Eddie Garcia and Gina Pareno star in this afterlife romantic comedy set in a very Filipino Purgatory or halfway point in the afterlife.
The film was directed by Dan Villegas with screenplay by Juan Miguel Severo. It got nominated for a Gawad Urian Award for Best Actor for Eddie Garcia.
Manolo (Eddie Garcia) checks into the purgatory scene where it gets so crowded that he has to share a room with his ex-girlfriend Lisang (Gina Pareno). They have hang ups and explore their relationship all while they try out the different things that Purgatory/Limbo has to offer.
Its not a typical love story to be honest. As viewers, we get to enjoy these scenes with two of Philippine Cinema’s heavy hitters.
Those cute little flirty moments between these old lovers are amazing. Tapos it helps that it’s delivered with comedic and serious timing by both Garcia and Pareno.
I miss Eddie Garcia and his ever-loving “manoy” comments. Plus he does a lot of great “hirits” here and there. Tapos when it comes to more serious moments, he made me she’d a rear especially that monologue about being a “father” despite being dead. Nasapul ako dun as a dad.
That scene with Manolo’s daughter is just heartbreaking too. Anybody who had a loved one die without saying goodbye or having unresolved issues can relate to this. Lots of love was poured in doing this movie from that scene alone.
Then there’s the heavy drama aspect. It gets a lot of gravity because coming from their characters, it’s been years coming. There’s some great verbal smackdown and sagutan between them. And it’s nice that their main beef gets explored in depth. And yes, we can chalk it up to tardiness in a time when tanans were such a big thing and there was no texting or messengers around.
Still on the subject of drama, the second and third act of the movie was really solid in terms of bringing a rear as you watch. I like how the screenplay also cleverly drops expositions in a subtle way like Manolo explaining why he got his first heart attack in a confrontation scene with Lisang.
Gina Pareno’s Lisang is a lovable old Lola who drops quips and is a loudmouth but equally adorable. In typical Gina Pareno fashion, we see her ramble and deliver quality moments with her co-star. That’s her strength and she plays it really well here. In all honesty, I don’t think the role would have worked with another veteran actress. Talagang Gina Pareno lang.
I have to admit that there’s a small bit of kilig when they reminisce and have a good time in limbo. And those teasing works from a narrative standpoint. Galing talaga ni Eddie Garcia.
Massive props din for using VHS as flashback tools. Lakas maka retro.
Props din sa musical scoring for this film. The violins and the mellow piano moments were really helping out the film in driving the emotional nail.
As it stands, the premise of two former lovers in their twilight with some baggage is definitely promising. Then you get two premiere acting veterans dishing meaty lines. Then set it in limbo and it’s already worthy of the time and energy you expend to watch it.
Verdict: 10/10
Catch Hintayan ng Langit on Netflix as it’s available for streaming anytime.
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