So poignantly unforgettable

(Editor’s Note: Until end of January 2007, My Favorite Movie will feature only movies shown during a Metro Manila Film Festival from any year. Contributions must not exceed two and a half pages, short bond paper, double-spaced. We don’t return rejected articles. Published ones will be paid accordingly. E-mail your pieces at [email protected].)

Tommy has just quit his hotel job when his best friend David arrives from his medical studies abroad. David advises him to take stock of his life before it’s too late. He replies, "For what?"

That was just one of the nuanced scenes from Bakit Labis Kitang Mahal. Acclaimed writer-director José Javier Reyes has cleverly established both the chemistry and contrast between Tommy and David.

The film is a refreshing take on the gasgas love-triangle concept. The characters develop naturally, and the empathy they evoke makes this simple and unpretentious movie transcend the romance genre. In the end, it’s not the interaction between Aga Muhlach, Ariel Rivera and Lea Salonga we remember; it is the three essentially decent human beings caught in a web of joy, pain, regret – and redemption.

When I first saw the film, I immediately identified with Tommy. You see, everybody was telling me that I was too happy-go-lucky for my own good. Plus there is this uncanny resemblance (I think). The spooky thing is that the plot eventually happened to me – but that’s another story.

Sandy is David’s fiancée. Outwardly she is perfect. But growing up sheltered all her life left her emotionally vulnerable. Her heart is pure, her love for David is true, and so she is confused about her growing affection for his best friend. It started during the picnic. She was fascinated with Tommy’s irreverence, like when he began eating with his bare hands. Then after the meal, they began kidding around and Tommy delightfully doused her with a jugful of cold water.

But David’s upbringing was evidently too strict. He thinks games are only for children. He and Sandy had a minor argument about her behavior. Being an achiever and a perfectionist, his standards can sometimes be too high. If he becomes demanding, it’s because he expects other people to be formal and professional like him. This is not a flaw; it’s just the way he is. Deep inside, he’s a very honorable person. In his last scene, his nobility shines like a beacon in a dark storm.

Tommy, on the other hand, is one of those innately charismatic types, and people are drawn to him instinctively. But this backfires at times: the subplot where he mercilessly breaks up with his ex will haunt him later. Having breezed through life armed only with this charm, he feels he can get away with anything. But if he seems indifferent about everything, it’s because his painful past has taught him to erect barriers around his inner self. He’s like a butterfly, flitting from one flower to another, but never touching the ground.

Like in the Survivor song, "How one life touches the other, it’s so hard to understand." When Tommy and Sandy realize that they have fallen in love, everything is torn apart: David feels betrayed by his best friend, Sandy is overwhelmed with guilt, and Tommy falls in the abyss of profound sorrow. He is too strong to commit suicide but his soul is in torment. It is David’s act of sacrifice that saves them all. The hospital scene will leave a mark on even the most cynical viewer. This may be a story of love in the surface, but on a deeper level it’s also a story of heroism and friendship.

It is a rare movie where everyone is so real. Mary Walter’s delightful Lola Gelay infuses the theater with warmth and happiness. Instead of watching Sandy Andolong, we see a woman who followes other people’s expectations instead of her heart, forever burdened with the thought of what-might-have-been. Instead of Noel Trinidad, we see a loving father distressed by his daughter’s pain, unable to reach out, helpless about matters of the heart.

If a film is good, the performances are great; if a film is excellent, the characters come alive and connect with the audience. And in this context, the Star Cinema film Bakit Labis Kitang Mahal is excellent – and poignantly unforgettable.