MMFF 2015: Review of #WALANG FOREVER: Conflicted Commitment

January 4, 2016

I am not really a fan of rom-coms but they are really the rage in the industry it seems, even among the indie scene since the huge success of "That Thing Called Tadhana" last year. This year, director Dan Villegas and Antoinette Jadaone came up with this award-winning story (like they did for "English Only Please" last year's MMFF) which was developed into an award winning script by Paul Sta. Ana. Last year, "English" only won 2nd Best Picture, but this year "#Walang Forever" went one notch higher and actually nabbed the big prize Best Picture. Add to those three major prizes the trophies for Best Actor and Best Actress. This should be a must-see, most definitely. 

Mia Nolasco is a successful scriptwriter of hit rom-com films (inspired no less by Jadaone herself, I guess). Her fiance is Ethan Isaac, a successful computer game developer and entrepreneur. They had a fairy tale relationship which Mia had mined for her most acclaimed scripts. However eventually, pressing family concerns on both sides drive the two apart, much to the chagrin of their common circle of wacky friends. A chance meeting four years after their separation triggers a spark between them again. So now, will there be a "forever" between Mia and Ethan?

Because of her winning performance in "English" last year, we know what Jennylyn Mercado can do in both comedy and drama departments. For "#Walang Forever", Mercado is more serious and mature as Mia, no more the ditsy flighty Tere Madlangsakay of "English". There is no doubt that Jericho Rosales is a natural charmer as a romantic lead, evidenced by his past body of work. The two had so much chemistry going on between them. There was indeed a romantic spark which should thrill susceptible audiences. I can hear girls giggling and sighing in the theater during these very realistic "kilig" scenes.

The "Rak of Aegis" reunion of PETA actors who played their wacky and supportive friends (Pepe Herrera, Kim Molina, Jerald Napoles, Myke Salomon) were very funny in several awkward moments. The guest stars playing cameo roles from supposed clips from Mia's hit films (from Melai Cantiveros and Jason Francisco to Maja Salvador and Derek Ramsey) were also fun to see. That segment with Liza Dino and Sid Lucero was so good in itself with very deep emotions. It was good to see Lorna Tolentino there, though she did not seem to gel too well with Mercado as Mia's mother. It was also good that they did not reveal anymore if Tolentino was the "cougar" being mentioned in a minor subplot.

I am not sure why MTRCB gave this film a rating of PG. It tackled a mature topic about adult relationships. It had scenes of premarital sex and provocative lines about sex. This should be rated R-16 for those scenes alone.

I thought the storytelling took a bit too long, taking two hours to develop fairly familiar scenarios with scenes that felt repetitive. Frankly, I did not like that twist in the story direction where the Ethan character went. I somehow felt Rosales was not comfortable with what his character was doing. His facial reactions in the end did not feel appropriate. Nevertheless, the charm of Jennylyn Mercado still saved the day in the end. She carried this film very ably and was largely responsible for making it succeed so well. 

"#Walang Forever" is not a bad film at all. In fact, it is quite entertaining as rom-coms go. However, being named Best Picture of the festival makes people expect something bigger and better than usual. If this is already the Best Picture of the lot, it does not really speak too well for the festival films this year (except maybe for the one film that was disqualified to compete for that prize). 7/10.