Lessons in love, death & living

By God’s ultimate grace and mercy, there had been no death within my immediate family (knock on wood!) and hopefully it stays that way. I therefore have no idea how it is to lose a loved one and am not sure how I will deal with it (and certainly am not looking forward to such experience).

However, I do sympathize with Kris Aquino and family at the moment and I am aware of their grief. In fact, practically the whole world grieves with them for the loss of their mother and our beloved former President Corazon Aquino. I also understand why she had been making a pitch for And I Love You So in her talk shows and why she shed so much tears over this movie. No, she has been helping sell the movie not necessarily because it is produced by Star Cinema, the sister company of her television network ABS-CBN. She had been pushing it because it is a movie she could relate to — she and many, many others who are still grieving over the death of a loved one.

Directed by Laurenti Dyogi, And I Love You So casts Bea Alonzo as bride of five months who loses her ideal husband (Derek Ramsay) to a sudden attack of aneurysm. All by herself all of a sudden, she feels the weight of the whole world collapsing on her and is continually depressed. Although she looks strange and weird, she talks to her dead husband — and he talks back (think P.S. I Love You and Ghost) and it is only the moviegoers who see this (the other characters in the movie think she already lost it and has snapped).

Much as she’d want to wallow in her grief, she has to get back to the real world because she has a lot of responsibilities in this life. To begin with, she has to continue operating the school put up for her by her late husband and she needs to raise money for its monthly rent.

Enter Sam Milby, tenant of the condominium unit she used to occupy with her husband. Along the way, they get to know each other and Sam helps her recover, but she is stubborn and refuses to let go and proceed to the next level where she can hope for a happier life.

It is at this point that the movie bogs down a bit because we can only take so much of Bea moping and feeling sorry for herself. In some scenes, you may be tempted to yell at her and tell her to move it and move on. Well, this is how a person who hasn’t experienced death in the family probably would react. But for those who have been through such agony, they’d be able to relate to the character being portrayed by Bea.

But regardless of whatever situation we are at the moment, I believe we should just be sympathetic because whether we like it or not, we will have to go through the experience sooner or later — and that is inevitable.

Sam’s character is more enjoyable to watch because even if he, too, has his own share of angst, he is basically cool with the way he carries his problems. Sam is actually separated (to Maricar Reyes) and the manner in which their marriage crumbled is just as painful as death. Apparently, he is stronger and he coaxes Bea to live life again.

Even if And I Love You So is basically about coping with the loss of a loved one, it is not exactly a depressing movie. Laurenti Dyogi’s direction makes sure the moviegoer goes out of the theater entertained after watching this film. Maybe it also helps that the movie has a lively re-arranged theme song (originally performed by Don MacLean) and that keeps the mood of the film moving.

The performances of the actors also help. Of course, Bea has given better performances in her films with John Lloyd (also with Dyogi directing), but we have to understand her role in And I Love You So is not lightweight. It requires a lot of emotions and in due fairness to her, she delivers in most parts.

On the part of Sam, I’ve always found him to be a good performer — this in spite of his difficulty with Tagalog. In this film, he turns in another fine performance. He doesn’t go overboard with his emotions and is consistently remarkable with his acting job.

As for the onscreen chemistry between Sam and Bea, there are sparks between them and they make a good team. The fact that they register well together makes the film more entertaining.

But more than star value, And I Love You So offers a lot of lessons in love, death and living.