‘WALANG FOREVER’ is a gem found in a haystack.

It’s not every year that we find a film this good in the history of the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF), especially in recent years and especially in the romantic comedy genre, so it’s only fair to give the film the honor it deserves.

Well-written and perfectly executed, ‘Walang Forever‘ is one of the best romantic comedy (romcom) films Philippine cinema has ever produced, if not the best. In a country where romcoms are often shallow and rely only on the lead stars’ names for likability and box office success, a film as nicely done as ‘Walang Forever‘ is definitely a great improvement, if not a fantastic change. It offers just the right amount of comedy to soften viewers’ hearts and share a few laughs in the first half, then bombards you with heartwarming, solid scenes of persistent love in the second half, and caps it off with beautiful scenes of true, mature love toward the end.

Though the film didn’t veer away from the commercialism MMFF movies are known for (see: ads), ‘Walang Forever‘ did it almost naturally and lightly, and so, forgivably.

The “interview style” used in the film is somewhat overused lately, but we could hardly care, as it threaded the film’s sequences flawlessly from beginning to end.

Maybe it’s just me, but there seems to be a missing scene in how the interview with Phoemela Barranda ended. Nevertheless, the film oozes beauty, love, and everything every romcom should have.

The Leads

Saying it’s Jennylyn Mercado’s best performance so far may be an overstatement, but we believe it is. Not to discount her performance in ‘English Only Please,’ which won her her first MMFF best actress trophy last year, her portrayal in ‘Walang Forever‘ is Mercado’s new best, to say the least. We wouldn’t be surprised if she wins her second MMFF best actress trophy this year.

Mercado isn’t only a well-rounded, beautiful actress with glowing skin; she can easily adapt to a new character from one film to the next, making her one of the finest actresses in the country today. Give her any role and you can sit back and watch her do it perfectly, we suspect. Give her anyone as a leading man, and she’ll easily find their “click.” She looks perfectly right opposite leading man Jericho Rosales here, the same as, if not better than, when she was paired with Mark Herras, Dennis Trillo, or Derek Ramsay in previous films.

For his part, Rosales remains an actor who can pull it off. His past best actor wins speak to his versatility, and his performance in ‘Walang Forever‘ is enough to overcome any comparison with another fine actor, JM De Guzman, who was originally cast in his role. Rosales’ charisma overflows, and he’s as lovable as always, whether as the “playboy” girls hate or a dying, cancer-stricken guy. For this role, Rosales is on his way to winning best actor, with John Lloyd Cruz of the action-drama flick ‘Honor Thy Father‘ as his biggest rival. We’re confident Cruz and the viewing public wouldn’t mind if Rosales bags it this time.

The Director

‘Walang Forever‘ is definitely director Dan Villegas’ best film to date. He mixed humor and drama perfectly. What I like more about this flick is how he used each character to get his message across without in-your-face explanation, a sign of respect for today’s thinking moviegoers. And yes, the ensemble deserves a round of applause.

With this improvement in local romcoms, we can only expect a bigger audience to support the local film industry, that is, if the support given to the highest-grossing film in the Philippines today, ‘A Second Chance,’ featuring John Lloyd Cruz and Bea Alonzo, wasn’t given for the wrong reasons.

Verdict: Highly Recommended
Rating: 9/10 Stars

Note: This review is part of our MMFF 2015 Movie Review project for this blog. We aim to watch all the film entries in this year’s festival, not only to write reviews but also to encourage discussion among our thinking readers. After all, MMFF is definitely here to stay every Holiday season whether we like it or not. Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments.

[READ: 8 Metro Manila Film Festival Competing Films: Trailers, Producers, Actors]