Even from the title of the film itself, there is already a promise that it will be a love story like no other. Or at the very least, it will be a breakaway from the ones that saturate the stream of Filipino love stories on the big screen. While it is definitely a breath of fresh air and a new offering to those who are sick of cliche romantic films we are often given, Ang Kwento Nating Dalawa fails in its attempt to be an Indie Film to remember. It is special. But not to the point that you'd want to watch it again.
STRONG POINTS:
Lead Characters - Emmanuelle Vera (Isa) and Nicco Manalo (Sam) are both brilliant in this movie. I had doubts over their chemistry based on the teaser images and the music video of a one soundtrack for the film. But after watching, I could say they acted effortlessly that it would make viewers would conclude that they have known each other for a long time in real life.
Cinematography - A shaky camera
makes Indie films inexplicably more relatable. This film also tries to prove
that. With some exceptions of scenes where cinematography has gotten somewhat
cheesy, scattered all throughout this film are splendid framing and shots that
are full of emotions. If someone wants to see a melodramatic journey in LRTs of
Metro Manila, they may want to see this movie so they could get all the feels
they deserve.
Soundtrack – The movie already has
a strong link to music even if the characters in the story are venturing on
literature and film-making. Isa writes songs in between her fictions and Sam is
referenced for his John Mayer addiction. On top of these, the soundtrack is really
something that a viewer would love about the film. Thanks to Bryan Dumaguina, Gabe Piolo,
QUEST and others who contributed to it.
WEAK POINTS:
Screenplay – This is probably the only one
thing which I’d consider as a struggle for the movie but unfortunately, it affected
every single other thing. I have recently learned that the movie was originally
intended to be a 20-minute short film that was a requirement for Director Nestor
Abrogena Jr.’s Master’s Degree in DLSU. He realized later on that a day’s shoot
already produced film-worthy scenes longer than that. he decided then for the finished product to be a full feature film.
I’d say it was not the best decision
because the film could already tell the story of Isa and Sam in 30 minutes. Viewers may be deprived of digging more into their relationship because the main characters have been together for six months in the story but the timeframe of the film only captures two days in their relationship. This is the gap that the film should have bridged through the script.
The screenplay turns out dull because unlike other Indie films whose staring and script-less scenes told countless stories, I feel like this movie’s story is best told through the main characters’ conversations. Not in the prolonged minutes of
seeing them walk, contemplate, listen to music using their earphones or stare at nothingness. Less is more they say
for Indie Films. Unfortunately, this did not apply well with this one.
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| Photo from: http://www.artisteconnect.com/projects/ang-kwento-nating-dalawa |
There is only one big plot twist in the
movie. If you have not watched it yet and is planning to, don’t let others
spoil it for you. It may just be the best redeeming quality for Ang Kwento
Nating Dalawa. Because when emotions are over and the brain starts to put logic
back in place, you’ll be needing it for the film’s appreciation.#
