CANDE (2025) Review
Directed by Kevin Pison Piamonte
It feels like a vivid memory of a summer during your childhood. Cande is a bittersweet tale of a friendship between two boys from different walks of life.
The film reminds me of Maryo J. delos Reyes’ masterpiece, ‘Magnifico,’ which explores how a person can change and be changed by the people they meet. But writer and director Kevin Piamonte has his own take, and it feels personal. From the point of view of someone who looks back on his past, the film creates a nostalgic feeling, which adds more identity to the film.
The stars of the film aren’t the biggest celebrities in it. While JC Santos and Sunshine Teodoro may have been the face of the film, the heart goes to its child actors – Gian Pomperada, Jan Junash Delima and Julian Paul Larroder. Their innocence and raw acting add charm to the film. Their friendship is the story and the amount of care I, as an audience, grow as the story progresses.
It’s an ensemble film with many heartwarming and heartbreaking moments. Sunshine Teodoro, as a mother figure of the film, feels familiar; the warmth she gives to the kids transcends the screen. And JC Santos makes the film whole, adding another layer to its story’s emotional impact.
There’s an aftereffect of watching the film. Looking back at those we met when we were young, to those who helped us become who we are today, Cande is that special little film that doesn’t need theatrics and big confrontation scenes to make its story felt. Its bigness lies in presenting the beautiful and deep connections of the characters using culture, culinary and an era when cellphones hadn’t been invented yet as a backdrop. The film takes us back when everything was simple, when all we worried about were the games we wanted to play during our free time, the friends we wanted to play with and the food we would eat. But then, it would also take us to how we process tragedy as kids and how we carry those tragedies as we grow older.
4 OUT OF 5 STARS
‘Cande’ is an official entry to the Sinag Maynila Independent Film Festival. Showing September 24-30, 2025 at Gateway, Robinsons Manila, Robinsons Antipolo, SM Mall of Asia, SM Fairview, Trinoma and Market Market.