Arcilla and Cuneta had worked together in a film; they previously appeared in a TV commercial. Kent Gonzalez as Luis Fajardo: A teenager who returns home to attend the wake of his sister, who died under mysterious circumstances. For the role of Luis, Matti sought actors between the age range of 15 to 18 years old, and someone who has "the sensitivity and the vulnerability that the character has". Matti saw these qualities on Gonzales, whom Matti also found physically fit for the role. Matti added that Gonzales was able to portray Luis' emotional and psychological struggles in the story. Gonzales had auditioned twice and watched Matti's previous horror films in preparation for the role. To shoot the difficult scenes, he had to learn from his more experienced co-stars, doing tension exercises with Cuneta and studying Arcilla's acting technique through his eye and voice projections. Pam Gonzales as Manuela Fajardo: Luis' fraternal twin sister who died under mysterious circumstances.