Eric (Jericho Rosales) was an IT specialist who spent all day in his cubicle working on his codes. He still lived his mother (Jackie Lou Blanco) and supported the education of his two college-age siblings (Ian Pangilinan and Ara Davao). One day, Eric went with his best friend Greg (Luis Alandy) and his girlfriend Kyla (Max Eigenmann). There, Eric met and fell in love at first sight with Ellie.
Ellie (Anne Curtis) was a pretty and vivacious girl who effortlessly caught admiring attention of every guy around her. She lived a privileged well-to-do life with her parents (Mari Kaimo and Joyce Burton). She and Eric met each other again during Greg and Kyla's wedding, and that's when their mutual attraction really bloomed into what seemed to be a perfect relationship. That is, until it wasn't.
This new film written and directed by Irene Emma Villamor, whose whole filmography consisted of films that intimately explored various romantic relationships. Most of her films have been practically two-handers just focused on a central couple, from "Meet Me in St. Gallen" (2018) and "Sid and Aya: Not a Love Story" (2018), to "Only We Know" (2025). All these films had a sleek, classy look, credited to the skills of cinematographer Pao Orendain.
Villamor chose to tell Eric and Ellie's story in a non-linear manner, as if we were seeing the mix of memories that entered their heads when they reunite in that coffee shop some time after they split up. At first, we see those idyllic and ideal times, with seemingly random mentions of things that seemed had no context yet. Then gradually, we see those less pleasant moments creeping into the picture, those with hurtful words and careless actions. Only then do we see their 10-year long story completed.
We hear Eric's side first -- how he loved Ellie more so he was willing to wait for her.. Jericho Rosales played Eric as the responsible type of guy, with old-fashioned sensibilities. He was the type that can could get promotions at work, and win the rich girl's parents over. However, when Ellie did things outside his strictly-planned route, his composure unraveled, which then led to uncharacteristic carelessness (Catriona Gray).
Anne Curtis played Ellie with such quirky vibrance, life of the party. She was a girl who believed in astrology and painted outside the lines. We loved her when she gamely rode Eric's motorbike in a long dress. We believe her when she said that she had a talent for raising funds and donations for children's charities, and taught English to Nepalese kids. We shared in her desperation for her life to make sense.
If you scan the list of Villamor's films, the topic of breakups is certainly not new for Villamor. She's had films with titles like "On Vodka, Beers and Regret" (2020) and "Five Breakups and a Romance" (2023). Here, Villamor wrote about becoming angry people who become destructive storms, unmindful of hurting others. She wrote with a bitter truth which cuts deep in everyone who is (or was) in a relationship
Despite its February release, "The Loved One," however well-written, well-acted, and beautifully-shot, may not exactly be a film to cuddle up your partner with on Valentine's Day. 8/10
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