Filipino-Canadian actress takes lead role in new Canadian rom-com film

According to the film’s website, “I Propose We Never See Each Other Again After Tonight” was shot on weekends and evenings over a three-month period, since the crew had to find time in Nalam’s schedule who was doing a play at the same time. (Photo by Brad Crawford via I Propose We Never See Each Other Again After Tonight/Website)

Twenty Filipino-Canadian actors starred in a new Canadian romantic-comedy film, with one of them being cast as the female protagonist.

Titled “I Propose We Never See Each Other Again After Tonight,” the film talks about the story of Iris, played by Hera Nalam, who meets a man named Simon, played by Kristian Jordan, during the winter season in Winnipeg, Canada. Iris mistakes Simon for someone she knows, as everyone during that time was wearing scarves and balaclavas to protect themselves from the cold.

This Filipina-Mennonite meeting eventually starts to feel like real love and when it arrived at that point, Simon freaked out and decided to leave for a few weeks. Iris interprets their situation as a ‘break,’ resulting in her downloading an application to meet with other people. Things get tangled up and unfold when Simon comes back from his trip.

The movie was written and directed by Sean Garrity, the filmmaker behind “My Awkward Sexual Adventure” in 2012.

According to the film’s website, “I Propose We Never See Each Other Again After Tonight” was shot on weekends and evenings over a three-month period, since the crew had to find time in Nalam’s schedule who was doing a play at the same time.

Garrity told CBC News that Nalam initially auditioned for a smaller role, however, the director said he and the crew liked her so he asked the actress if she would like to be the movie’s female lead.

It was a ‘yes’ but Nalam had theater schedule at that time and she cannot give it up for the film, that’s why they ended up filming Nalam on weekends and during her free time.

In the trailer, the audience might notice some Tagalog words being spoken, like “bahala ka na sa buhay mo (do whatever you want),” but there’s no translation for it. Garrity explained this, saying that subtitles won’t appear in real life when people hear others speaking in their native language. Viewers will instead get the context of the Tagalog lines through Iris’s responses in English.

“I Propose We Never See Each Other Again After Tonight” opened at the Cinema City Northgate and Cineplex Odeon McGillivray in Winnipeg on August 21, taking the number one spot in these two cinemas.

The film will also be shown at the Cineplex Morningside and in other cinemas in Vancouver, which are yet to be announced, on September 4.