MINAMAHAL: 100 BULAKLAK PARA KAY LUNA (2025) Review
Directed by Jason Paul Laxamana
I can’t remember the last Filipino romantic comedy movie that made me giddy this much. Jason Paul Laxamana’s latest film, ‘Minamahal: 100 Bulaklak Para Kay Luna,’ may feel like a fan service film, but as the story progresses, it represents how to be young and in love. The naiveness, recklessness, the cringey parts of pursuing your special someone with romantic gestures and of course, the misunderstandings that sometimes lead to fights.
What I like about the film is that it isn’t trying to be something different. Its goal is to make the audience feel what young love is and how young love was for adults like me. I’m guilty of being drawn to Luna and Raffy’s love story. You know when an action is cringey but you give in to it either way because these feelings are familiar. The kilig takes you back to when you’re seeing your crush that eventually turns into love.
Ashtine Olviga and Andres Muhlach or AshDres, as their fans call them, did not disappoint in delivering what’s needed from their characters. This may be the first film of Andres but his screen presence is immense. Whenever his character is organized and his face is framed, I always blurt out how handsome he is. But proving he is more than just a pretty face, Andres’ charm and adequate performance is more than enough for him to shine as Raffy. While this isn’t Ashtine’s first film, she showed how she should have been offered a lead role before this. She portrayed Raffy with angst, grit and drive perfectly.
Although I do admit that I enjoyed the film thoroughly, I also admit that if feels as though there are missing pieces that could have been shown to fully understand their relationship or how they “fell in love.” The film tackles a lot, actually. From their first interaction in junior high school until their college years, even their familial dramas were presented in the film. Yes, most of these were needed to expound their characters, to explain their actions are in the film, but sometimes it overexplains things and gets a bit tedious.
It’s a solid romantic comedy that offers not just kilig but also a reminder of how we sometimes need to take a step back in relationships for it to work because it is a two-way thing. ‘Minamahal’ will take us to a roller coaster ride of emotions that are familiar and deeply relatable, reminding us of the joys, pains, and complexities of love.
4 OUT OF 5 STARS
‘Minamahal: 100 Bulaklak Para Kay Luna’ is now showing in cinemas nationwide from Viva Films and Ninuno Media. Rated PG by the MTRCB.