April 6, 2023
Jojo (Empoy Marquez) was working in Paris as a roadside mime. He also offered to draw watercolor portraits using coffee as his medium. One day, he met a fellow Filipina named Marie (Alessandra da Rossi), who had just arrived in Paris a few weeks ago. They became very good friends, as Marie joined Jojo in his mime performances. Soon enough, Marie confessed to Jojo that she liked him, even if he had some initial hesitation.
Spring Films (founded by actor Piolo Pascual, director Bb. Joyce Bernal and executive Erickson Raymundo) took a very big gamble in 2017 when it pushed the pairing of Alessandra da Rossi and comedian Empoy Marquez in a romance film set in Saporro, Japan. Unlikely as it may have been on paper, "Kita Kita" defied the odds and became a major box office hit, eventually reaching the top spot on the list of top-earning Filipino indie films.
This year, Spring Films brings back the odd couple in another love story, premiering not in cinemas, but streaming on Amazon Prime Video. There is likely a bigger budget involved as it was set in Paris, France. We already know that the "Alempoy" love team has chemistry and actually works. Writer-director Sigrid Andrea Bernardo waxed philosophical here as, she reflected on time, destiny and unconditional love.
The atmosphere of this film was serious and melancholy. It begins with a tearful reunion in a Paris cafe, and the story was told in flashbacks. The first half of the film recounted their affair in Paris, as told by Jojo. The second half of the film recounted an earlier story set in Baguio City five years earlier, as told by Marie. What seemed to be an unusual disjointed Paris story will eventually make perfect, emotionally resonant sense as the Baguio story unfolded.
The work of cinematographer Boy Yniguez was exceptional, as he captured several beautiful and iconic locations of Paris in various innovative angles. Ray Valera's "Walang Kapalit" as the recurring theme song helped achieve emotional connection. De Rossi was effortless in portraying the depth of Marie's love. With hardly any humor as crutch, Marquez had to dig deep inside himself to portray Jojo's troubled psyche with impressive restraint. 7/10.
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