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