LSS or Last Song Syndrome is one of the entries in this year's Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino. Starring Khalil Ramos and Gabbi Garcia, and the musical band Ben & Ben in a supporting role. It explores the hardships faced by the two main characters, Khalil as Zack, always the best friend of Cha but never the apple of her eye, and that of Sarah, a struggling musician patiently waiting for her big break. One is afraid of rejection, the other failure. Their paths intertwined with the love for music, in particular the band Ben & Ben as their major common denominator.
Let me just get these minor criticisms out of the way because it will all be praises thereafter. There are some scenes that are cringe-y, not because it was badly written but it didn't feel organic. Notably the intro and later when the lead characters talk about their favorite musicians. The glee-ish scenes may take some time to get used to but it fits well in the narrative. Khalil ang Gabbi have chemistry (they should, being a real-life couple) but I wasn't exactly rooting for them to end up together.
Now the good parts. There were a lot of scenes and conversations that tugs at your heart and stick with you until after the movie. My favorite is when their worlds were starting to fall apart and the scene was very noisy and chaotic and in the end they find each other, comfort in the strangeness of the situation. Another is when Sarah is forced to face that maybe being a musician isn't what she's supposed to be since this is what the universe keeps telling her. Tuesday Vargas's Best Supporting Actress award is well-deserved, I enjoyed her take on being the cool mom. The story was well-written, it flowed naturally and nothing seemed force. I also loved how they showcased Quezon (as opposed to everyone else going international) and I'm assuming it was in Lucena (since Ben & Ben has a song with the same title?) Everyone can carry a tune, the music of Ben & Ben was perfect for the movie and I'm sure it would've added to my enjoyment if I was able to tell who the musician they were showing to me.
So if you want a feel-good musical movie along the lines of Begin Again and Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, then this will do it for you. Now excuse me while I LSS to Ride Home one more time...
