A bag full of cash, a gun, a seaside resort in Ilocos Norte on the eve of the arrival of Covid-19 in the country, and two desolate characters with nothing to lose set the stage for Irene Emma Villamor’s intimate film ‘Ikaw at Ako at Ang Ending.’ It’s an innovative concept that uses the pandemic as a narrative impetus for people at the end of their rope to finally make a go at living. Mylene (Kim Molina) and Martin (Jerald Napoles) are two characters who are weighed down by their personal history and their unexpected collision during the onset of the pandemic in the country becomes the catalyst that changes the trajectory of their lives in the most unexpected ways.
Director and writer Irene Emma Villamor mines this dramatic situation and all its moving parts for cinematic gold. Against the backdrop of a gorgeous resort by the sea, Molina and Napoles act up a storm as they navigate the dark histories of their characters to find some measure of paradise in their otherwise dark and lonely world.
From the opening, we know that Martin is on the run with a bag full of money and he ends up hiding out at the resort where Mylene works. Through narration, we know that Mylene is out of hope and is happy to just live near the sea. We get a feel for who she is when Mylene, while cleaning a room in the resort, tries on the dress of the guest. She has dreams too but it’s a borrowed one, or maybe even stolen. Fearing getting caught, she quickly takes it off and cleans the toilet; she’s back to her reality.
But when Mylene and Martin meet, it’s fireworks. She’s unafraid of him despite looking like ‘gangster’ and pulling a gun at her while he’s charmed by how she’s so unafraid of him. To her surprise, she feels concerned over his safety and well-being; he’s falling for her courage and bravado.
As news of the COVID virus is spreading in Manila and nearby provinces, the people at the resort start to fear the worst. Guests start to leave. Mylene thinks it’s the end of the world and that’s when she and Martin decide to throw the dice and go for it.
What Villamor delivers is a dark fable: it begins in a harsh reality that turns into an indulgent, erotic fantasy, before it becomes a race against time.
‘Ikaw at Ako at Ang Ending’ is not so much a love story as it is the story of two people making one last go at life. It’s a powerful existential mediation that puts to question what it means to be alive when options are so limited. At some point Mylene and Martin ask separately what life is about and in the 98-minute running time of the film, within all the gray areas of both characters’ life choices, is a little piece of heaven that is beautiful as it is fleeting.
This is a story about redemption and healing and even at its barest — only two characters and the barest of plots — Villamor turns it into a cinematic feast. The gorgeous cinematography of Pao Orendain and the framing of paradise against what could very well be the end of the world to these two people. How Villamor blocks them, utilizing both actors’ amazing range of skills and humanity, even at their overtly sexual moments, creates this space that is teeming with life even if death is just hovering off-screen.
While I’ve seen Jerald Napoles work his wonders on stage and on-screen before, it’s the magnificent Kim Molina who really shines here. She’s been a powerhouse since I first saw her on stage and in Villamor’s ‘Camp Sawi’ but her most recent work has put her in a box, and playing Mylene in this movie really gets to showcase her versatility and strength. It’s a delicate balancing act that she does to bring Mylene to life and it’s riveting to watch.
‘Ikaw at Ako at Ang Ending’ is a movie that should be seen in theaters. I hope when the pandemic is over, Viva will release it again. The way the film turns these two characters’ story into a missive about giving in and giving up; this call to action to resist the darkness and to carve out our own spaces in the darkness — it should be seen in all its glory on the big screen.
My Rating:
Ikaw At Ako at Ang Ending will stream globally this August 13, 2021 on Vivamax, Vivamax Middle East & Europe, KTX.PH, IWantfc, and TFC IPTV.
