A PLACE CALLED HOME:
DOCUMENTING THE CHANGING SEASONS

You could say that she was able to document all the changing seasons in that one year in the life of Sharon Cuneta quite vividly. She captured it in words, and with director Rowell Santiago's help, for the unflinching eye of the camera. And her willing subject, Sharon had seen it all, had experienced it all. The changing seasons: spring, summer, fall, and winter. Fame and anonymity. Laughter and tears. Happiness and heartbreak. All in that one year in Boston. Award-winning TV journalist Kara Magsanoc-Alikpala had the chance to "document" the Megastar's changing seasons in the heartfelt and heartwarming documentary, A Place Called Home.

The writing process, Kara describes as a highly personal and painful exercise.

"It's hard not to give away a part of yourself," she relates. "Parang kinakakahig ang loob mo. (It's like you poke your insides.) You have to draw from your own experiences and look for parallelisms, so you could have the heart to tell another person's story."

It could be "draining," she admits.

Especially when they had to focus on the Megastar's two miscarriages. "We didn't want to sensationalize the miscarriages," Kara points out. It was an experience, as any woman would know, that was deeply hurtful and personal. "At first, I didn't want to ask about the miscarriages. I felt that it was bad enough that she had to go through it. But because she was a celebrity and being a true child of showbiz, she felt she owed it to the public to inform them what was going on. She was very candid about it, however. And our conversations were very deep and poignant." For her part, Kara took great pains to handle it, not only with style but with sensitivity. "From the heart, from the gut," was how she wrote it. "So when I wrote about that personal crisis," Kara explains the process, "I had to draw from my own experiences. So that my empathy would be stronger. My heart and soul went into it."

And it was very much evident in the final product.

A labor of love, that was how they--Sharon, Rowell and Kara--would all describe A Place Called Home--the first TV production of Sharon's company, Numbers Entertainment.

Being a child of the '80s herself, Kara happily accepted the chance to work on the Sharon docu--which was initially envisioned as a sort of wholesome Truth or Dare: In Bed With Madonna.

Of course, the Sharon docu eventually evolved on its own, taking on its own texture and relevance. The documentary showed footages of Sharon during her world concert tour, backstage and onstage; of Sharon in her "little home" in Boston; of Sharon washing the car, doing the groceries, hanging out with Kiko and KC, and shooting the breeze with her gal pals; of Sharon going to college and receiving her A (via mail) in Literary Works.

At that time they were planning the docu, Kara was also getting ready for her own life milestone: she was about to get married. That was why soon after saying I do, Kara had to fly to the States. "And give up my honeymoon," she laughs.

And the shoot, although "smooth," was no honeymoon. It was hard, as in arduous, work.

For the 90-minute documentary, Kara and her crew accumulated over 30 30-minute tapes of interviews and footages that had to be transcribed, reviewed and edited. "We wanted to make it really in-depth and thorough."

Still, all that hard work seemed breezy because of the lightheartedness and cheerfulness of the subject.

"Shooting was madugo (not just challenging but bloody difficult)," Kara recalls, "but Sharon was very patient. She understands the process. Even if she doesn't understand it fully; she wants to understand it. She understands it in such a way that she gives us leeway. She's not demanding. Some celebrities would impose impossible demands and limitations. But for Sharon, there were no limits. She was a real trouper. She'll do anything you ask her to do, for the good of the project. In fact, she shares a writer's and a director's commitment to excellence. And she's genuinely nice to the crew, to everyone." That was precisely Kara's initial impression of her subject: "After meeting her, I realized why people call her the Megastar," she avers. "She is really down-to-earth. It is very rare to meet a celebrity who has both the talent and the right attitude. And for me that is the definition of a real Megastar. Sharon is a big talent with a big heart as well."

Yes, that was the Sharon that Kara got to know while doing the TV special. "Sharon will be the first to tell you that she is the same on- and off-screen. And that's true. She is kalog (funny). She is madaldal (talkative). And very bright. But she's not the type to show off. She is really very simple. I know that this is hard to believe because she is the Megastar and everything, but it really takes so little to please her."

Kara feels there are still numerous facets of the multi-faceted life and career of Sharon Cuneta, Megastar and Private Person, that can still be discussed and "documented."

"There are still so many things you could talk about," Kara enumerates. "Like her synergistic relationship with her father. The intensity of her love for him. That alone is another docu. Also, Sharon as businessperson, that's another docu. And Sharon as mother." Kara, in fact, considers KC's segment in A Place Called Home as her personal favorite. "It was like everyone was excited to see and meet the new KC, all grown up. Now, a fine young lady."

Kara admires their unique mother-daughter relationship. "When KC's home, Sharon makes sure that she is not a celebrity. She puts KC in her place. I think Sharon's mother did the same thing to her when she was growing up. Her parents were able to give her a good foundation. If her star was big outside, at home it was diffused. At home, Sharon was simply a daughter. She was not exempt from discipline, from chores, from homework. And she is applying the same parenting style to her daughter now."

When Sharon shared a part of her real-life sob story, of how she overcame the pain of two miscarriages, Kara couldn't help but hear echoes of her own life.

Kara knew whereof Sharon spoke. At that time, Kara had just survived her battle with breast cancer.

In their adversities, Kara saw the resilience of the human spirit, the power of faith. Like Sharon, Kara didn't stop working and fighting in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. She, in fact, remained positive all throughout.

In their darkest moments, the subject and the documentarist were united and gleaned a ray of hope. They both learned not to question His infinite wisdom.

"When I fell ill, it was like all past events were put in a card shuffler and my entire life was reshuffled," Kara elaborates. "But, at the end, I saw that everything was put in order, in a particular sequence. Everything made sense, everything led to this. Each experience brought me to a higher level of growth and brought me closer to God." Although Sharon and Kara were two very different women, who led two very different lives, they somehow found their connection in the crossroads of life.

And in this "connection" between celebrity and ordinary mortal, Kara sees the power and promise of the documentary: "All our stories are related. All our lives affect the other. And our experience as a family, as a country or as a global village, is a collection of stories--one building upon another. All these learning experiences allow us to grow and move forward, hopefully evolve for the better."

* All behind-the-scenes images taken April 1998 at the Pangilinan Residence.