"Can you explain to me? What has become of us? With words released, we can never take them back" - Urbandub
#AngKuwentoNatingDalawa continues with #TayoSaHulingBuwanNgTaon, starring Nicco Manalo, Vera, Anna Luna, and Alex Medina. Directed by Nestor Abrogena for TBA Studios.
After a long wait, Isa and Sam are back. It hurt last time, and it still hurts now.
I don't know about you all but Tayo sa Huling Buwan ng Taon's (TSHBNT) intro and outro are one of the realest and finest out there, from the words to the scenes. Watch na! Check out "Us, at the End of the Year" on Netflix.
Also, don't forget to watch Ang Kuwento Nating Dalawa (AKND) too on iFlix.
I re-watched ‘Ang Kwento Nating Dalawa’ the other night and boy that film looked so lo-fi next to #TayoSaHulingBuwanNgTaon. ‘Tayo’ is probably Tey Clamor's best work so far. Credits to Nestor Abrogena too for coming up with the visual philosophy for the film.
"Some feelings are better left unsaid
Some stories are better left untold.
Some memories are better left forgotten."
Heartbreaking and confusing, Tayo Sa Huling Buwan Ng Taon gives you mixed emotions and leaves you dumbfounded with its plot. It is by far one of the most heartbreaking films I've ever seen. Grabe yung kwento ni Sam at Isa, and of course, mas grabe pa nung isinama na si Anna at Frank sa story. Mas masakit ang TSHBNT kesa sa AKND, at least for me. Sana huwag muna kayong papasok sa isang relationship kung hindi pa kayo tapos magmahal ng iba and kung feeling nyo hindi pa kayo buo from the past heart break. Kasi at the end of the day sobrang kawawa yung taong pinili mong bubuo sa iyo. Masisira ninyo lang yung isa't isa. Promise hindi healthy! (tsaka sobrang bulok na nung hahanapin ko lang muna yung sarili ko.
The trailer captured the smallest details, big leaps, the ordinary life-like talks, the what-ifs, and getting lost in between relationships, etc.,
I find it hurtful for their respective present partners, when they met and seek answers thru old Manila.
"Kung bumaliktad man ang ikot ng orasan
Ikaw ay aking hahawakan, ika’y hahagkan
At kung eto na ang huli, ang ating huling sandali
Sinta, pangako pipiliin ko na ang manatili"
Tayo Sa Huling Buwan Ng Taon reminds us not to enter in a new relationship if we're not completely over with the past.
Maganda siyang panoorin, gusto ko yung mga Pinoy movies na ganito. Yung hindi mainstream na hindi mukhang cliche.
“Anong nangyari satin?”
“We got lost.”
Sobrang clear ng sagot yet so vague.
Sobrang babaw yet the emotions were so deep.
Sobrang unapologetic ng decisions yet full of regrets.
Well done, direk @nestorabrogena
Some takeaways:
(Closure) It's hard to go on with your life especially when your past is pulling you back. Kapag hindi ka pa talaga completely over a person, it's best not to engage in a romantic relationship. You can't help but to bring up unresolved issues from the past.
(Compromise) When you're in a relationship, you really have to make sacrifices. It's also important to ask yourself if you're that willing to give things up for the person you love. Make wise choices for long term and crucial situations.
The classroom is dark, and Sam is in that room. Meaning Sam is enveloped by darkness. But when Anna shows up late, she opened the door of that dark classroom. Anna is Sam's light in his darkness.
"..nagbabakasakali na sa hinagap ng hininga
sa simula ng katapusan at katapusan ng simula
Mapawi ang pananabik, masambit muli ang pangangamusta."
It got tasteful cinematography.
It features familiar and beautiful locations in Manila. There are places in the film that I would love visit/revisit someday.
This is a kind of spoiler, but remember that AKND started with Sam's scene in Katipunan Station. The only station involved in #TayoSaHulingBuwanNgTaon is Legarda Station.
Compared to AKND utilizing the beauty of DLS-CSB, no place or building (except for "El Hogar") is used.
And the soundtrack? Bagay na bagay! Really helps with the story-telling; hindi basta nilagay lang.
Impressive acting from the actors. I definitely love Anna Luna @anaj_luna and her character so much. Nicco Manalo is one awesome actor! When "that scene" was dropped, I fucking teared up until Isa and Sam's final scene. Manalo and Luna show good chemistry. Their interactions feel so natural and convincing. Vera evolves from her previous work, while still maintaining the Isa that we knew.
Pambansang Oppa Vlogger Emman Nimedez is also in the movie. Our legend must be so happy in heaven! Team Payaman is surely happy, too!
It still has the same charm of #AngKwentoNatingDalawa but more mature.
"I promised myself that time and again, I will always hope to see you.
And if time turns back, I will hold you
I will feel you
I will pull you too
So you can feel you are not alone spinning around the sun that I created
To see light in the dark"
Elements from "Ang Kwento Nating Dalawa" like restraint and subtlety in storytelling, captivating shots, and awesome musical scoring remained the same, or even better.
#TayoSaHulingBuwanNgTaon is a really deep movie that didn't just focus on love and romantic relationships, but also how it affects life and choices.
It was a good film. Simple yet profound. Sending out a message done artistically.
It's not the big scenes but those small poignant moments that make the movie work for me. Loved the beginning & the end. More movies like these please.
It has improved a lot from its premise. It never lost its charm: the rawness of the picture and how it depicts reality. At the end, time is really just that, time. Sometimes, it doesn't really heal you.
The movie offers more questions than answers. Seriously, you cannot leave the cinema without asking the cosmos, "What fucking happened?" I guess we will see more of Sam and Anna.
Take the story as it is. There are no attempts to complicate it as the conflicts feel so relevant and familiar. The movie lets you bask in the overwhelming emotions of "what ifs," but still makes you think what you could have done considering the dilemmas in involved.
Kinda frustrated on the ending of TSHBNT that I'm crying for all of them but especially for Anna. Frank made the best decision. It's kinda weird but I'm really hoping to see what happens to Frank and Anna's life now. The movie’s so good. It will keep you guessing until the last minute, just like AKND.
Self love, and art of letting go were the key lessons of the movie.
Hands up to the writers and casts!
Thank you so much, AKND and TSHBNT for the overflowing feels for the past few years.
#AngKwentoNatingDalawa
#UsatTheEndOfTheYear
#WeGotLost
#TayoSaHulingBuwanNgTaon
Ross is known as the Pambansang Blogger ng Pilipinas - An Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Professional by profession and a Social Media Evangelist by heart.
