Rewind (2023 Film)

''Rewind'' is a 2023 Philippine science fiction romantic drama film directed by Mae Cruz-Alviar from a story and screenplay written by Enrico C. Santos, with Joel Mercado co-written the former. It stars Dingdong Dantes as a man who is given a chance to travel back in time to save his wife (played by Dantes' real-life wife Marian Rivera) from an accident and fix their deteriorating relationship. The supporting cast includes Coney Reyes, Ariel Ureta, Pepe Herrera, Joross Gamboa, and Ina Feleo. It was produced by three film companies: Star Cinema, Agosto Dos Media, and APT Entertainment.

''Rewind'' premiered on December 25, 2023 at the 49th Metro Manila Film Festival to a generally positive critical reception. With a total gross of , it became the highest-grossing film in the history of the festival, the highest-grossing Philippine film of 2023 and the highest-grossing Philippine film of all time until it was surpassed by ''Hello, Love, Again'' in 2024.

Plot

John, a diligent but emotionally distant office worker, resigns after his boss, Hermie, promotes Vivian over him. Vivian then visits John at his office and they share a kiss. The following day, John and his wife, Mary, argue about his resignation and his infidelity with Vivian, which Mary discovered via a video recorded by John's colleague, Hannah. Distracted, John crashes their car, tragically killing Mary at 3:00 PM.

Days after Mary's death, a drunken John encounters Jess, an electrician nicknamed "Lods" who strikingly resembles Jesus Christ. John discovers Mary had hired Jess for his surprise birthday party. Over drinks, Jess, or “Lods,” offers John a chance to travel back in time to save Mary and rectify his past mistakes, with the condition that someone must die that day. John agrees, offering his own life.

Transported back to Hermie's birthday party (the day he was passed over for promotion), John makes different choices. He calmly accepts being sidelined, rebuffs Vivian's advances, and prevents Hannah from recording any compromising interactions. He then reconciles with his estranged father and gives his son, Austin, his blessing to pursue a career as a pianist, encouraging him to take Mary out on a date.

The next morning, John discovers Mary's plans to enroll in culinary school in Singapore, taking Austin, who was accepted into a music academy there, with her. Mary asserts her desire to pursue her own dreams, leaving John feeling that his sacrifices have been in vain. He confronts Lods, who is setting up lights in the yard. Lods chastises John's selfishness and offers to reverse time, allowing Mary to die as initially fated, but John refuses.

Later, on their way to Austin's play, John gives Mary his heartfelt blessing to pursue her dreams with their son in Singapore. At the critical moment of the accident, John deftly avoids the collision with the tree, saving Mary's life.

While watching Austin's play, John spots Lods in the audience, a chilling reminder that it's almost 3:00 PM, the moment Mary was meant to die. Outside in the hallway, John pleads for his life, but ultimately accepts his fate after Lods assures him his death will inspire Mary to become a successful restaurateur and Austin a renowned pianist who dedicates his performances to his father's memory. Lods grants him a final wish: to see the end of his son's play.

Back in the auditorium, John watches as Austin dedicates his performance to his parents. John moves to embrace him, but Austin walks past him, rushing into the hall. Following, John finds Austin and Mary hovering over his collapsed body, and a dawning, somber realization washes over him: he is already dead. He then steps into a bright, inviting light, signaling his journey to the afterlife.

At John's wake, Mary delivers a heartfelt eulogy as Austin plays the piano, honoring his father's final wishes. Years later, both Mary and Austin thrive in their successful careers. After bidding farewell to Austin, now with a family of his own, an elderly Mary shares a poignant dance with John's spirit, a testament to enduring love and the profound impact of his sacrifice.

Cast

* Dingdong Dantes as John Nuñez, Mary’s husband, who shifted his priorities from being a family man to a workaholic man aspiring for promotion.
**Jeremiah Cruz as Young John
* Marian Rivera as Mary Nuñez, John’s wife, who had to give up her promising career as a chef in order to become a full-time housewife.
**Enicka Xaria Orbe as Young Mary
* Jordan Lim as Austin Nuñez, Mary and John’s son who has a passion for playing the piano.
** Alonzo Muhlach as child Austin
** JC Alcantara plays as the adult version of Austin Nuñez.
* Pepe Herrera as Lods, who turns out to be Jesus who poses as Jess, an electrician hired by Mary, and who gave John a chance to go back in time, albeit with a caveat.
* Coney Reyes as Leonora, Mary’s mother.
* Ariel Ureta as Hermie, John and Mary's godfather at their wedding, who is also the company president where John works.
* Lito Pimentel as Nestor, John's estranged father.
* Ina Feleo as Aurora, one of Mary's close friends.
* Joross Gamboa as Lucio, one of John's subordinates.
* Sue Ramirez as Vivian Pastrana, John's younger colleague, who is attracted to him.
* Pamu Pamorada as Hannah, John's assistant.
* Shanaia Gomez as Austin's future wife.
* Mary Joy Apostol as Ningning, John and Mary's maid.
* Via Antonio as Bridgette, one of Mary's close friends.
* Chamyto Aguedan as Dennis, one of Mary's close friends.

