Mae Czarina Cruz's Rewind opens with a voice-over informing us about a boy and a girl. She is Mary (Marian Rivera), and he is John (Dingdong Dantes). The voice-over belongs to Mary, who becomes John's spouse. That last choice has significance, which you realize slowly as the movie progresses. When John and Mary become adults, their relationship undergoes some turbulence. He gets busy with his work; she wears the role of a homemaker. John turns into one of those busy husbands who have little to no time for their family members. Mary, meanwhile, keeps thinking about her husband. So you see, by opening Rewind with Mary's voice-over, Cruz accentuates how this wife is stuck on her husband while he has already moved on to professional quarters.
All work and no play has made John a dull boy. He doesn't even kiss her wife goodbye. Notice Mary and John's picture on the latter's office desk. Her face is partially hidden behind a stack of files, visually indicating that John's professional duties have eclipsed his personal life. Mary and Austin (Jordan Lim) want some quality time with John. John chases a promotion. John's boss throws cold water on his ambitions. It's a cycle of displeasure. Everyone is in pain, so God is brought in to cool the situation.
In fact, when Jesus/Lodz/Jess (Pepe Herrera) first appears, the tone lightens up. He is introduced after Mary's death. Lodz makes a deal with John: He allows him to fix his mistakes by turning the clock backward. In return, however, John has to sacrifice someone else. After carefully going over some names in his head, John decides to sacrifice himself. This decision, eventually, is revealed to be a selfish one, and it immediately fills you with hatred towards this character.
Dantes has a boyish face that opens itself up for your loathing as well as affection. Rivera is stuck within a limited range and, as a result, doesn't leave much impression on the audience. She and Dantes (who are husband and wife in real life) have good chemistry, nevertheless. Sue Ramirez, as Vivian, feels far more memorable than Rivera's character. She exudes sexual confidence, which comes with the awareness of one's own beauty, and one's own seductive presence. Even Jordan Lim gives an effective performance. His line, "I don't want to end up like mom," breaks the frame into small pieces.
Cruz converts Joel Mercado and Enrico C. Santos's screenplay into a melodramatic affair. She operates on extreme modes, so scenes are either too cheery, too romantic, or too emotional. This excessiveness wears you down as the movie nears its conclusion. The mushiness of the final scenes could have been toned down. This is a strong material and doesn't require much sentimental treatment. Cruz should have relied on the story and the actors to do all the work instead of indulging in emotional manipulations. Rewind, nonetheless, is quite enjoyable. You are able to sense the filmmaker's pleasure in every frame, every dialogue. Cruz immerses herself into every beat rather than observing the events from a distance. Her enthusiasm carries you along till the end.
Final Score- [7/10]
Reviewed by - Vikas Yadav
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Publisher at Midgard Times