"My Only U": A funny, merry take on death and love

I do not watch tagalog movies (Alright, I like and I watch FPJ movies!). But this time, my wife Thelma convinced me to watch this one. Its producers sell it basically as a musical comedy kind of movie and relies heavily on the box-office strong tandem of Toni Gonzaga and Vhong Navarro. Behind the corny jokes and toilet humor, the singing of Toni and the dancing of Vhong, its story line deals, however, with death and love. How a musical comedy gets combined with drama on death and love is truly a tribute to the genius of its director, Cathy Garcia-Molina.

Winona (Toni Gonzaga) is the devoted daughter to her blind father. At age 23, she had already lost her mother and brother and is now expected to die soon when she reaches 24 due apparently to a family curse where the women in her family all the way up to her great, great, grandmother died before they reached age 24. But just the same, Winona does not care. She continues to dream big for her father and works hard to achieve it before death comes. She is prepared to die. In fact, she already has her “damit pamburol” (death wear) ready. Attractive, she refuses to entertain suitors since she is going to die soon anyway, in the same manner that she refuses to see the meaning of Bong’s acts towards her.

Bong (Vhong Navarro) is Winona’s neighbor and landlord who is in love with Winona ever since their childhood. He is afraid to express her love for Winona, although his actions say it all as he tries to do everything to make Winona happy before she dies. He even helps her do her “Bucket List” as he tries to prevent her from going abroad to work.

The story then takes a surprise twist towards the end.

It is a delightful and enjoyable movie if one wants to be entertained. But beneath the comedy, drama, song, and dance, there are hidden nuggets of life’s lessons to be found that the ordinary moviegoer may miss.

On Death. In the movie Winona shows how someone who is dying should prepare for death, that is, to live one’s dying; to continue living as if you do not know that you are to die soon, to continue pursuing your dreams for your loved ones even as you prepare for death.

The movie also acts out the biblical truth that death comes when you least expect it, that it comes “like a thief in the night”. It does not come on the day when you expect it or when you want it to come.

On love. The movie as a whole shows that love is beyond time. It shows especially in a highlight exchange between Winona and Bong towards the end ot the movie, about why someone would want to marry another who is about to die in a month, in a week, or in a day. The answer is love. Because love is beyond a month, a week, or even a day.

Love, finally, is also beyond death. Love transcends death because death has no power over love anymore since Christ resurrected from the dead. As St. Paul says, in the end, “only love remains”.