Broken Hearts Trip opens with auditions for the titular reality show, where three "judgers" (Tart Carlos, Jacklyn Jose and Christian Bables) try to weed out contestants based on their sad stories. Many contestants are just there for the clout and are quickly dismissed, but the panel quickly zeroes in on four contestants: Ali (Marvin Yap), who loses his business and his lover over a series of unfortunate events; Alex (Andoy Ranay), a businessman who repeatedly goes back to a partner who cheats on him; Bernie (Iyah Mina), a clothing designer who falls in love with a younger man who uses her for her money; and Mark (Petite); who loses custody of his child with his partner (Arnold Reyes) due to their separation.
The introductions to these characters made me empathize with their individual stories, and there's a lot here to appreciate. For one, the world of Broken Hearts trip is one where same sex partnerships are at least recognized to some extent (in Mark's case, where there is talk of custody and a lawyer is present) and how, in the absence of partnership, some LGBTQ+ people become breadwinners and caretakers for their families (in Bernie's story).
The movie, then, has an opportunity to explore the lives of these people through their individual heartbreaks. But here is where the movie disappointingly falls apart: because it is a reality show competition, the whole enterprise feels exploitative (the characters even lampshade that fact in one particular scene and a running gag has Bables repeatedly naming sponsors.) Not everyone gets adequate time (a fifth contestant, Jason (Teejay Marquez) barely gets any scenes, and he lasts pretty far) and while some contestants get at least some measure of closure, others, frustratingly, get nothing. It's made even worse by the twist reveal of a sixth broken heart, which makes all these stories moot, as if they, sob stories and all, were just used for an ulterior end.
That's not all: there's a shocker in the middle of this film where a television production admits to covering up literal crimes happening on the set, though thankfully it backtracks later on, perhaps aware of the problematic nature of that idea. It still comes across as pretty weird, considering the details of what happened.
It's a shame, because there are so many things in this movie that could've made for a good film: part of the credits is a musical sequence that isn't half bad; why not lean on that? Why not just remove the reality show elements and make it a roadtrip (sponsored by LCL travel and tours) instead? Or maybe even trim down the number of 'participants' to the most interesting stories? My heart was broken watching Broken Hearts Trip because it holds the promise of so much more, but falls short of achieving that.
Note: Spoilers.
John (Dingdong Dantes) is a businessman who is always on the go, to the detriment of his relationships with his loving wife Mary (Marian Rivera) and his son Austin (Jordan Lim.) It all comes to a head when several unfortunate events befall John, leading to a car accident that takes the life of his wife. It is there where he meets a certain quirky carpenter with time travel powers (Pepe Herrera) who allows him to live the day before the accident - but at a substantial personal cost...
Many people have made comparisons between Mae Cruz-Alviar's Rewind and Gil Junger's 2004 film If Only, and I totally agree - this is just If Only but with Jesus Christ as a supporting character. The religious aspects affect the story as now there is a reason for the time travel and there is supposed to be a moral lesson behind it.
While this series of events will probably be okay for some, to me it feels a little weird. John's arc throughout the film is a redemptive one, and even though the film makes it clear that no one can truly change in one day, his death (and not necessarily his actions) is the catalyst for his family to thrive - Jesus just up and makes poor John a martyr for a greater purpose. In GomBurZa, it works but here it feels a little off, since John isn't necessarily standing for some greater ideology or belief, he's just a dude who neglected his family and wants to set things right, and he can only achieve that by dying? In the hands of an omnipotent deity that can do everything, wouldn't it be more productive to, you know, let John be an even better person? Here it seems like he's a blood sacrifice, blood for the blood god.
Various other storylines suffer because of the limited time John has during his second change. A meaningful exchange with his estranged father (Lito Pimentel) hints at a deeper history between the two - and parallels between John and his mother who died early - but it goes by a little too fast. Mary's own desire to return to being a chef is also hinted at, but is mostly reduced to dialogue. Maybe Rewind could have been better served if it modified the structure of If Only a little more to let its characters breathe.
But hey, I'm not going to go all doom and gloom in here. The melodramatic aspects of the film worked for me, mostly thanks to the chemistry between real life husband and wife Dingdong Dantes and Marian Rivera, and there were moments in this film where I felt legitimately emotional. Heck, I even called my wife after watching the film, and remembering certain moments and emotions from Rewind, hours after having watched it, still made me feel the feels. It's okay but overall has some flaws.
Tonton (Euwenn Mikaell) is a bright young boy who loves drawing and listening to stories from his mother (Alessandra de Rossi.) But one day, his mother suffers from a short illness and dies, promising to meet him again in an island of fireflies. Spurred by the notion of possibly seeing his mother again, he escapes and takes a road trip to that location, meeting various people along the way.
Zig Dulay's Firefly is bookended and interspersed with scenes featuring an adult Tonton (Dingdong Dantes), who recalls his experience to an editorial assistant (Max Collins) whose boss believes that Tonton's stories don't belong to him or were otherwise lifted from somewhere else. There's no indication why that person would think that way and it eventually becomes a non issue, so I am not sure why it needs to be here. It's not necessarily detrimental, merely unnecessary.
We all love a good story, and we all love listening to good storytellers. Good stories help the heart heal, help us confront our traumas, and help soothe painful pasts. Tonton's companions, who help him in his journey, all have their own individual tales to tell - they are people reeling from betrayal, holding dark secrets, wanderlust brought about by a hesitation to return home. Perhaps most importantly, stories help uplift others, and through a mother's love as expressed through one particular story, Tonton and his companions all find something - not necessarily the thing they want, but definitely the thing they need.
The idea of a quality family friendly film in a post-Vice, post-Enteng MMFF has been floated for many years now, and in my opinion this movie embodies that. If this film represents the future of the MMFF, then it looks pretty good from here on in.
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Maricar (Sharon Cuneta) and Mateo (Alden Richards) are as close a mother and son duo as they come. They tackle problems together, support each other and have a certain level of attachment (or possessiveness?) to each other, though not to unhealthy levels.
This character dynamic and this slice of life tale of an emptying nest reminds me a lot of the emptying nest-est of emptying nest films, Yasujiro Ozu's Last Spring, where an old widower looks to marry his daughter off in order to live her own life, while she'd rather stay and take care of her father. In Nuel Naval's Family of Two, the outcome of a similar situation goes in the opposite direction to Late Spring, which I attribute to cultural differences.
A potential romantic partner for both Maricar and Mateo (played by Tonton Gutierrez and Miles Ocampo, respectively) seems like it would eventually become a source of conflict, but no meaningful conflict arises between mother and son, as any problems are quashed almost immediately. Whatever happens in the film feels very slight as a result. This isn't necessarily a bad thing for me, and to people who want to enjoy the character dynamic without any fuss, I think this slice of life approach will do just fine for them.
The last act of the film veers into something quite different, when Maricar decides to continue the things she had to sacrifice in order to raise a family, but it comes out of nowhere (it would've helped if it was alluded to earlier) and it all feels a little underdeveloped.
Those looking for any dramatic stakes will no doubt find the film lacking and the premise thin, but as it is, while flawed, it isn't a bad time at the movies.
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