Hauntingly Beautiful - this is how I would describe Bb. Joyce Bernal's film, Last Night, starring Piolo Pascual and Toni Gonzaga. I won't say it's perfect but in most aspects, it had the perfect elements to create something unconventional for Philippine cinema and its audience.
Third, and this is the 'controversial' part; the screenplay. The screenwriter of this film is a famous actor herself, Bela Padilla. Based on posts and articles, this film was her debut as a screenwriter and for a debut, 60M isn't at all bad, kudos to her for bravely creating this story that touches a very important issue in our society. Unfortunately, you can't really please everyone, Bela, especially not with audiences who grew up watching romantic comedies, drama, and your usual happily ever after stories and people who can be very sensitive when it comes to social issues. But hey guys, it's a film, it was meant to be appreciated in its own little ways, and I understand that it's a serious topic but why can't we just try to understand filmmakers' purpose rather than focusing on something that is entirely the opposite of what they were actually intending for the viewers to learn.
Before thinking about the negatives try and think of why they created this story in the first place? Who's their target audience? What was their goal for creating this production? What was the screenwriter's point of view.
I don't believe the screenplay intended to romanticize or promote suicide in any way instead it was trying to raise awareness. It only showed us the reality of its existence through a story of how a man was able to successfully get through this dark time in his life and how he was able to appreciate the beauty of life before it got too late. I don't know about you, but don't we all have Mark Peters and Carmina Salvador's in us?
Aren't we Mark; a person who feels like there's no one left to go home to, no friend, no family, no wife, no life. Haven't we all felt so tired of life that we ourselves thought of how it would feel like to just get it all over with? Not all of us may have the strength to act upon those thoughts, but we can't deny that the thought never crossed our minds.
Aren't we Carmina; a person who doesn't want other people to feel the same pain or suffer the same way? Don't we all wanna save a person who attempts to jump on Jones Bridge? Don't we all have the same heart of wanting to save a person's life?
And don't we all want someone by our sides as we go through our darkest moments? Mark was lucky enough to find Carmina, a stranger, a friend who eventually he developed feelings for as the story progressed. I mean, who would've understand him better than a person who had the same intentions as he did only with different reasons and baggage?
Carmina wouldn't have been successful of stopping him to commit suicide if she had told him at once to not go through it, the process was dark and scary, but the story only made Mark feel afraid by giving him situations that would show him what it would actually feel like if you're on brink of death. At the same time, Carmina was able to show him the beauty of life, how it's truly worth living, and that he will always be loved, no matter who he became or who he will be in the future.
The film only showed one possible ray of hope, out of infinite possibilities, for people who are having suicidal thoughts, for Mark, his ray of hope just happened to be his love for his mother. I believe that the movie only intended to give people that positive outlook on life, maybe they focused on love on this film, but beyond it there will always be more things to look forward to, more positive factors to hold onto.
For people who believe that we are not ready for stories as dark yet beautiful as this, ask yourself when... When will we be truly ready? Will we ever be really ready if we don't go outside our comfort zones now and just explore the world beyond it?
The moment I saw the trailer I was instantly hooked and intrigued, and yes, it took me a while before I was finally able to watch the film, but since its first week I've already started hearing comments about it: On my side of the wall (newsfeed) most of what I read are positive reviews, but I guess it's because many of my friends are movie buffs so their views would be a little bit similar to mine. On the other hand, the other side of the wall seem to have heard a lot of bad reviews. I only got to read full blown reviews after watching the film because I was trying to avoid spoilers. So without further ado, here's every bit of thought I had about the film:
First of all, the movie had one of the best cinematographies I have ever seen on local film. The shots were very creatively done, the color grading was spot on, and their choice of locations and wardrobes effectively contributed to the mood and story of the entire film.
Second, I'm a real sucker for film scores, and I've been really appreciating how recent local films recreate songs that I grew up hearing, songs we've heard a thousand times, lyrics that we all have memorized by heart to use for their scores. For Last Night, they recreated the song Sa'yo performed by Ebe Dancel, a song that was originally performed by Silent Sanctuary. I just really loved how heavy the music felt as it fades in and out, scene by scene. I was also literally sitting at the edge of my seat when I heard the song Huling Gabi by Moira dela Torre.
Third, and this is the 'controversial' part; the screenplay. The screenwriter of this film is a famous actor herself, Bela Padilla. Based on posts and articles, this film was her debut as a screenwriter and for a debut, 60M isn't at all bad, kudos to her for bravely creating this story that touches a very important issue in our society. Unfortunately, you can't really please everyone, Bela, especially not with audiences who grew up watching romantic comedies, drama, and your usual happily ever after stories and people who can be very sensitive when it comes to social issues. But hey guys, it's a film, it was meant to be appreciated in its own little ways, and I understand that it's a serious topic but why can't we just try to understand filmmakers' purpose rather than focusing on something that is entirely the opposite of what they were actually intending for the viewers to learn.
Before thinking about the negatives try and think of why they created this story in the first place? Who's their target audience? What was their goal for creating this production? What was the screenwriter's point of view.
Aren't we Mark; a person who feels like there's no one left to go home to, no friend, no family, no wife, no life. Haven't we all felt so tired of life that we ourselves thought of how it would feel like to just get it all over with? Not all of us may have the strength to act upon those thoughts, but we can't deny that the thought never crossed our minds.
Aren't we Carmina; a person who doesn't want other people to feel the same pain or suffer the same way? Don't we all wanna save a person who attempts to jump on Jones Bridge? Don't we all have the same heart of wanting to save a person's life?
Carmina wouldn't have been successful of stopping him to commit suicide if she had told him at once to not go through it, the process was dark and scary, but the story only made Mark feel afraid by giving him situations that would show him what it would actually feel like if you're on brink of death. At the same time, Carmina was able to show him the beauty of life, how it's truly worth living, and that he will always be loved, no matter who he became or who he will be in the future.
The film only showed one possible ray of hope, out of infinite possibilities, for people who are having suicidal thoughts, for Mark, his ray of hope just happened to be his love for his mother. I believe that the movie only intended to give people that positive outlook on life, maybe they focused on love on this film, but beyond it there will always be more things to look forward to, more positive factors to hold onto.
For people who believe that we are not ready for stories as dark yet beautiful as this, ask yourself when... When will we be truly ready? Will we ever be really ready if we don't go outside our comfort zones now and just explore the world beyond it?
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