I had a free movie in my E-Plus card and it was a toss-up between this or Jupiter Ascending.  But thanks to the urging of a fellow movie lover on Facebook (I’m talking about you, Alfhon), I chose to watch Antoinette Jadaone (Beauty in a Bottle)’s That Thing Called Tadhana.  People have been quoting it left and right, and it did win the Audience’s Choice Award in last year’s Cinema One Originals Festival, so I figured that this would be a good palette cleanser from 50 Shades of Grey, at least.

Here’s the round up:

Please note that there may be spoilers.  Read at your own risk.

THE STORY:

The movie opens up with Mace (Angelica Panganiban) slumped on a wall, disposing of clothes from her big-ass suitcase.  She’s in a random airport in Rome and it is obvious that she has too much baggage.  Mace tries a couple of times but only succeeds in boarding the plane when fellow Pinoy Anthony (JM De Guzman), the epitome of a light packer, offers to share his baggage allowance with her.  On the plane, they bond and discuss the merits of John Lloyd Cruz’ acting abilities in One More Chance, and upon landing in Manila, Mace immediately asks Anthony if he’d like to go somewhere and eat.  It is revealed that she was in Rome as a last ditch attempt to rekindle her relationship with her boyfriend (Joem Bascon) who, she finds out, is already involved with somebody else.  Broken hearted and dejected, Mace drags Anthony off for a karaoke session and drunkenly asks him to go to Baguio with her.  Anthony, being the carefree guy that he is, agrees with her crazy plan, even agreeing to randomly go to Sagada, trying to help her move on from the pain of losing an eight year relationship.

THE GOOD:

1. Almost every line in the movie is quotable.  Apparently the story it was based on won a Palanca Award and it was very much well-deserved, I think, because more than anything else, I think it was the script that resonated with the audience the most.  It was crass but realistic, making it incredibly easy to sympathize with the character’s angsts.
2. Excellent performances from the leads.  Of course it wouldn’t have mattered that the script was pure gold if the film makers cast shitty actors.  It helped, of course, that Angelica Panganiban and JM De Guzman were both incredibly attractive people, but their talent and their chemistry is undeniable.

   

3. That it touched on my generation’s love for impulsive travel.  Because Baguio and Sagada are a couple of the more affordable places in the Philippines to visit, it was totally realistic that they would be able to afford to go there.  I liked the concept of just jumping on a bus for a six-hour bus ride because of a whim.  My parents would probably wrinkle their noses at the thought, but somehow it makes sense to me.
4. There was a bit of existential crisis in there. I can’t remember the exact line, but it was that toast they had when they were eating at Cafe by the Ruins.  “To the people we could have been”.  Talk about hugot.

   

5. This shot of Sagada.

   

THE BAD:

1. It had the tendency to be repetitive.  Just like Blue Bustamante, the film makers made sure that we didn’t miss any of the themes in the movie, driving their points home several times in the movie’s hour and a half run time.
2. Anthony’s issues were actually more interesting.  I was more intrigued how Anthony was coping with dealing with just being a corporate cog, forgoing his artistic talents for more lucrative yet less creative jobs.
3. The metaphors were a little bit in our faces.  Excess baggage, okay.  Got it.

   

THE UGLY:

1. I couldn’t relate.  Obviously this is an extremely subjective opinion, but just like the very movie they kept on referring to (One More Chance), the emotions driving the characters’ actions (especially Mace’s) were way over my head.  I’d like to believe that I’m more of the no drama type and whenever something devastating does happen, I’d usually try to distract myself from the madness.  Mace’s style of coping just didn’t make sense to me, although I do acknowledge that everybody moves on differently.

All in all That Thing Called Tadhana was an enjoyable movie.  Right off the bat the film invites you to delve into one of the most basic and most painful experiences of man kind, using humor and wit to keep the vibe light.  Performances were stellar and the direction was so on point that the film had no problems drawing out major feels from the audience.  The scenery was also stunningly shot, and was as much part of the story as everything else that I wouldn’t be surpsrised to hear heartbroken people flocking to Baguio and Sagada for a legitimate ‘burgis‘ experience.  It’s no easy feat to make a movie about two people just talking but somehow this movie made it work.

THE VERDICT: 7.5/10

*All photos are lifted from the film’s Facebook page.