Verdict: Essential Viewing
Pinoy Rebyu Score: 4.63 (15 ratings)
Genre: Drama
Writer/Director: Jerrold Tarog
Cast: Paulo Avelino, Lovi Poe, Benjamin Alves, Ria Garcia, TJ Trinidad
Synopsis: Andrea (Lovi Poe) is to be married to former politician Robert (TJ Trinidad). The couple, along with friends and family, assembles at a hotel to do just that. But the arrival of videographer Dennis (Paulo Avelino) complicates matters. While ostensibly just asking harmless questions for the wedding video, Dennis has a hidden agenda that’s linked to Andrea’s past. And as the questions get more probing, and the day gets more hectic, it becomes unclear if Andrea is actually willing to go through with any of this. (Click the City)
MTRCB Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 100 mins.
Trailer:
Reviews:
5.0 Jessica Zafra (InterAksyon)
“When the filmmaker’s craft is solid, when the director’s vision is clear, when all elements are united for a single purpose, a movie can destroy you.” (Read full review)
5.0 Philbert Dy (Click the City)
“Sana Dati works with the beauty of the everyday. It eschews the dramatic clichés of cinema and delivers something more remarkable. Our cinema certainly doesn’t lack for romantic stories. Some of them are even pretty good. But few approach the depth of emotion that Sana Dati achieves.” (Read full review)
5.0 Dexter Rodrigo Matilla (The Philippine Star)
“Every once in a while there comes a Filipino film that is as close to perfection as it could get—from the cinematography, the actors, the acting, and most importantly, the story. Sana Dati is such a film.” (Read full review)
5.0 Banana Chews
“Nothing prepares one for the exhilarating jolt of the ending: it is unexpected (we wrongly braced ourselves for sad, not happy, tears), inevitable (how else could this film end) and what else but beautiful.” (Read full review)
5.0 Wanggo Gallaga (Juice)
“Sana Dati is a magnificent showcase of Lovi Poe’s extraordinary gift of drawing you in and holding your interest long enough to figure out all the pieces to a complex and layered puzzle that is her life.” (Read full review)
5.0 Manuel Pangaruy (Tagailog Special Presents)
“Sa dulo, ibinasura ng storyteller ang argumento at naglatag ng iba pa, na ang puso ay kailanman hindi natatalo ng utak, na ang kasal ay wala lang at kailanman hindi naging starting point o finish line sa formula ng pag-ibig at ang regular heartbeat ay kasing fluid ng buhay.” (Read full review)
5.0 Nicol Latayan (Tit for Tat)
“Aside from the strong writing and directing, the film benefits from having a great ensemble of actors. Lovi Poe is definitely one of the best actresses of her generation and this is just another addition to her list of memorable performances.” (Read full review)
5.0 Irvin Malcolm Contreras (A Girl and a Gun)
“It may sound like a tried, cliched story but the film does a fantastic job of subverting your expectations while also delivering a beautiful, emotional, heartbreaking love story. It manages to surprise without feeling like it cheats. It manages to be emotional without being overly manipulative or melodramatic.” (Read capsule review)
4.5 Laurel Fantauzzo (GMA News)
“Sana Dati is an artfully rendered, emotionally honest examination of characters caught in a confusing flux of love, obligation, and longing. Its humor, affection, and grief collapse into a series of indelible moments, and it earns the surprise of its ending.” (Read full review)
4.5 Simone Sales (Katipunan)
“Lovi Poe’s Andrea does not disappoint, taking the “rich girl with issues” trope and making it more real and reachable.” (Read full review)
4.5 Emil Nor Urao (E-Reviews)
“I was floored by its cinematography. Crystal clear at nakakabighani yung pagpapalit ng focus ng kamera. Magaganda rin ang mga setting mula sa Alaminos hanggang sa bahay nila Enteng Kabisote. Winner ‘to in terms of technicality and screenplay.” (Read full review)
4.0 Derek Elley (Film Business Asia)
“It’s a tribute to the film, and the involving performances, that none of this seems tricky for its own sake: there’s a natural flow to the emotions revealed, and even the ending, which doesn’t take the expected course, seems right, in a realistic, practical way.” (Read full review)
4.0 Fred Hawson (ABS-CBN News)
“Director Jerrold Tarog tells his story not so much in flashy action, but more in sensitive conversations among the characters. It is visually dazzling, intellectually stimulating, and emotionally connecting.” (Read full review)
4.0 Jennifer Dugena (PEP)
“Sana Dati is a visually stunning romance drama with hints of light humor. Its expertly photographed scenes evoke emotion and convey information at an unhurried pace.” (Read full review)
4.0 Skilty Labastilla (Young Critics Circle)
“This, more than his previous films, reveals Tarog as a romantic filmmaker who Sana Dati has the skill set needed to translate those palpable, tender emotions we feel in loving and learning to let go onto the screen without resorting to the easier (and lazier) path of maudlin the way most mainstream love stories do.” (Read full review)
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