For the real-life couple Jane Oineza and RK Bagatsing, portraying Ayla and Paolo in the Cinemalaya film "Love Child" helped them understand and raise awareness about Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

"After we did this film, one thing's for sure hindi lahat ng parents pare-pareho yung pinagdadaanan. Kasi, it's a problem that they've been trying to solve yung autism, so mas lumalim pa yung understanding namin, mas bumilib kami sa mga parents na going through this journey," RK shared during a Zoom interview with Manila Bulletin Entertainment.

(After making this film, one thing is certain: not all parents experience the same thing. Trying to understand autism has deepened our understanding, and we have a greater appreciation for the parents who are going through this journey.)

Jane immediately agreed with RK and mentioned that this film is like a love letter to all the parents whose child is ASD.

"Kakaibang immersion ito yung 'Love Child,' and ang dami namin na meet na awesome moms and dads on the set, and it's something that we admire, and at the same time gusto namin sila bigyan ng boses through this film," Jane mentioned.

(Love Child is a unique immersion, and we met many amazing mothers and fathers on set. It's something we admire, and at the same time, we want to give them a voice through this film.)

The film "Love Child" tells the story of a young couple, Ayla and Paolo, who decide to drop out of school to start a family after a whirlwind romance leads to an unplanned pregnancy. Four years later, they are devastated to learn that their son, Kali (played by John Tyrron Ramos), has been diagnosed with autism.

While raising a child with special needs, they encounter a less supportive environment. This presents challenges to their relationship and their vision of a unified, harmonious family. They must dig deep to find strength and resilience in the midst of adversity.

Jane and RK figured out how to understand their roles.

"I guess for me the preparation is accepting that I'm not prepared and that's okay kasi just like Ayla and Paolo, they weren't prepared late na-diagnosed yung anak nila. So, ang dami rin na eksena na hindi kami sure sa ginagawa namin, or kung may ginagawa man kami ang dami ko research and scenes na trying to figure it out," Jane said.

(I guess for me, the preparation is accepting that I'm not prepared, and that's okay. Just like Ayla and Paolo, who weren't prepared because their son was diagnosed late. So, there are a lot of scenes where I'm not sure of what I'm doing, or if we are doing something at all. I have done a lot of research and have had scenes trying to figure it out.)

Meanwhile, RK mentioned that they left the "perfect scenes" out of the room and let the story take over.

"Dun na lang namin na realize na bakit ba namin tinatry iperfect yung mga bawat eksena or ako personally, pero yung characters namin they've been through a lot and clean slate sila. So what we did is just we opened ourselves dun sa mga eksena and not mainly to parang hulmahin siya na ganito dapat yung mangyayari," RK added.

(We just realized that we don't need to try to make a perfect portrayal of me personally. Our characters have been through a lot and they're a clean slate. So what we did is open ourselves in the scenes and not try to mold it into the perfect way to do it.)

"Love Child" is directed by Jonathan Jurilla and produced by Regal Entertainment Inc. and Southern Lights Production. The 20th Cinemalaya will run from Aug. 2 to 11 at the Ayala Malls Manila Bay in Parañaque City.