There’s a line in Dan Villegas‘ new film, Walang Forever (often stylized as #WalangForever) which I like and perhaps may complement the film as a whole. It is when Cai Cortes‘ character quips to Jericho Rosales‘ Ethan, “Isn’t that what they say about artists? They get immortalized through their works—may it be a masterpiece they painted, a song they composed, or a film they made?” in which Pepe Herrera adds, “and they live forever and ever.”
This rings true for this film’s venture. As a light romantic-comedy, we pay witness to two former lovers as they walk down memory lane to either prove or disprove if such a thing as forever exists. There are no vampires in this film, only melancholy, as the two strive to pave their way to immortality.
Walang Forever, tells the story of Mia Nolasco (Jennylyn Mercado), a writer of romantic comedies who rekindles her past just as her career is in jeopardy. Each hit she has made is based on her past eight-year romance with businessman Ethan Isaac (Rosales), who just happens to be strolling down memory lane as well, as he is back in the Philippines after migrating with his mom to Australia. Their paths cross, just as he is set to pack up, during a reunion with common friends.
The usual romantic tropes are made fun of through Mia’s films — which also serve as a way of providing the audience a backstory. Take away the comedic aspect of the film, supplied by its supporting characters, and the film is a lesser interesting version of your usual romantic comedy. But thank goodness for supporting characters like Kim Nolasco as Lulay, Mia’s best friend; Pepe Herrera as Aldus, Ethan’s best friend; Lorna Tolentino as Tita Betchay, Mia’s mom, whose coupling with one of the supporting cast provides a proper segue; Jerald Napoles as Tonypet, who exudes a vulnerable charm in here which will leave you feeling guilty you’ve never been charmed by him before; and Juan Miguel Severo, the spoken-word poet turned actor whose presence in this film makes me want to rekindle French films, back when they featured poets — his presence is hilarious at every improvisation he tries to conjure.
Jennylyn Mercado returns as Dan Villegas’ muse in this film, but this time around she acts alongside Jericho Rosales, as the two leads Mia and Ethan, respectively. I saw the film three times and I must say their charms didn’t work out for me in my first viewing. It worked a little better on the second and third, perhaps because earlier I couldn’t comprehend the pacing of the film’s sudden jump towards melodrama.
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The first half focuses on the cheery momentous side of the relationship, despite the two telling it in the past tense. Little clues are scattered as to what happens next to their relationship and of how the film will end. The rest of the film’s second half is vaguely improvised and we rely on the actors, instead of a well-crafted script, to lead us on as the movie heads towards its melodramatic end. This is ironic, if you think about it, as Jennylyn Mercado’s Mia finds it hard to construct a great script, and the film itself faces the same dillema.
Jericho Rosales proves that he is more than a dramatic actor as he returns to the MMFF through #WalangForever. His tortured yet cool effervescent portrayal of Ethan adds to the film’s unsuspecting melancholic twist.
I will leave the rest to you, dear reader, to imagine if this film clearly depicts your vision of forever. #WalangForever is a light romantic-comedy fix that, despite its uneven conflict, goes richer by the minute with the help of the two leads’ chemistry.
In the case of the filmmaker, I still have no idea as to who he really is. Many of you may have no idea of his earlier film Mayohan, which is a more romantically-sweeter film than this, and last-last year’s English Only Please. I am still hoping to see his style to be far more better than mere inter-titles in between scenes.
