Actress and producer Sassa Gurl opened up about the pressure and self-doubt she felt while preparing for her first leading film role in “Multwoh (Patay Na Patay Sa’yo),” then broke down in tears of relief and joy after finally watching the finished movie at its premiere night.
On a recent episode of the “Ang Walang Kwentang Podcast,” Sassa Gurl became emotional as she talked about the mental and emotional load of carrying a film as both star and producer.
She described struggling with imposter syndrome, worrying whether she could do justice to Marcel — a queer college student who dies suddenly and returns as a ghost to confess her love — and feeling the pressure of representing trans stories on screen.
In the interview, she admitted there were moments she questioned if she was “enough” for the role, especially given how personal and visible the project was for her and for the LGBTQIA+ community.
Days later, at the film’s premiere during the CinePanalo Film Festival 2026, Sassa watched the full film for the first time alongside the cast, crew, and festival audience.
At the end of the screening, she became emotional once again as the audience rose in applause, the moment underscoring the contrast between her vulnerable podcast confession and her triumphant, tearful reaction on premiere night — a full-circle journey “from tears of doubt to tears of joy.”
Director Rodina Singh, who previously helmed the LGBTQIA+ feature “Mamu: And a Mother Too,” said working with Sassa on “Multwoh” required patience and trust.
Singh explained that she helped Sassa identify what was causing the struggle in her performance and encouraged her to stop overthinking the role.
“Ino-overthink niya lahat… ‘yan ang pinakamalaki niyang struggle noong nagfifilm kami — 'yung tension, e nanggagaling doon,” Singh shared in the podcast.
The writer-director also emphasized that “Multwoh” is meant to be a haunting, hilarious, and tender story about fear, desire, and a kind of love that refuses to die — centering queer voices in a genre space where they are still underrepresented.
Meanwhile, in an exclusive interview, Sassa’s mother, Mommy Ester, offered a simple but heartfelt message of support to her daughter during the first public viewing of the film.
“Sana galingan niya 'yung trabaho niya at pagbutihin niyang mabuti para ma-maintain niya 'yung kanyang trabaho,” Mommy Ester said before entering the cinema.
“Multwoh (Patay Na Patay Sa’yo)” is an official entry in the CinePanalo Film Festival 2026, screening until October 4, 2026 in Metro Manila cinemas, and has been highlighted as one of the festival’s buzzier queer films.