A Special Memory is about the special love between Sandra (Bela Padilla) and Dindo (Carlo Aquino).
Their love story starts with an embarrassing mistake. While Dindo is quietly enjoying his coffee at a pop-up café, Sandra rashly drinks it thinking it was hers. It’s a small, clumsy moment, but it sets off a chain of chance encounters.
As it turns out, Dindo is a foreman in the construction company owned by Sandra’s father (Joel Torre). When Sandra’s friend (Phoebe Walker) asks her for a recommendation to fix her ancestral house, Dindo is the one recommended by her father. When Sandra’s car randomly breaks down, Dindo is there to help her. And for some reason, they keep bumping into each other at the same pop-up café. Soon enough, Dindo and Sandra realize that their worlds are perhaps never too far apart and when fate keeps finding a way for them to meet, love inevitably blooms between them.
But their relationship is not perfect. Dindo is technically still an employee of Sandra’s father. He’s poor. He also has a mysterious family background that he firmly doesn’t want to talk about with anyone. Sandra, on the other hand, discovers that despite her young age, she is showing signs of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. An illness with no cure.
Sandra is definitely distraught, shaken, and in agony that she may someday forget Dindo. But Dindo’s love for her is bigger than her fear. And upon learning about her diagnosis, he vows to stay by her side regardless, even when her eyes no longer recognize the man standing in front of her.
We can say that A Special Memory is special because it’s directed by veteran director Jerry Lopez Sineneng (Soltera, Labs Kita… Okey Ka Lang?) and written by National Artist Ricky Lee (Himala, Moral). Two respected names in the industry. It also stars Bela Padilla and Carlo Aquino, a reliable and proven pairing from Irene Emma Villamor‘s box office hit, “Meet Me in St. Gallen.” Furthermore, it’s produced by Viva Films, one of the largest film studios in the Philippines.
Basically, it has all the ingredients to succeed: talent, experience, and resources. The marketing team behind this film is probably having a jolly good time marketing it with a nice budget and recognizable names they can put in front, from the writer to the cast.
My prediction, this film will earn a lot of money. Probably a hundred million? After all, the cinema was almost full when I watched it. But is box office return an indicator that this is a good film? Not really. I actually don’t think this film is any good.
My main gripe with it is that it never trusts the audience. It dictates the emotion we should feel. Like, does it really need Dindo to tell us that he’s hurting and yearning? Then every time Sandra starts to forget, there’s an annoying “ting” sound that signals she’s about to feel disoriented. But I get it without any of these cues or voiceovers. It’s all just unnecessary scaffolding in the film.
What’s up with all the slow motion shots as well? At first it feels artistic. But the film uses this technique so often that you will begin to see it as an annoying cheat code to stretch emotionally significant moments for maximum effect.
What’s clear to me is that Jerry Lopez Sineneng and Ricky Lee do not want the film to follow the same storyline beats as the Korean film “A Moment to Remember,” which is also based on the acclaimed 2001 Japanese drama series, “Pure Soul.”
They’re also kind of wary of the comparison it would get. Even though I wanted to see it as something very different from the Korean film, I can’t help but compare it either.
My sentiment on most of the changes is that they feel weaker than the Korean version. The drama is not landing strongly. The romance is also less exciting because it functions through coincidence rather than intention. The class difference is also quickly set aside, which could have been a good base for romance and a good test of character for the two. Then there’s the ending, which feels lacking. Not to spoil anything for you, but the Korean version hits a lot harder.
For what it’s worth, I do believe that the core idea of love as a decision and an act of showing up and of seeing someone even when they can no longer see themselves is there. The story is still sweet and sublime, yet truly heartbreaking.
Ricky Lee’s use of rain as a visual motif throughout Dindo and Sandra’s journey adds a rich, poetic layer underneath the story. While Bela and Carlo are good as actors, you can really tell that they gave their best in this film.
But in the end, it just doesn’t work, not with the way it was all woven together.
1.5/5