In a bus station heading to Baguio, two broken-hearted strangers meet. With a lot of time of spare, Jackie (Shy Carlos) and Kath (Louise delos Reyes) started to open up to each other. What follows are stories of chance encounters and bitter endings. Directed by Digo Ricio and currently available on Netflix. This adaptation from Marcelo Santos' best-selling book is about learning from heartbreaks and moving from it.According to IMDB, "Para sa Broken Hearted" is director Digo Ricio's first movie. But, the film industry has been his playground ever since. He's a Production Designer of various TV shows ("Wild Flower", "Ipaglaban Mo!"), and movies ("Agent X44", "Camp Sawi"). And these experiences didn't go unnoticed in his film. With his keen eye for creativity, the movie comes alive with some outstanding visual artistry.
Like Ricio though, leads Carlos and delos Reyes also have been in the industry for a long time. The two started with small roles in TV shows. They then blossom into compelling actresses through time earning award nominations in the process. In "Para sa Broken Hearted", these two young actresses were able to showcase the improvement of their talents. It's should also be mention that the supporting casts are all impressive. Sam Concepcion and Yassi Pressman are effective as the shy Alex and outgoing Shalee. In a nutshell, this movie has no problem with its casting and acting.
As for the story, "Para sa Broken Hearted" targets that soft spot we have for 'love' and 'relationship. This movie is for the people that are hurting because of either or both. But like a good friend, this movie aims to not baby us with fairy tales and happily ever after. It's here because it wants to slap us with life's many realities and love's many funny schemes. What this movie was able to do is illustrate the universal truth about love. Not everyone wins in love but that is okay. It's okay because for every bad experience there are stories and lessons to share and learn from. Or in the words of Jackie, "May nananalo. May natatalo. Pero lahat natututo.".
"Para sa Broken Hearted" is such an easy film to love, but never complete without its flaws. The movie tried to tell three different stories of heartbreaks but in the end, it all looks the same. It's hard to invest in any of the stories if it feels like it's the same story presented 15 minutes ago. This makes the anthology setup looks like an obstacle rather than an opportunity. To tell the truth, one story is all that it is needed to relay the point of the movie. The rest are dispensable.
I also find a lot of unnecessary visuals swagger in this movie. It's fun to see a talking wall or a game-like visualization of Kath's love story. But this is all clutters as it didn't add anything in the story. The emotions I felt remains the same even after seeing these silly effects.
As much as I want to say that this is a poetic tribute for the broken hearted people, I cannot because that is not what it is. "Para sa Broken Hearted" is a cookie-cutter tragic love story of itself. It has good intention but there is too much happening in it to work. The segment feels like competing with each other and the stories are very generic. But I will not stop you if you want to watch it, because like love; this film might be a win in your taste.
2.5/5
