Video credits: Wish 107.5 via YouTube.com
James and I rarely watch movies on the big screen. In fact, we are only able to watch movies whenever James' company provides free tickets to its employees which happens like quarterly and I am able to come along because I am his wife but he buys me ticket instead. That also means we are only able to watch English movies on the cinemas, no local Tagalog movies ever.
However, the new movie by Springs Film, Kita Kita (I see you in English) is something different that I had the urge to really watch it as soon as possible. A lot of wonderful reviews were mentioned online specially on Facebook mostly by my friends who didn't give much spoilers and had me felt very intrigued!
Image credits: pelikulamania.com
Since I am just at home and rarely goes out of the house since my maternity leave, James asked me if I would like to go out on weekends and of course I nodded as I need to also see the world outside our house's four corners! I asked if we could watch this movie and he agreed so last Sunday, that's yesterday, we finally got to watch it.
Movie Main Cast
This movie focuses on two main characters that it shows the two of them 90% of the time like the previous movie That Thing Called Tadhana.
Alessandra de Rossi
Played the role of Lea, the tour guide who worked in Sapporo, Japan. She thought of a happy ending with her five year relationship but it didn't go well. She was diagnosed with Temporary Blindness after learning that her fiance has another girl.
Image credits: www.rappler.com
Alessandra is a good actress and is known to be playing each movie role well enough, this movie included. She is a tall woman that she is much taller than her leading man. I greatly believe that she had a challenging time acting as blind the whole time specially during the funny scenes.
But more importantly, she was really good with drama too that even without saying a word, she was able to deliver the feelings and emotion to the audience, me included.
Empoy Marquez
Empoy played Tonyo, the not-so-attractive leading man in this movie who was also heart broken that he decided traveling to Sapporo where he met Lea after she photobombed a selfie Tonyo took upon arriving to Sapporo.
Image credits: www.starmometer.com
Empoy is a funny guy both in real life and also in this movie, he is a comedian who won a contest in a tv show before. I believe he was the most suitable guy for the role and it would be corny if it was portrayed by a different actor. He also showed that funny is the new handsome in this generation!
I won't forget that scene where Empoy said he was experiencing heartburn and he burped. He combined heartburn and burp to Heartburp! That was hilarious!
The two characters soon were dubbed as "Alempoy" by their fans and had brought both kilig and drama feels to the story.
Summary
Lea, a Filipina tour guide in Sapporo, Japan has been engaged to her Japanese boyfriend for two years now. Their plans of getting married were somehow placed on hold for reasons which are not clear to Lea. She still believes though that their relationship will have a happy ever after too.
Image credits: www.oaff.jp
However, when their anniversary came and Nobu, her boyfriend didn't show and never called her that day, she felt shattered. She went to the places they've been to in Sapporo, rang the happiness bell herself and reminisce the happy moments they had but she was still heart broken. She went home feeling really sad that her fiance didn't remember their anniversary. But happiness filled her heart when she found a bouquet of flowers outside her apartment, she immediately called her fiance and apologized and said they're okay now thanking him of the surprise bouquet.
A few days after, Lea received a note from a random woman stating a meet up at the Beer Garden at eight in the evening. Lea head to the call thinking it is a surprise from Nobu but she was surprised to see her fiance with her friend making up, kissing each other. She then realized the reason why their plans of getting married isn't going to happen anymore.
Shattered heart, a bit drunk and stressed with all the things happening to her, she was walking back home when she is not seeing things clearly, the lights became blurry and not long after, she passed out! She was diagnosed with Temporary blindness which goes for few weeks as per the doctor due to severe stress! Her life has changed, she became grumpy at her situation until one day, Tonyo came into her life.
Image credits: trendingstories.com.ph
Tonyo, another heart broken Filipino who resigned from his work in Tokyo after his girl friend broke up with him. He drank a lot of Sapporo beer that night and decided he will travel to another part of Japan where there isn't anyway he'll remember Tokyo and his girlfriend. He decided going to Sapporo, thanks to his beer companion!
Tonyo is your average Filipino guy, he stands a few feet tall, she has beard and has a funny outward. He looks wasted arriving in Sapporo but realized he should compose himself again after getting fed with cabbage by a random girl who was also advising him to compose himself. He was literally killing himself with Sapporo beer every single night.
Image credits: pinoymovieblogger.blogspot.com
The story showed Tonyo joining Lea every morning, he brings food to her but Lea was grumpy and would not want to talk to him until a time when she finally accepted the beef soup he prepared. They started becoming friends and eventually, Lea had found a confidant, a best friend and had found herself slowly falling in love with Tonyo. They traveled to different areas of Sapporo, different tourist destinations having Lea as Tonyo's tour guide.
