NOTE: Spoilers for both films below.
The ghost of a love lost forever becomes more than literal in two recent local films - in both cases, the lost promise of such a love is so strong, it hangs around for dear (after)life, waiting for a chance to gain closure.
In Joy B. Aquino's Us Again, we are treated to a relationship that is said to burn like fireworks. Given its nature, Margie (Jane Oineza) and Mike (RK Bagatsing) have a relationship that should register as fiery and defiant, but unfortunately, it never does get as fiery as that, as the proceedings are pretty restrained, and both Bagatsing and Oineza undersell their love affair. This may be a creative decision, which doesn't exactly help matters.
Things get a little more interesting once we get to the aftermath of that love affair, with both characters dealing with either the consequences of their life decisions, or the fact that they're terrible, even manipulative people. Granted, their flaws made it a bit difficult to root for their relationship, but seeing them process these same flaws in bouts of introspection is entertaining.
That's why the last act is a bit of a disappointment, replacing this self analysis and character development with cheap drama and the tropiest of romance tropes. It's a decision that overly complicates matters and betrays the promise of a flawed, but otherwise interesting film.
The very first thing that I noticed while watching the latest Ricky Lee - Joel Lamangan collaboration Hindi Tayo Pwede is how old fashioned it feels. The dramatic narration reeks of 80's Filipino Cinema, the gender roles of the characters feel dated, and the film's theme song, Nonoy Zuniga's Never Ever Say Goodbye literally comes from the eighties. The film is a relic of a time that has long past, but given Lamangan's penchant for playing to his (older, boomer-ier) audience, this may be a deliberate choice. And for younger audiences, perhaps the starring hunks (and a butt or two) are more than adequate, old fashioned tone be damned.
Hindi Tayo Pwede would have made a great comedy. The problem is, it's a serious romantic drama about a Gabriel, a ghost (Tony Labrusca) who gets jealous over the fact his never-will-be wife is falling in love with her bestie. He doesn't exactly haunt people in the way we are used to, he just sulks and stands there, occasionally looking like a man who recently bathed in several gallons of Pond's whitening cream (the VFX team is kind of inconsistent in this regard.)
The film's dogged stubbornness to connect moving on with letting go of a ghost removes the agency of Gabby, (Lovi Poe), a character who, if she has even just a couple of functioning neurons, should know that people can't get married to ghosts. Why does she wait for Gabriel to give her permission to become single and ready to mingle? The film hinges on a premise that doesn't hold up to common sense. Honestly, she should've called an exorcist from the very start. Or since they're stuck in the eighties, maybe the Ghostbusters could lend a hand.
That's not all. The film overall feels crudely executed. For example, two vehicular accidents are shot the exact same way, which is perhaps the funniest thing in the entire film. The VFX, as previously stated, is inconsistent. It's not as sloppy as Lamangan's other recent works, and it looks like he's trying this time, but everything still comes up a little too short. This is a film that, in the words of Phoemela Baranda's character, probably should've gone "back to the drawing board."
In Joy B. Aquino's Us Again, we are treated to a relationship that is said to burn like fireworks. Given its nature, Margie (Jane Oineza) and Mike (RK Bagatsing) have a relationship that should register as fiery and defiant, but unfortunately, it never does get as fiery as that, as the proceedings are pretty restrained, and both Bagatsing and Oineza undersell their love affair. This may be a creative decision, which doesn't exactly help matters.
Things get a little more interesting once we get to the aftermath of that love affair, with both characters dealing with either the consequences of their life decisions, or the fact that they're terrible, even manipulative people. Granted, their flaws made it a bit difficult to root for their relationship, but seeing them process these same flaws in bouts of introspection is entertaining.
That's why the last act is a bit of a disappointment, replacing this self analysis and character development with cheap drama and the tropiest of romance tropes. It's a decision that overly complicates matters and betrays the promise of a flawed, but otherwise interesting film.
The very first thing that I noticed while watching the latest Ricky Lee - Joel Lamangan collaboration Hindi Tayo Pwede is how old fashioned it feels. The dramatic narration reeks of 80's Filipino Cinema, the gender roles of the characters feel dated, and the film's theme song, Nonoy Zuniga's Never Ever Say Goodbye literally comes from the eighties. The film is a relic of a time that has long past, but given Lamangan's penchant for playing to his (older, boomer-ier) audience, this may be a deliberate choice. And for younger audiences, perhaps the starring hunks (and a butt or two) are more than adequate, old fashioned tone be damned.
Hindi Tayo Pwede would have made a great comedy. The problem is, it's a serious romantic drama about a Gabriel, a ghost (Tony Labrusca) who gets jealous over the fact his never-will-be wife is falling in love with her bestie. He doesn't exactly haunt people in the way we are used to, he just sulks and stands there, occasionally looking like a man who recently bathed in several gallons of Pond's whitening cream (the VFX team is kind of inconsistent in this regard.)
The film's dogged stubbornness to connect moving on with letting go of a ghost removes the agency of Gabby, (Lovi Poe), a character who, if she has even just a couple of functioning neurons, should know that people can't get married to ghosts. Why does she wait for Gabriel to give her permission to become single and ready to mingle? The film hinges on a premise that doesn't hold up to common sense. Honestly, she should've called an exorcist from the very start. Or since they're stuck in the eighties, maybe the Ghostbusters could lend a hand.
That's not all. The film overall feels crudely executed. For example, two vehicular accidents are shot the exact same way, which is perhaps the funniest thing in the entire film. The VFX, as previously stated, is inconsistent. It's not as sloppy as Lamangan's other recent works, and it looks like he's trying this time, but everything still comes up a little too short. This is a film that, in the words of Phoemela Baranda's character, probably should've gone "back to the drawing board."
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