Last Night (2017)

While there are many ways to die, there can be one reason to live.

This movie is not your typical romance drama where you’ll find yourself smiling and go ‘aww’ all the time. It touches on the sensitive topic of suicide with a touch of romance. Even though the theme is pretty dark and sad, this movie finds a way to inject humor here and there while maintaining its relevance and seriousness. The idea of two people who met in an unfortunate circumstance – when both of them tried to commit suicide but later connected and decided to do it together – is executed quite nicely, but with some flaws that detract from the overall impact of the idea. Just when you think the movie is going to follow the romance drama formula for Mark and Carmina, the movie suddenly takes a different turn, making you gasp for a second. The plot twist really gets me. I can’t really say I like it, but I don’t hate it either.

The elegant cinematography and production design are the aspects that I really like about this movie. It gives a dark, old, and vintage ambiance to the movie, which is different from other Filipino romance dramas I've watched.

Character-wise, Toni and Piolo did so well. Toni is always fun to watch. She has a knack for playing characters who are both humorous and poignant. Carmina has a cheerful and lively personality that makes her easy to love. But I wish the character could be developed better.

Though the topics of suicide and mental issues that lead to suicidal thoughts are frequently discussed and read about, there are very few depictions of these subjects on the big screen, which adds an interesting element to the concept. But this movie pretty much romanticizes suicide in its efforts to illustrate a narrative of distraught people on the brink of taking their own lives. All in all, it’s a brave attempt to break free from stereotypes, but the outcome is rather flawed.

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