Somehow, Lea and Tonyo developed feelings for each other and they got to do things like what people who are in relationship does. Then one night, they were walking at a highway, Tonyo asked Lea to stay at the other end of the road while he gets something at the other side. While waiting, she started seeing lights and blurry things. She somehow regained her eyesight. She heard Tonyo calling her and she finally get to see him for the first time. When Tonyo was about to get to her, a rushing vehicle killed him instantly.
Image credits: Riza Velante - Bue
Lea, still can't imagine that she's broken hearted again. She found the keys of Tonyo's apartment just opposite to her apartment and found a thousand origami. She found Tonyo's letter too where he stated about how he get to know Tonyo and had been there the entire time watching over her because it was Lea who had brought happiness to his life.
According to some Japanese beliefs, when you have a wish, you can create a thousand origami and say that wish after finishing it. Tonyo made a wish that Lea can see the next day. He also stated that he was the drunkard whom she was giving cabbage everyday. That he was the banana man who accompanied her when she was broken hearted and drunk. Tonyo was also the guy who gave her a bouquet of flowers and thought it was from Nobu. He was also the person who gave the note about meeting her at 8pm at Beer Garden where she found out about Nobu's relationship with her friend. All of these revelations were mentioned in the letter as Tonyo was afraid Lea will ignore her once she's able to see, he eventually revealed that he had felt real happiness when with Lea but is unsure that he'll get ditched once Lea sees him. All of this brought Lea sadness and tears.
Video credits: Viva Records via YouTube.com
The movie ended with Lea going back to the places they've been to with Tonyo. Reminiscing the things they did, the dances they've done and the laughter they've shared. She blind folded herself so she could feel Tonyo's presence while the mellow version of the song Two Less Lonely People played on the background.
Movie Review
I thought I could predict the story which is normal for a Filipino movie but I didn't. I thought Tonyo's sick and he will eventually donate his eyes to Lea as soon as he dies but that didn't happen in the story.
Image credits: pelikulamania.com
I like that it was not predictable and that the story was a mix of comedy and drama. Tonyo played by Empoy was just very suitable. He gave justice to the character and it is given that Empoy is a funny guy even before with his previous projects.
Alessandra or Lea was also good with the blind-scenes. I am sure it was hard to keep herself serious when Empoy was around. I felt that during the scene where they were drinking alcohol and had eventually kissed, Alessandra was not very comfortable. But, she delivered it well.
The location was just perfect, a beautiful scenery of Japan, clean and very suiting for the movie story, kudos to the creative team of the movie. The jokes in the movie were also on point that both James and I as well as his brother who came along with us together with his girlfriend were always laughing all along the movie. The story runs between just the two of them and so it felt like the focus was indeed just in the two characters specially in Alessandra's.
Image credits: pelikulamania.com
However, I was left hanging by the ending but also I don't know if there's a better way of ending the story though. It was a funny movie which made us all laughing but it ended up sad! I guess that made the movie a hit to most Filipinos who are into "hugot" lines these days. There were multiple hugot lines in the movie such as:
“May mga bagay na kailangan mong paghirapan bago mo makuha.” – Tonyo
“They say that if you make a thousand paper cranes, your wish will come true.” – Lea
“All the hearts had partners. It is more fun to be alone.” – Lea
“Nang gabing ito, pinagkatiwala ko ang buhay ko sa isang saging.” – Lea
“Eh, ano kung bulag ka, ako naman ang magsisilbing mata mo eh.” – Tonyo
“Mas masakit kung hindi matutupad ang hiling, kaya ‘wag na lang.” – Lea
“Kapag may alak, may balak.” – Lea
“’Di mo naman sya kailangang makita, mararamdaman mo naman eh.” – Tonyo
“Isa. Isang beses lang ako nagmahal. Masama ba magmahal ng isa lang?” – Tonyo
“Noong nakakakita ka, ‘di mo ako nakita. Nang mabulag ka, doon mo lang ako nakita.” – Tonyo
Image credits: wethepvblic.com
I definitely recommend that you watch it if you are a pinoy like me. This movie makes me feel like visiting Sapporo or drinking Sapporo beer at least! Also, I'll never look at mascots the same way ever again!
I am rating it 8 out of 10!
Talking about traveling, I would like to also encourage you to participate in the following Querlo chat about travel:
Best regards,
Jean Beltran-Figues
