Last Night (2017)

"Once you see hope, embrace it!"

I went into Last Night trepidatiously given the subject matter. Suicide is far too serious and complex a matter to take lightly. This film had mixed results with how it broached the topic. In this particular story, the motivation was sudden catastrophic changes in life and not long-term clinical depression which made the movie’s approach more palatable.

Mark is about to jump off the Jones Bridge when he hears a woman calling for help. Carmina’s sweater is caught on the sign below in a failed suicide attempt. They end up agreeing to die together and begin attempting different ways but are continually foiled.

This was a tale of two movies for me which made it hard to rate and hard to watch at times. As I was slogging through the first half of this film, it was sitting at a 5.0 for me, largely because of the character of Carmina. Everything Toni Gonzaga’s character did was over the top, cringe-worthy, and annoying. Even Mark asked Carmina, “Are you a child? Do you always have to be entertained?” Piolo Pascual’s Mark was more reserved and felt like he was in a completely different movie. The suicide attempts were more farcical than saddening. Long before the half, I’d figured out the upcoming twist and was waiting for it to be revealed. The second half was more engaging and the comic acting was toned down. The cinematography and music were actually quite good and put to much better use as the film went on.

If you enjoy Gonzaga’s comic routines you will likely enjoy this more than I did, I tend to be hypersensitive to overt comic acting, especially with a serious subject matter. Without any spoilers, the ending was satisfying and I did enjoy her acting later in the film. If suicide is a trigger or the Catholic view of it troubles you, best to skip this one.

26 August 2024

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While there are many ways to die, there can be one reason to live.

This movie is not your typical romance drama where you’ll find yourself smiling and go ‘aww’ all the time. It touches on the sensitive topic of suicide with a touch of romance. Even though the theme is pretty dark and sad, this movie finds a way to inject humor here and there while maintaining its relevance and seriousness. The idea of two people who met in an unfortunate circumstance – when both of them tried to commit suicide but later connected and decided to do it together – is executed quite nicely, but with some flaws that detract from the overall impact of the idea. Just when you think the movie is going to follow the romance drama formula for Mark and Carmina, the movie suddenly takes a different turn, making you gasp for a second. The plot twist really gets me. I can’t really say I like it, but I don’t hate it either.

The elegant cinematography and production design are the aspects that I really like about this movie. It gives a dark, old, and vintage ambiance to the movie, which is different from other Filipino romance dramas I've watched.

Character-wise, Toni and Piolo did so well. Toni is always fun to watch. She has a knack for playing characters who are both humorous and poignant. Carmina has a cheerful and lively personality that makes her easy to love. But I wish the character could be developed better.

Though the topics of suicide and mental issues that lead to suicidal thoughts are frequently discussed and read about, there are very few depictions of these subjects on the big screen, which adds an interesting element to the concept. But this movie pretty much romanticizes suicide in its efforts to illustrate a narrative of distraught people on the brink of taking their own lives. All in all, it’s a brave attempt to break free from stereotypes, but the outcome is rather flawed.

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