That Thing Called Tadhana

While Love is unconditional, constant, and unchanging, the WAY we love is always different. People should hopefully take comfort in the fact that that makes, not only way you love someoone unique, but YOU unique as well.

Unfortunately, people tend to also forget that many relationships are finite. It's been said, "It is interesting to note that people can easily recognize when a relationship begins, but are unable or unwilling to recognize when a relationship ends."

Mace is a broken-hearted young woman coming off an 8-year relationship with her boyfriend who is living in Rome. Angelica Panganiban plays the role so realistically, you can feel her anger, frustration, and sense of loss. I would wager than anyone, who has ever been where she is, has felt exactly how she feels.

Anthony is a young man also returning home from Rome, and he sees Mace struggling to lighten her suitcase in order to meet the weight criteria. He decides to help her. He's also there through her rants and outbursts, but somehow, we get the sense that he understands her plight.

This is a film that reminded me a lot of "Before Sunrise," a brilliant movie where two people walk around Vienna getting to know each other. However, in this case, it's about two people spending time together, helping each other to heal. While Mace's hurts are recent, we discover that Anthony is also carrying some old hurts and regrets as well, but he's able to find ways to help Mace.

Angelica Panganiban and JM De Guzman are simply brilliant, and more importantly, real. They know their characters inside and out, and they are also very relatable. They could easily be anyone who has been where they are, and because the story is told in such a realistic tone, it works tremendously well.

Perhaps Mace will realize that making someone else the center of your life is always a disaster waiting to happen. Unless you love yourself first, you cannot give what you do not have. Relationships are never about finding someone to complete you. They are always about sharing your completeness with someone else. That is the secret!.

In any case, you learn from past relationships to find what you want in future relationships. And hopefully, when a relationship ends, you are grateful to that person for the time spent and wish them all the best as they continue their own journey.

This is one of those films that I watched without seeing the trailer or having any idea about what the film is about and had no expectations. The film only relied on its two lead actors without any other famous supporting casts, extras, special effects and musical background which made it so raw yet so good at the same time. It makes you go in a journey together with the characters that it makes you feel attached to them. You get to feel how they feel and you start to root for them to get together in the end. It had a really good story-telling and used breath-taking locations that makes you immerse in the story. Splendid acting from both Angelica and JM.

One's first impression for That Thing Called Tadhana is it's a local rom-com with the style of Before Sunrise, since it's a long walk of conversations. The film is mainly about a girl who meets someone who she can express her emotional pain from a recent heartbreak. The entire movie is basically as simple as that, it somehow abandons the clichés of where a long conversations like this usually lead to and instead just be an example of what we love about human interaction. It can be blissful and bitter, but what's important here is to let these two naturally grow their relationship. The beauty here is it never compromises with demanded formula and just lets itself be honest about their fate.

This is basically a change of pace of the two, taking a break from their ordinary lives and finding a way to let go of the worst of their past by just talking out their backstories, drama and interests. It doesn't matter if they ever end up together, those discussions aren't only sweet talk or anything that would necessarily lead to romance, they are simply just honest conversations that share each other's cynicism, joys and mistakes until one gets relived from her bad memories. But out of this adventurous bond, you can really see how these two develop genuinely, feeling that they are really moving on in a new phase of their lives.

And around those meaty interaction, there's a total appeal in their road trip. From the city of Baguio to the mountain top of Sagada, the way they shoot these places just adds more things to love in these moments that already owns a rich personality. The lead couple can be quite charming, even with the amount of criticism and bitterness in their heads, they're basically just being relatable. Angelica Panganiban is the soul here, she carries the energy and the heart of these conversations, and that is absolutely what this character is meant to be. While JM De Guzman makes a good pair for not always taking the pain of his partner seriously until it becomes a big deal for the both of them.

That Thing Called Tadhana immediately triumphs in its honesty to its storytelling and opinions towards love, letting go and other stuff. The narrative doesn't need anything more than settling with these two characters trying to find a light after a disappointing and hurtful past. It's sometimes enough for just finding someone to tag along and run away to an unexpected vacation, despite of involving some awkward situations. Even in these simplest moments, it brings a satisfying solution from such emotional burden. That Thing Called Tadhana speaks more from the soul of a relationship because that is what makes it truly special.

Even though i don't know Filipino but watch it nevertheless. Feel like crying and laughing at the same times. Can really to both the actor. Superb acting and very real.totally recommend to everyone esp with the one with broken hearts.What a movie, movie like this come once in a decade. You can relate to both the character. Having been brought in a lots of over the top acting and unrealistic story lines from Bollywood it is a nice change for a while. I hope bollywood will not copy and spoil it . great location esp in the interior of Philippine. I am now a fan of Filipinos movies after this and metro manila. I really like the scene at the villages when the hero hesitate for a while.

I am not a typical fan of the Filipino romantic-comedy genre, but this film is definitely one of my favorites under this class. "That Thing Called Tadhana" has a brilliantly crafted story-line, yet modestly simple. The plot literally comprehends only two subjects who are the protagonist couple. The love story is basically a strangers-into-lovers development. One of the noticeable innovations in this films is the lessened use of background music in every scene. Background soundtracks or music are generally mood setters for a particular scene. The scenes in this movie did not make use of such accessories. It primarily relied its witty dialogue, impressive acting of the actor and actress (especially Angelica Panganiban) and beautiful cinematography. Moreover, the symbolisms or analogies used in the movie significantly and perfectly reflected the plot of the story. A manifestation of intelligent writing. "That Thing Called Tadhana" is a standout among Filipino romantic-comedies!