James Reid (left) and Nadine Lustre in “Never Not Love You”
If you go by how well James Reid and Nadine Lustre acquit themselves in Antoinette Jadaone’s exquisitely helmed romantic drama “Never Not Love You,” you’d think that the embattled duo is merely getting a bum rap for the unsavory things you hear about them through the “social media” grapevine.
In fact, it is Jadaone’s insightful use of “JaDine’s” perceived you-and-me-against-the-world defiance that gives the film its extra zing and sizzle, and makes its relatable conflict and complications fester and fulminate with grating pertinence.
It is also what makes “Never Not Love You” one of the best and most realistic films of its kind—a romantic drama that effectively eschews mainstream cinema’s formulaic “pa-kwela” for believability and potent appeal as it dares to inform the peanut gallery about what happens in the aftermath of a couple’s Happily Ever After. After all, life is no fairy tale, and not every compatible couple gets to ride happily into the sunset.
In the case of graphic designer Gio Smith (James) and ambitious career woman Joanne Candelaria (Nadine), opposites initially attract when Gio’s aimlessness intrigues and fascinates Joanne. She is one of many women who thinks she can tame bad boys and turns them into acquiescent lovers—but, at what price?
When the latter prioritizes her boyfriend’s London-bound career and gives up her own, the sparks begin to fizzle out as tedium, self-pity and the demeaning repercussions of her sacrifice set in. Gio and Joanne’s shared story shows romance in its more realistic form when “kilig” begins to dissipate.
The issues the screen drama tackles are all too real and relatable for Pinoys to mull over—sustaining long-distance relationships in the face of the Filipino diaspora, sacrificing one’s dream in favor of a loved one’s ambition, the downbeat realities of migration, etc.
Jadaone insightfully utilizes potentially distracting elements to make the story appealingly and compellingly tighter, intimate and more natural—from the deglamorized and tattoo-clad James’ accented Tagalog (which sounds like a character affectation more than a dialogue-delivery impediment), to Nadine’s warmth-beneath-the-stubborn-exterior countenance.
The movie’s narrative progression flows without the requisite fan-pandering gimmicks, and shows the “maturing” tandem of Nadine and James in a flattering light, by way of scenes that pack a mighty emotional wallop.
In the best performances of their careers, the actress and her swoon-worthy beau make their complementary skills work for them. There aren’t decibel-breaching excesses that lead to vein-popping dramatic caterwauling, but every tear spilled is earned with believable and empathetic gusto.
But something has to be said about the coherent execution and clarity of Joanne’s evolution. Nadine deserves to be singled out for her self-assured handling of her character’s journey as she delivers a subtly limned but consistently focused portrayal, and with hardly any false notes.
You know how Joanne’s difficult decision could potentially cause calamitous discord and drive a wedge between her and the man she professes to love with all her heart but, at the same time, you completely empathize with her when her subservience to Gio takes a 180-degree turn.
What about James? He’s just as proficient, but while he does exceedingly well in his Manila scenes, his London sequences are a bit of a stretch. You don’t get the feeling that Gio is as good as his British peers say he is.
Meanwhile, while there may be method to JaDine’s maddening “truculence,” the unaddressed perception of negativity could still prove deleterious and catastrophic for Viva’s continually evolving love team.
For now, though, James and Nadine’s quiet confidence and synchronized portrayals in “Never Not Love You” manage to see them through, and allow them to go the extra thespic mile. Moreover, those positive attributes demonstrate how well a time-honed teenybopper tandem could evolve into a more mature partnership.