1st Ko Si 3rd (Third is My First): Movie Review

"1st Ko Si 3rd" (“Third is My First”) was rough around the edges but as it turned out, in the end, it was also a literal diamond in the rough. There are certainly elements in the film that could have been toned down, altered, or even removed. But at its core, the film tackled the idea of love so deeply and so truly that we found it to be one that surprisingly impacted us in ways that we couldn't have imagined or predicted.


Corazon (Nova Villa) has just retired from work and is looking forward to settling into a long retirement with her husband Alejandro (Dante Rivero). But when her first love back in her teen years, Third (Freddie Webb), turns up unexpectedly, Corazon grows restless as she reminisces on her younger years and her unfulfilled relationship with Third. Reassessing her life choices, especially with how her marriage with Alejandro, who will Corazon choose to be with her in her twilight years?


“1st Ko Si 3rd” may allure you with its charming comedy but it will leave its mark with a solid and highly-textured narrative. At its core is Corazon who ponders about how her life has turned out  with Alejandro - a decades long relationship just working due to the convenience of having a companion rather than being born out of love. This makes her think if she is truly happy with him. It doesn’t help that her first love Third suddenly shows up in her life again. We found the concept unique as the character of Corazon dreams and ponders constantly about Third in both past and present lives - just like how a younger person would endlessly obsess about his/her crush. This kind of infatuation is rarely shown for older characters like Corazon. In this aspect though, the film also loses some of its luster. The flashbacks were heavily-biased towards Third leaving the character of Alejandro with little or no context except for very one brief scene. Some of these dream-like sequences were also drawn out a bit too long and overstayed their welcome in several instances. The film’s strongest points were its actors (and their outstanding performances) and its script. The latter had numerous quotable quotes that really showcased the stark realizations of its characters. The script was also very deep and will make audiences think about what love and loving really is especially in the context of a long, real, imperfect one. While the film concludes in a particular manner, we found it satisfying and perfect in the overall context of its narrative. “1st Ko Si 3rd” will make you laugh, maybe even cry, but most importantly it will make you think.        


Rating: 4 reels








Why you should watch it:

  • It’s a very deep and textured film that explores various types of love in a very real manner


Why you shouldn’t watch it:

  • It had some bloat 

  • The character of Alejandro wasn’t provided enough context


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