WHAT IF...
All of us share the same thought. What if we something happened in your past that changed your life forever? What if you made a different choice and it changed your future? What if you had a different life than what you have now? This is the central theme that this latest Star Cinema offering tackles. The movie strangely follows two story lines, each concerning the consequences and results caused by one small thing that changed a person's life forever.
Becky (Jodi Sta. Maria) has always been torn between living a life of responsibility for her family and living a life of adventure by traveling the world. Little did she know that her life could follow two different paths depending on her responses to a day filled with a series of unfortunate events. In this story showing parallel narratives of the same character, we explore how our varying responses lead to different experiences, relationships, dilemmas and what ifs. Directed by Veronica Velasco, "Dear Other Self" also stars Xian Lim and Joseph Marco.
To be honest, I still can't figure out what Dear Other Self is. It's can be a comedy, since it's got some really funny situations that are mostly based on real-life things that happen to people. It's got some romance in it (actually, there's two) so it can also be a romantic movie. But I guess it perfectly fits under the 'feel good' type of movies. Those movies that aims at lifting up one's spirits and gets some sense into one's life. This movie is basically a movie made by a millennial, for her fellow millennials.
The movie brings up real-life situations that almost each and every young adult nowadays are facing. One of these would be whether Becky would continue her work to get promoted or to give up her career and follow her dream of travelling. I, for one, can personally relate to this as I have experienced this so many times in my life. Contemplating on whether I should continue my job now and switch careers is one of the most common challenges that millennials like me are facing. I'm really glad that the film tackled what would be the possible consequences of picking one decision over the other. And director Veronica Velasco was able to tell story lines seamlessly.
I think the strength of the film relied so much with it's great cast. Joseph Marco and Xian Lim are both great as the protagonist's leading man. They were really good in portraying their roles and they complemented their on-screen partner really well. But the film's way of storytelling wasn't able to give both of their characters enough time to build up their character.Since the film follows two stories at the same time, they were given minimal time to build-up their characters. On the other hand, Jodi Sta. Maria's Becky is given all the time she needs to create a believable character and protagonist. Therefore, we end up rooting a lot for her and what happens to her in the two stories.
I think a lot of people will relate to her character as the two Becky's. The "fresh" Becky who got promoted is like the rest of those people who are too tied up to their careers and end up being left out in all the fun that they could have. They are too focused in achieving their goals in their careers that they don't have the time anymore to achieve their other dreams in life. I guess I fit into this category. On the other hand, the "tired" Becky ends up resigning from her job and pursued her dream and passion to travel the world while she's still young. And amazingly, Jodi Sta. Maria was able to pull off both Becky's with flying colors.
I think a lot of people will relate to her character as the two Becky's. The "fresh" Becky who got promoted is like the rest of those people who are too tied up to their careers and end up being left out in all the fun that they could have. They are too focused in achieving their goals in their careers that they don't have the time anymore to achieve their other dreams in life. I guess I fit into this category. On the other hand, the "tired" Becky ends up resigning from her job and pursued her dream and passion to travel the world while she's still young. And amazingly, Jodi Sta. Maria was able to pull off both Becky's with flying colors.
But just like other movies from Star Cinema, the film suffers from it's stale ending. Despite having two different story lines, both endings are just too easy and predictable. Despite that, I still had a great time for most of the part of the movie. Relatable, charming and entertaining, this is one rare feel good movie that actually works. And Jodi Sta. Maria is worth the price of admission alone.
Rating: ✰✰✰✰ out of 5
Dear Other Self (2017)
Directed by Veronica Velasco, starring Jodi Sta. Maria, Joseph Marco & Xian Lim
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