Movie Review: Mr. and Mrs. Cruz

Image courtesy of Instagram: ryzacenon

Movie Review by Atty. Ferdinand Topacio

MR. AND MRS. CRUZ (2018, Viva Films)

Ryza Cenon, JC Santos, Yayo Aguila, Dennis Padilla, Dido Dela Paz, Lui Manansala, Bong Cabrera, Sophie Rankin

Screenplay and Direction: Sigrid Andrea Bernardo

A MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN

At first blush, “Mr. and Mrs. Cruz” may be dismissed as just one more entry in the newly-emergent (at least for the Philippines) “narrative dialogue” movie genre, perhaps so far best exemplified by last year’s “Kita Kita” and 2014’s “A Thing Called Tadhana”, both sleeper hits. Yet, MAMC makes a spirited attempt to punch beyond its weight class, and clearly succeeds, putting it a notch or two above the previous examples.

The credit must go in large part to the charisma of the two leads: Ryza Cenon acts very impressively, simply because she does not try to impress. Exhibiting admirable restraint and economy of movement and mannerism, she pulls us into her character – that of Gela, a conflicted yet vulnerable woman -- and makes us believe that we are seeing a real human being, not an actress. Stage veteran JC Santos is richly nuanced and totally real as Raffy, a jilted groom. Both explore the texture of their characters as two lost persons finding themselves by losing themselves in scenic Palawan Province.

A “caveat”: those who think that Palawan gave the actors a legitimate excuse to bare flesh would be gravely disappointed. There is no gratuitous nudity here. The sole love scene is, in fact, so tame, it barely qualifies as a love scene at all. Santos, while buff and ruggedly handsome, does not possess a Greek god type of body so fashionable among young male stars; his is a normal healthy physique that adds realism to his role. This does not, however, detract from his star quality; in fact, as I told my friend after the movie, nakakabakla. Cenon, achingly pretty, relies not on bodily exposure but on her sheer sex appeal to generate an increasing sexual tension with Santos that permeates most of the movie.

But wait, there’s more! Aside from their inherent charisma, the two protagonists play off each other with a chemistry that is nothing short of scintillating. Discomfortedly sizing each other out at first, the two in time mesh into an interaction that is totally believable because genuinely they look like they are slowly beginning to like each other as the movie progresses. This gradual enmeshing is graphically symbolized by their steady but measured physical proximity: positioned at opposite ends of the screen at the start, they gradually move closer to each other until their ultimate intimacy is capped by a literal and figurative joining of the two single beds in the room that they both accidentally share. A touch of inspired genius by the director!

The plot is nothing new: two people seeking solace separately in the same place find themselves thrown together by force of circumstances. She had just left her partner after several years of cohabitation; he was the victim of a bride who had cold feet and stood him up at their wedding. Misery loves company and all that. It was quite easy for the writer to lapse into the tried, tired and tested tropes of the usual Filipino rom-com. The audience was glad that he did not. In fact, the perceptive moviegoer will realize that there were many instances where the writer pointedly thumbed his nose at film clichés.

The dialogue was wise and witty, delightful and charming. Full of puns and play, redolent with allusions to pop culture and literature, it ran the gamut from the sublime to the ridiculous. Yet, for a movie where the story was sustained almost solely by dialogue, there were few flat moments. And then again, those were easy to gloss over due to the charm of the leads. Verily, MAMC has one of the most intelligent lines I have ever heard in a local movie in a long time. And while the ending is atypical of Filipino movies, the script purposely left a subtle glimmer of hope for the protagonists, something for the viewer to ruminate and perhaps, speculate on. A sequel or two perhaps, ala the “Before Trilogy” (Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, Before Midnight)?

Palawan Province, the film’s setting, is the third character in this film. In this, a comparison to “Siargao” cannot be avoided: that film failed notwithstanding the beauty of its location, because it placed location first, and narrative second; it looked more like a travelogue than a drama. In contrast, in this movie, Palawan was, in the eyes of the movie’s lensman, a breathing, living thing, providing not only backdrop (as is typical in most films), but also symbolism, atmosphere, and the occasional emotional underscoring, enhancing the action and dialogue, and not merely giving the actors a stage on which to act. Kudos to the director for another stroke of brilliance.

If there are two actors who should be given more breaks in the future, it should be Cenon and Santos. Simply put, these two show a refreshing and novel take on young adult roles that are heads and shoulders above the SOS (Same Old S**t) we get with the old reliables. After the movie ends, one actually wishes that those two would meet again and actually get married, and raise the perfect family; a marriage made in heaven.