Holy cow, it was submitted for Cannes but was not chosen! This is a film that can make you proud as a Filipino.
More rave reviews......
Pinoy movie showdown
MOVIE REVIEW
When Love Begins
Directed by Jose Javier Reyes
Ploning
Directed by Dante Nico Garcia
WELCOME, FANS, to the most talked about showdown in recent Pinoy movie history! In the blue corner, wearing board shorts and a bikini top, we have When Love Begins, a Jose Javier Reyes romance starring Aga Muhlach and Anne Curtis. And in the red corner, sporting a yellow-blouse-red-skirt combo, is Ploning, Dante Nico Garcia’s movie based on a Cuyonon folk song. Both clock in at 1 hour and 45 minutes; however, only one will survive this head-to-head contest consisting of several arbitrary categories. Let the fight begin!
Judy Ann Santos (L) and Mylene Dizon (R) star in Ploning Title: Let’s say you had no prior knowledge of these two films and were asked to choose which one to watch based solely on their titles. Ploning sounds like a typhoon, fit to be included among the likes of Reming and Rosing. It doesn’t give anything away and you’re left to wonder what it’s about. When Love Begins, on the other hand, has more cheese than France (no offense to the French, who are among the biggest exporters and consumers of the dairy product) and you automatically know what to expect. Ploning wins for being as enigmatic as a Zen koan.
Love Team: Mr. Muhlach goes through much of When Love Begins with a hangdog expression on his face and his boyish charm erases the big age difference between him and Ms. Curtis. They have onscreen chemistry, but the cuteness can get cloying. While we never get to see Tomas, Ploning’s lost love, we do see Judy Ann Santos (who plays the title character) and her affectionate relationship with Digo, a little boy, and almost everyone in the small town of Cuyo. Ploning wins for pulling off a love story without shoving it down our throats.
Story: When Love Begins is a predictable flirt fest between Mr. Muhlach, a lawyer-turned-environmental-activist, and Ms. Curtis, the daughter of a real estate developer. Based on that alone, it doesn’t take a genius to guess what comes next. Figuring out Ploning is harder because it takes its time before revealing its hand. At first you think it’s about Tomas coming back, and then you think it’s about Mylene Dizon’s character stealing Ploning’s queen-bee status, and then you think it’s about female relationships and sisterhood in a Steel Magnolias kind of way. Ploning’s tapestry beats the one-note performance of When Love Begins.
Anne Curtis and Aga Mulach in When Love Begins Soundtrack: What would you rather listen to, prom slow dance songs or Filipino folk music? I found the harmony of voices and guitars on Ploning soothing. As a matter of fact, I’m listening to a version of it right now via YouTube. Adding to the lyrical nature of Ploning is the melody of the Cuyonon dialect. I would never search for any of the songs on When Love Begins; I hear enough of their type in buses and cabs.
Cinematography: Ploning does a great job of showing off Cuyo, Palawan. Shots of beautiful sunsets and rough beaches will entice audiences to head to the island and experience the quiet rural life themselves. The colors on Ploning are also more vibrant; they pop off the screen and make you lean forward. The only thing outstanding about the When Love Begins version of Boracay is how uncrowded it is.
Audience Impact: Overheard while watching When Love Begins, "Ba’t tayo nandito? Wala namang kwento. Sana Ironman na lang pinanuod natin (Why are we here? There’s no story. We should’ve watched Ironman instead)." Overheard in Ploning, scattered chuckles and sniffles at the appropriate moments. Ploning wins for engaging all five of its viewers. When Love Begins also wins for attracting enough people to fill up the theater despite its lack of a story.
Final Decision: The beskirted Ploning knocks out When Love Begins with a sitout three-quarter facelock jawbreaker (better known as a Stone Cold Stunner to wrestling fans).
