"Alone/Together" is a movie that seemed to have two split personalities. On one hand, it was a story about settling down versus pursuing your dreams. On the other, it forces itself to have that romantic angle that proves to be its Achilles heel. At the end of the day, it never mixes these two elements well leading to a film that feels lackluster and a mess at the same time.
Christine (Liza Soberano) is a University of the Philippines Art Studies major and a part-time museum guide dreams to be an archivist for the most renowned museums around the world. She has the potential - as she is the Summa Cum Laude for her batch. On one of her museum gigs, she meets Raf (Enrique Gil) who wants to be a doctor but is the complete opposite of Christine when it comes to studies. The two hit it off well but soon Christine hits a snag with her career and decides to leave Raf as well. The two eventually move on but when they meet again after 5 years, they rekindle the special relationship they had before.
There are certainly elements in "Alone/Together" that showed the potential of its production and its narrative. The first thirty minutes was a thrilling and nostalgic look back to anyone's collegiate days. We liked how well this was done not only to how the script and even make-up felt authentic (the transformation of Liza Soberano and Enrique Gil was just astounding and outstanding) but how perfectly it was able to convey the innocence, naiveness, and openness of a person who is just about to step out of college. Unfortunately, the film at this point, forces a love story into the mix and takes over everything else as its priority. We really can't delve deep into its elements without spoiling it but this made the film's narrative less substantial, messier, and even unrelatable. Characters in this portion also felt like they were cast and written out of convenience to make conflicts and situations arise out of nowhere. This may sound minor for some but the whole romantic aspect impacts a substantial portion of the story and supporting chracters that felt paper thin and dispensable. On the acting part, we actually loved the performances of both leads. Liza Soberano in particular was able to transform her character easily and was one of the best parts within the film. Overall, it makes you wonder if the film was written to be less dramatic and less romantic and more real then "Alone/Together" could have been a memorable film - maybe even an award-winning with its nationalistic twist. But it settles down and doesn't pursue bigger dreams that could have made it so much better - ironic if you put it in the context of its message.
Rating: 2 and a half reels
Why you should watch it:
- great acting from its leads
- was able to convey the innocence of dreaming big and the reality of settling down
Why you shouldn't watch it:
- impacted by its decision to heavily focus on its romantic aspect
Comments
Post a Comment