Based on a musical play of the same name by Vincent De Jesus, Changing Partners takes us into the middle of a six year long relationship between Cris and Alex. Cris is 15 years younger than Alex, and Alex bears most of the financial burden in the relationship. While Alex is relatively well adjusted and grounded thanks to experience, Cris is carefree and reluctant to settle down.
It sounds like a typical May-December romance, but here's the catch: both Alex and Cris are portrayed by two actors each - Cris is played by Sandino Martin and Anna Luna, and Alex is played by Jojit Lorenzo and Agot Isidro. The characters change throughout scenes, while the story details largely remain the same. It's executed with such precision that it feels entirely seamless. We see the relationship play itself out in all its myriad permutations, with the film playing on our expectations of each permutation.
This daring conceit (not to mention the fact that the film is a musical) doesn't feel gimmicky, and communicates the fact that the trials and tribulations of love and heartbreak, warts and all, transcend lines of age and gender. Despite the fact that the characters change every so often, it's easy to invest one's self in their relationship and partake in their joys and commiserate with them in their heartbreak.
The music accompanying the film is also noteworthy. It might not be to everyone's taste, but it has a certain musical flair that I personally enjoyed. The final song, Maleta, is particularly heart-wrenching. The film stuck with me for hours after I watched it, and this song largely contributed to that.
Wildly inventive, resonant, and driven by powerful performances especially from Isidro and Lorenzo, Changing Partners breathes fresh life into a conventional love story.
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