Kita Kita (2017) movie review

Empoy Marquez & Alessandra De Rossi stars in "Kita Kita" (Screenshot from the trailer)

There's one film that everyone's talking about these past few days. And surprisingly, it's not a Star Cinema romcom. It's not even featuring one of today's hottest love teams. But it is a certified blockbuster. The movie is "Kita Kita"

I've been looking forward to Sigrid Andrea Bernardo's Kita Kita (I See You) ever since I've learned about it months ago. Especially after finding out that it's going to feature Alessandra De Rossi in the lead role since I've been sort of a fan of her after seeing her in Relax, It's Just Pag-ibig (2014) and Sakaling Hindi Makarating (2016). What added to my curiosity was her leading man in this film which turned out to be Empoy Marquez. Now, that's interesting.

Lea (Alessandra De Rossi) and Tonyo (Empoy Marquez) are two Filipinos living in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan. Lea is a Velo taxi tour guide. She suffers an accident which leads to her being affected by temporary blindness. Her blindness, if not cured in a few weeks, could become permanent. Tonyo is also a Filipino who lives right across from Lea. Lea tries her best to ignore him at first because she is scared of not seeing him. But Tonyo is persistent and is determined to be her friend, using humor and kindness to make a connection. With every effort that he makes the two gradually become closer. In an ironic way, becoming blind allows Lea to see the true character of Tonyo.(Source: Osaka Film Festival)

After reading the synopsis, one would usually conclude that it's story isn't that new anymore and that's it's pretty common in the romcom genre. Plus the trailer itself actually felt like it was giving away too much of the story already, which most of the time turns off audiences from actually seeing the film. But to my surprise, this synopsis and the trailer was actually just the tip of the film's story. It offers more than what we see from these trailers and movie summary. It's spin on the romcom genre is unique, fresh and quite amusing. And it will surely surprise you once you go and see it for yourself.

To start with, watching Empoy and Alessandra De Rossi as love team really needs one's suspension of disbelief. You have to realize that Lea is blind here, so she has no idea how Tonyo actually looks like in person. So it is inevitable  for her to fall for him. After letting yourself give in to it's story and just go with it's flow, that's where the movie becomes charming and delightful.

Unlike most romcom movies nowadays, Sigrid Bernardo's script doesn't focus too much on characters throwing hugot lines to pinch it's audiences' heart and to bring up sad memories of one's past love to get our interest. Instead, it opted to show two ordinary people hanging out together while touring the beautiful city of Sapporo, Japan, while slowly getting to know each other. The story seems simple at first, but as the movie progresses, we start to discover the real story behind one of the characters, and it changes everything we thought about this character. I must admit that I have a little bit of an idea about this revelation right from the very start. But still, Sigrid Bernardo's script surprised me the way she weaved the two character's story together. That final twist really came out of nowhere and I honestly didn't see it coming. That is how talented director Sigrid Bernardo is.

There's a great distinction that everyone for sure would notice when watching mainstream and indie films in general. In mainstream movies, the ones produced and released by big house movie companies in the country, we watch beautiful actors and actresses play ordinary people. Imagine Liza Soberano playing an ugly duckling in a film (just an example. Don't worry. I love Liza with all my heart). In contrast, when we watch indie films, we see the characters, not the actors playing them. This is most likely because indie films tend to get actors who actually looked the part. They don't feel manufactured for the sake of looking like the character they portray. And I guess this is a plus points for independent films as it adds realism to the movie. In this case, we get Empoy Marquez playing the not-so-good-looking kababayan Tonyo. No offense but let's admit it, he definitely looks the part. And I guess that's what makes him perfect for the role.

Who knew that Empoy would become a leading man in a film someday? But what really surprised me was there oozing chemistry between him and his leading lady, Alessandra De Rossi. The two of them actually complements each other. Empoy plays the fun and always determined guy while Alessandra De Rossi is the moody and always serious girl who always rejects his advances. Alessandra De Rossi proved her versatility as an actor with the shift of genre, from the roadtrip drama Sakaling Hindi Makarating to a cute romcom in Kita Kita. Her portrayal of Lea during the character's introdcution at the beginning of the film was simple yet so natural. She immediately grabbed my attention and got me hooked from the very start until the end.  Just like what I've previously stated in my review of Sakaling hindi Makarating, she's undeniably one of the best, yet most underrated actresses in the industry today. The two of them really make a good match. Although Alessandra and Empoy being paired together might seem like a gamble at first, it works. And it works so well that it's exceeding everyone's expectations.

The film also benefited a lot from it's location. The whole story of the film happens around the city of Sapporo, which is rich with gorgeous places that makes every scene picturesque. I especially loved the scene where the two of them were wandering around a filed of colorful flowers. The place really made a very big impact on making that scene so memorable because of it's delightful aura. Then, there's also the wonderful soundtrack of the film featuring KZ Tandingan's cover of Two Less Lonely People In The World that stamped a final oomph! in the movie.

I don't know exactly what to feel after watching Kita Kita (2017). Yes, I must admit that the ending was sad (which is why a lot of people admitted that they cried after the movie. But the film is too beautiful to be sad. And that's a good thing because that's what makes the experience of seeing it memorable. It's a funny, charming, delightful type of entertainment that will leaves a smile in your lips (or a tear in your eye for others). It's an unconventional movie with a heart, overflowing with charm that never overstays it's welcome.

Source: Kita Kita Facebook page

Rating: ✰✰✰✰✰ of 5
Kita Kita (2017)
Starring Alessandra De Rossi and Empoy Marquez,
directed by Sigrid Andrea Bernardo