American Dream

The movie Botelya stars veteran actresses who bring life to a fictional story about three mothers who express their love through gentle touch. Written and directed by Manny Palo, with production design by Manny Morfe, Botelya is a feast for all the senses. It casts some of the country's most seasoned actresses such as Anita Linda, Caridad Sanchez, Boot Anson Roa, Angel Aquino, Alessandra de Rossi, Katrina Halili, and Rosa Rosal in a rare cinematic appearance. Actors included in this movie are Marco Alcaraz, Paolo Paraiso, and newcomer Christian Moses del Rosario.

The story begins with a teenager named JD (Christian Moses) who comes across an old green bottle of Johnson's Baby Oil at a yard sale. The young man tries his best to uncover the story behind the bottle and in the process, discovers startling revelations about his own family history. His pursuit of the truth also brings together two mothers whose lives are linked by their common love for a son.

Through the movie Botelya, viewers will see how different mothers separated by years and divergent social conditions are actually united in being selfless and giving unconditional love for their children. A young mother named Pining (played by Katrina Halili) raises her newborn son on her own while her husband fights valiantly against the Japanese forces. While evacuating their town, she is forced to give up her son to a stranger to ensure his safety. She grows up to be an old woman (played by Caridad Sanchez) who regularly visits the seashore where she last saw her son.

Little did she know that her son was being taken care of Rosing (played by Alessandra de Rossi) who names the young boy as Julio. When he becomes an adult, he is entranced by the beauty of Mameng (Pauleen Luna), the town manghihilot who becomes his wife.

In the latter part of the story, Mameng and Julio bear a child named Beth (Angel Aquino). Her husband Sammy (Paolo Paraiso) decides to work and pursue a better life in Saudi Arabia but he ends up falling in love with another woman. Beth then becomes a single mother to her son, JD.

Botelya will be shown for free in key cities and municipalities in the Greater Manila Area through a Roving Cinema that will be parked in town plazas and baranggay halls. This cinema-on-wheels is meant to express the core message of the movie: a mother's gentle touch, indeed, gives life and healing.

Produced by Johnson's Baby Oil, this movie aims to promote the company's advocacy of touch therapy or infant massage as a key ingredient in a child's overall development. Through the movie Botelya, J&J hopes to inspire mothers of young children to make touch therapy a regular part of their childcare regimen.