MY FUTURE YOU (2024) Review
Directed by Crisanto Aquino
You know that feeling when you meet someone and you immediately feel that there’s a connection that could go deeper? But what if you’re not on the same timeline with that person? Way to make things more complicated, right?
Crisanto Aquino’s fantasy romance film takes a fresh turn on young love stories. But what makes this film better is that it doesn’t focus more on the romantic side but on the coming-of-age side. We get to understand two young people on different timelines having different struggles but use those struggles to connect to each other more.
The film’s strength is how committed it is in telling the stories of the two main characters. Having met through a dating app or software is an ingenious way of also introducing their characters not only to themselves but also to the audience.
Francine Diaz and Seth Fedelin are perfect for their roles. You see the innocence and at the same time curiosity in their portrayal as Karen and Lex – two imperfect young individuals who just met, instantly clicked and discovered what they want their future to be together.
It’s not the most original story there is. The film works on familiar themes and formulas but it was executed in the sincerest way possible. Sweetness and warmth cover the entirety of the film not just because of the romance angle between the two but also because of each of the characters’ relationship with their families.
It kind of over-explained in the closing part. The magic kind of loses a bit when it reveals some of the film’s mysteries. Some might find issues with the age difference of the two and the idea of what Lex might do with the idea of him and Karen, having Karen being just a child. However, it can be interpreted in many ways since it doesn’t show what happened or what Lex did while waiting for the 21-year-old Karen.
‘My Future You’ works because it does not try too hard, it does not try to be different, it just tells its story truthfully from its characters’ point of view and that’s enough. You get to experience how young love can take you to even the most magical journey without any prejudice, without asking anything in return and without thinking what the future holds.
3.5 OUT OF 5 STARS
‘My Future You’ is an official entry to the 50th Metro Manila Film Festival. Opening in Philippine cinemas on December 25, 2024 from Regal Entertainment, Inc. Rated G by the MTRCB.