January 3, 2025
Alexander "Lex" Ramos (Seth Fedelin) is a 21 year-old fine arts graduate from Cebu. Karenina "Karen" Lopez (Francine Diaz) is a 21 year-old business administration graduate from Marikina City. On one night when a big comet was in the sky, they simultaneously registered on an online dating app and were matched right away. They started to chat with each other, with Lex called himself Aquarius Boy, while Karen was Libra Gurl.
It was instant attraction at first online sight for both of them, and they got along very well in their daily chats. Not long afterwards, Lex suggested that it was time for them to meet up in person. When Karen agreed, Lex proposed that they meet on September 14 at 7 p.m. in front of the Centennial Clock at Kilometer Zero in Luneta Park. Lex flew over to Manila and excitedly went to their meeting place at the specified time. Sadly, Karen did not show up.
From there, this story of young love took a turn for the supernatural as they realized that their respective timelines were actually 15 years apart. This was not an original plot by any means as we have seen this played out in films like the Korean film "Il Mare" (2000), which was then remade in Hollywood as "The Lake House" (2006), the Japanese anime film "Your Name" (2016), and more recently, the local film "Love You Long Time" (2023).
However, writer-director Crisanto Aquino intertwined the Lex-Karen love story with the stories of their respective families, which apart from the other timeline films before it. Stories that involve time are very tricky and prone to plot holes, especially when several characters are involved. Aquino crafted his tale with so much care and heart that even the most jaded viewers will be moved so much that little questionable details won't matter anymore.
Both Seth Fedelin and Francine Diaz shine brightly in this debut film of their love team. Fedelin in particular gives a winsome, star-making performance as the charming artist Lex. Joonee Gamboa, Peewee O'Hara, and Vance Larena play Lex's family, while Almira Muhlach, Christian Vasquez, Marcus Madrigal and Izzy Canillo play Karen's. Aquino's story intricately weaving in all these characters proved to be such a rich tapestry when it unfolded.
Now, let's talk about that ending. I can imagine that Aquino's biggest challenge was how to show Lex as a 36 year-old man. I'm afraid that it didn't work too well for me, not too convincingly executed. However, by that time, the #Franseth partnership had already built up so much good will, and the lines were so eloquently written, most audiences would just accept it as the sweeping, timeless romantic moment that it wanted to be. 7/10.
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