When Lola Olive (Gina Pareño) got confined in a hospital in Baguio, the autistic Jasmine (Geronimo) was forced to live with her sisters, Dahlia (Ara Mina) and Violet (Meg Imperial). One day, Jasmine meets a stray dog and name it Happy (Milo) after her Lola Olive's previous dog. Convince that Happy will be able to save Lola Olive from tuberculosis just like in the stories she tells her, Jasmine travels back to Baguio relying only on the kindness of people she meets to help her get through.
At first, it raises a question if this film knows how to handle itself seriously as it keeps on inserting humor in each attempt to portray reality. But eventually, the movie makes us understand that it is meant to be a little absurd and funny in that way because the world we are navigating belongs to Jasmine and not the polluted world we know and see. This world belongs to the girl who believes that kindness is inherently in us and we should see the world with compassion rather than hate and indifference.
What is clear about "Unforgettable" is it's a movie about kindness and not about Jasmine's condition. In fact, her condition was not even explained in detail in the story. That decision to not linger in her condition is interesting because it's as if saying that kindness is universal and whether you are special or not you can help people and show compassion to another. But it also defeats the purpose of making Sarah's character autistic. Is the purpose of autism in the movie to inform or to only solicit sympathy for the story? What is the movie teaching me about autism? That's the unforgettable questions that "Unforgettable" leaves me.
.Sarah Geronimo really shines as the socially awkward Jasmine in this movie. She poured her heart out for every scene and truly shine as an artist here. The same goes for the great Gina Pareño and the dog, Milo, who all dishes out dedicated and excellent performances complimenting Geronimo's.
It's a breath of fresh air to see a movie like "Unforgettable" amidst all the politically charged dramas in streaming services and cinemas. There is always a place for heartwarming movies like this and even though this movie, as a whole, is ironically far from unforgettable, it is a good one-time watch.
2/5
