Unusual pairings become box office surprises. Well, sometimes. Take for example last year’s Jennylyn Mercado and Derek Ramsay. The tandem’s English Only Please was the 2014 Metro Manila Film Festival’s sleeper. It started slow when it opened and by the end of the festival it had become one of the biggest earning films, its run extending beyond the festival’s official dates.
Now, the same producer has a new film with another unusual pairing – Jennylyn Mercado (again?) and Jericho Rosales (who took over the role originally intended for JM de Guzman who for some inexplicable behavior ended up a cast-off from the film).
The film’s producers of the 2015 Metro Manila Film Festival entry Walang Forever are adamant they did right in choosing Rosales (as a replacement to the wayward De Guzman as Mercado’s leading man).
English Only, Please won for Mercado an MMFF best actress award.
Will Mercado be a back-to-back winner for her role in Walang Forever? Well, that’s for the jurors to decide.
But, the producers are positive the team up will result in good critical notices and favorable box-office results.
Rosales is Ethan, a Taiwan-based website developer who falls for Mia (Mercado), a well-accomplished and famous romantic-comedy writer.
The director and producers chime that the actor fits the role to a “T” and they are glad the actor accepted the role despite being the second choice.
“I don’t mind being a second choice, but what is important is I am playing the role and the film has been completed and you are not going to see anyone else but me and Jen,” he said during the press conference at Kuya J’s restaurant in Megamall last Tuesday.
Echo and Jen have an undeniable chemistry, and the producers say the tandem will set the screens on fire with their initial team-up. The two actors, the agree, gave justice to their respective roles in the film.
Rosales and Mercado have each a different take on love in Walang Forever. In addition to this, 2014 MMFF best director Dan Villegas, who is at the helm of the film has a fresh twist on the romantic comedy.
In the movie, Mia’s screenplays begin to suffer from her personal problems after breaking up with boyfriend Ethan. They agree to part ways due to differences in priorities.
Mia’s family comes first while Ethan’s world revolves around Mia.
After the breakup, Ethan decides to work and start a new life abroad. Just like his ex-girlfriend, Ethan no longer believes in the concept of “forever,” and so, he chooses to stay far away from home.
Years later, however, Ethan is forced to return to work on a few things.
He crosses paths with Mia. in one “barkada night.” The encounter turns ugly as the ex-lovers blame each other for the failure of their relationship.
In the end, though, Maita admits to not fighting for her love for Ethan. And they end up in bed.
But the question remains: Are they going to give the relationship another chance at forever or should they just leave their love behind?
Other love teams join the film as characters in flashback scenes reenacting Ethan and Mia’s happy moments as a couple.
So far, the teaser and full trailer of the film together have scored almost six million views on social media.
Do you know that some scenes were shot in Taiwan for some authenticity in the film’s geography?
Atty. Joji Alonso, producer, explains the choice of title. “The message of the film is wala naman talagang forever. Forever is how you live each day. When you share it with somebody, the memories will always be there forever. Gaya rin ng istorya sa movies ang Walang Forever. The stories will linger forever.”
Whether or not you believe in forever, you would want to watch Rosales and Mercado as Ethan and Mia on Dec 25 in theaters nationwide. And then decide if there’s forever in love. Well, my parents died married to each other, and if that’s not forever for the them, I don’t know what I’d call it.
