There’s something magical about how natural and organic ‘Open Endings’ feels as a film. There’s a rhythm and flow to this slice-of-life story about four queer women who happen to be best friends while having had some romantic or sexual entanglement with each other at one point in their lives. The fact that they all consider themselves exes at some point is the film’s hook, but ‘Open Endings’ goes beyond a simple rom-com movie by also detailing how these four women navigate adulthood and try to reconcile their rather messy feelings without disrupting their friendship and their own sense of safety.

Director Nigel Santos and screenwriter Keavy Eunice Vicente don’t try to make broad, sweeping generalizations about being a queer woman in the Philippines and by doing so, they manage expectations and go beyond it.

The film’s issues involved become relatable and universal in the treatment of these women as individuals rather than some big allegory about the queer woman struggle. By keeping it personal and intimate, the film feels of this world. The characters become familiar and recognizable, and the audience then finds their own insights about the struggles of queer women today. It’s not force-fed and that’s where I found its charm.

The film focuses on four queer women – Hannah (Jasmine Curtis-Smith), Charlie (Janella Salvador), Kit (Klea Pineda), and Mihan (Leanne Mamonong) – who gather every Sunday at Hannah’s house while going through their own issues with adulthood. Hannah is ready to move on after two years of grieving her late lover.

Kit comes off as a player, regularly hooking up with other women, finds herself challenged by a growing tension with the mother of one of her students holds the key to unlocking her own free-spirited nature. Mihan still carries the torch for Hannah, whom she had been with for five years, but has commitment issues. While Charlie begins the story with her newly-formed-relationship having issues with Charlie being friends with her exes.

Santos, Vicente, along with cinematographer Martika Ramirez Escobar and editor Maria Estela Paiso, keep the film from slipping into the realm of melodrama by avoiding the usual pitfalls of unnecessary overdramatic tropes. Paiso’s editing flows smoothly from one character to the next, never lingering or over-staying in a scene so that it doesn’t emphasize the drama but still highlights the character the conflict.

Escobar’s cinematography pushes in, so we see each character reacting, making decisions, taking all of it in and then pulling out to put them in context of time and space. This world – one which I’m not a part of or privy to – becomes so clear and inviting. I don’t have to be a queer woman to enjoy the humor and the pathos that the film portrays. 

And the ensemble carries a natural charm and comfort in their roles, giving the film a grounded edge that makes the film all the more accessible. Salvador and Curtis-Smith are excellent as Charlie and Hannah, with Curtis-Smith doing that difficult task of not making the nurturing and loving Hannah a stereotypical nice girl.

As written, Hannah can be the most boring character of the bunch – a grieving woman who loves and takes care of her friends, sometimes to her own detriment – but Curtis-Smith doesn’t make her a caricature or a saint. It’s well done.

Pineda is a powerful screen presence and manages to go against her gorgeous appearance for some truly funny moments. There’s a silliness that she can tap into that goes contrary to her amazing physicality that creates a nice tension and makes her more interesting to watch.

But while all the performances are great, it is Mamonong who steals the show. She is the most comfortable in her character (despite having the heaviest conflict to portray) and she is the most natural in her delivery of her dialogue and her character’s quirks and eccentricities. It never feels like acting. Mamonong makes Mihan feel like a fully formed person. It’s really a breakthrough performance.

There’s so much heart in ‘Open Endings,’ and the way the whole theater reacted to every story beat shows how the film holds down all the technical flourish to allow the story and the humanity of this film rise. Sometimes, the best craftsman are the ones that hide their skill that you only see the thing. All the elements – cinematography, writing, acting, editing, production design, music – just disappears and blends together that all I see is this lovely story of a messy but loveable group of friends navigating adulthood with all its open endings, as the film’s title suggests.

Open Endings is showing on the big screen. Check cinema showtimes near you and grab your tickets today.

This year, don’t miss Cinemalaya 21: LAYAG sa Alon, Hangin, at Unos happening from October 3-12, 2025! Witness another stellar lineup of stories that will move you and showcase the brilliance of Philippine cinema. Follow the Cultural Center of the Philippines and Cinemalaya for updates.