Then and Now (2003) — AI Story Visualization

Plot Analysis Summary

Four lifelong friends and their children confront changing identities, difficult family choices, love, infertility, and mortality.

Story Structure — 4 Plot Phases

A Homecoming Among Friends

Joey returns to the Philippines after nearly a decade in the States. Her arrival reunites the four childhood friends and prompts them to compare their memories with their changed lives.

Key Events

• Joey Returns Home — Joey returns after nearly a decade of living in the States. Characters: Joey Location: The Philippines
• The Friends Reunite — Joey's return reunites the four childhood friends. Characters: Joey, Sylvia, Kathy, Marites Location: Home
• Memories Resurface — The friends reminisce about earlier times and compare their changed lives. Characters: Joey, Sylvia, Kathy, Marites Location: Home
• Kathy Abandons Singing — Kathy has given up her girlhood dream of becoming a singer. Characters: Kathy Location: Home
• Bernadette Inherits The Dream — Bernadette appears to inherit Kathy's vivacious personality and aspirations. Characters: Kathy Location: Home

Families Under Pressure

The friends' present lives reveal abandoned dreams, difficult parenting, infertility, pregnancy, and differing paths into adulthood. Each family must confront the tension between personal freedom and emotional responsibility.

Key Events

• Sylvia Raises Bobby Liberally — Sylvia's liberal parenting shaped Bobby's upbringing. Characters: Sylvia, Bobby Location: Home
• Bobby's Infertility Emerges — Sylvia struggles to accept Bobby's infertility. Characters: Sylvia, Bobby Location: Home
• Marites Faces Adulthood — Widowed Marites navigates the independence of her three adult children. Characters: Marites, Guia, Bryan, Levi Location: Home
• Guia Chooses Independence — Pregnant Guia chooses not to reunite with her child's father. Characters: Marites, Guia Location: Home
• Bryan Claims His Identity — Bryan is openly gay and proud of his identity. Characters: Marites, Bryan Location: Home

Love And Mortality

Maggie's cancer exposes the pain Joey has not yet learned to accept. At the same time, Bernadette's pursuit of Bryan and Bobby and Miriam's struggle with childlessness intensify the younger generation's conflicts.

Key Events

• Levi Searches For More — Levi's restless lifestyle suggests a desire for a different life. Characters: Marites, Levi Location: The Philippines
• Maggie's Cancer Revealed — Joey confronts the reality of Maggie's losing battle with cancer. Characters: Joey, Maggie Location: Home
• Joey Faces Mortality — Maggie's illness forces Joey to face pain, death, and acceptance. Characters: Joey, Maggie Location: Home
• Joey's Maturity Becomes Clear — Joey's years in the States have changed her into a compassionate woman. Characters: Joey Location: The Philippines
• Bernadette Courts Bryan — Bernadette persistently courts Bryan despite his sexual orientation. Characters: Bryan Location: Home
• Bernadette Suffers Heartbreak — Bernadette's feelings end in heartbreak because they cannot be fulfilled. Characters: Bryan Location: Home

Learning To Need Others

Guia begins to understand that dependence is not weakness, while Levi discovers love through Joey. The characters gradually move from rigid self-protection toward greater acceptance of themselves and others.

Key Events

• Faith Meets Science — Bobby and Miriam weigh religion and science while seeking help for infertility. Characters: Bobby Location: Home
• Guia Reconsiders Dependence — Guia realizes that needing people does not necessarily mean weakness. Characters: Guia, Marites Location: Home
• Levi Finds Love — Levi finds love with Joey and moves beyond his restless uncertainty. Characters: Levi, Joey Location: The Philippines
• Women Reconcile Past And Present — The four women confront changing times and reconcile memory with present life. Characters: Joey, Sylvia, Kathy, Marites Location: Home
• Children Accept Themselves — The younger generation confronts love, identity, family, and life's difficulties. Characters: Bryan, Guia, Levi, Bobby Location: The Philippines
• Life Is Accepted — The characters move toward acceptance of change, mortality, and human connection. Characters: Joey, Maggie, Sylvia, Kathy, Marites Location: The Philippines

Story Breakdown

• Joey's Homecoming — Joey returns from the States and reconnects with the friends and family who shaped her past.
  • Return To Philippines — Joey comes home after nearly a decade abroad because of Maggie's cancer.
  • Friends Reunited — Joey, Sylvia, Kathy, and Marites become complete again as a group.
• Past Meets Present — The four women compare their youthful hopes with the lives they have built.
  • Shared Memories — The friends reminisce about their earlier years together.
  • Changed Lives — Their reunion reveals how much their circumstances and priorities have changed.
• Mothers And Children — The families struggle with independence, identity, unrealized dreams, and difficult expectations.
  • Kathy's Abandoned Dream — Kathy gives up singing while Bernadette appears to inherit her youthful energy.
  • Marites's Adult Children — Marites faces the separate choices of Guia, Bryan, and Levi.
• Infertility And Belief — Bobby and Miriam search for a response to childlessness while Sylvia struggles with Bobby's condition.
  • Sylvia's Acceptance — Sylvia's liberal parenting conflicts with her reaction to Bobby's infertility.
  • Faith Versus Science — Bobby and Miriam are torn between religion and medical science.
• Unreturned Affection — Bernadette's feelings for Bryan expose the limits of desire and the need to respect another person's identity.
  • Persistent Courtship — Bernadette continues courting Bryan despite his openly gay orientation.
  • Heartbreak — Her feelings remain futile and ultimately leave her heartbroken.
• Facing Mortality — Maggie's cancer forces Joey to confront pain, death, and the limits of her ability to protect those she loves.
  • Maggie's Illness — Maggie is fighting a losing battle with cancer.
  • Joey's Acceptance — Joey must learn to accept mortality and the harsh realities of life.
• Learning Dependence — Guia and Levi move beyond rigid self-protection toward more open forms of connection.
  • Guia's Independence — Guia refuses reconciliation with her child's father to preserve her self-sufficiency.
  • Levi Finds Love — Levi finds emotional fulfillment through his relationship with Joey.
• Reconciliation And Growth — The women reconcile past and present while the younger characters come to terms with themselves and the people they love.
  • Women Reconcile Time — Joey, Sylvia, Kathy, and Marites adapt to changing times without losing their bond.
  • Children Accept Life — The younger generation faces identity, love, family, and life's larger difficulties.

Directed by

Marilou Diaz-Abaya

Key Cast

• Dina Bonnevie — Joey
• Eula Valdez — Sylvia
• Jean Garcia — Kathy
• Cherry Pie Picache — Marites
• Jericho Rosales — Levi