Production

On June 21, 2023, Star Cinema announced through a media press conference that the film ''Rewind'', written by Enrico Santos and directed by Mae Cruz-Alviar, will be top-billed by GMA Network's exclusive talents and celebrity couple Dingdong Dantes and Marian Rivera and to be co-produced with the former's production company Agosto Dos Media and APT Entertainment.

Enrico Santos is the scriptwriter for the film. He said that the material for ''Rewind'' was conceptualized prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the script being ready by 2020, filming was delayed due to the pandemic.

On July 10, 2023, the committee chose the film as one of the first four official entries for the 49th Metro Manila Film Festival. On September 21, 2023, lead actor Dingdong Dantes posted on his Instagram account some snippets of the film's wedding scene with captions implying that it was the first day of production.

Ben&Ben's " Sa Susunod Na Habang Buhay" was used as the main theme song for the film.

Release

The official 90-second teaser of the film was released on November 13, 2023. On November 23, 2023, an official poster was unveiled to the public with the presence of the lead couple, and was later uploaded on the social media platform accounts of Star Cinema and other related divisions of ABS-CBN. On December 4, 2023, a full official trailer was released by Star Cinema.

''Rewind'' premiered in cinemas in the Philippines on December 25, 2023, as one of the official entries of the 49th Metro Manila Film Festival.

On March 25, 2024, ''Rewind'' was released on Netflix among other 2023 Metro Manila Film Festival entries on the following scheduled dates, and also the following day, the exclusive deleted scenes of the film were released on Star Cinema's social media accounts.

Reception

Box office

''Rewind'' grossed in its entire theatrical run. Owing to a policy set by the Metro Manila Film Festival, the initial gross for ''Rewind'' was not revealed for its first week. On January 7, it was reported that film had grossed over , more than half of the total gross revenue of the entire film festival, which was reported to pass , passing '' Gandarrapiddo: The Revenger Squad'' (2017) to become the fourth highest-grossing Filipino film of all time. ABS-CBN refused to confirm the report at the time. On January 17 however, ABS-CBN and Star Cinema both announced that the film has grossed over domestically and worldwide, for total gross revenue of . It passed the domestic gross of '' Hello, Love, Goodbye'' (2019) to become the highest-grossing Filipino film in terms of domestic gross, and the second-highest-grossing Filipino film of all time. On January 30, it grossed to become the first Filipino film in Philippine history to pass in the worldwide box office and the highest-grossing Philippine film of all time, until it was surpassed by ''Hello, Love, Again'' in November 2024.

Critical reception

Critical reception for the film was mostly positive upon release, with particular praise given to its cast's performances and script. According to review aggregator site ''Kritikultura'', the film obtained a score of 70/100 based on 23 reviews, indicating a generally positive reception. However, the critical reception was more mixed when the film became available on Netflix, introducing it to a wider audience.

Many critics have compared its plot to the 2004 film '' If Only''. Bum Tenorio of ''The Philippine Star'' wrote in his review, "''Rewind'' is the full stop of the heart that finds it hard to forgive—and later on realizes, albeit late, that forgiveness is not an option but the only choice in order to move on." University of Santo Tomas college newspaper, ''The Varsitarian'', praised Pepe Herrera for his casual performance as Lods, a slang for Jesus Christ, saying that " more serious characterization would have ruined the story." Fred Hawson, writing in his blog, gave the film a seven, praising its director Mae Cruz-Alviar for the film's emotional climaxes, as well as the performances of Dingdong Dantes and Marian Rivera, saying, "it was their affecting performances that gave this film its special radiance beyond its familiar plot." He expressed reservation about the character Lods.

Meanwhile, Philbert Dy of '' Spot.ph'' gave the film two and a half stars out of five, writing that the film's execution of its main plot about death and tragedy "stands on some shaky ground thematically and theologically."

Vikas Yadav of the India-based pop culture site ''Midgard Times'' wrote that Rivera was "stuck in a limited range" throughout the film and thus didn't leave a strong impression. He criticized Cruz-Alviar's "melodramatic" direction, saying, "She operates on extreme modes, so scenes are either too cheery, too romantic, or too emotional. This excessiveness wears you down as the movie nears its conclusion." However, he wrote that the film is "quite enjoyable" regardless and that Cruz-Alviar's "enthusiasm" as a filmmaker was palpable in every frame.

Jason Tan Liwag of ''Rappler'' compared the film to classics like '' It's a Wonderful Life'' and ''Groundhog Day'', but said that ''Rewind'' lacks their humor. He described it as "straightforward, if simplistic," and that Cruz-Alviar capitalized on the two leads' chemistry, nostalgia, and Catholic moralism.

Accolades

References

External links

*{{IMDb title

2020s films about time travel
2020s science fiction romance films
2023 films
2023 romantic drama films
2020s Philippine films
AgostoDos Pictures films
APT Entertainment films
Filipino-language films
Films directed by Mae Cruz-Alviar
Films produced by Daisy Cayanan
Films produced by Carmi Raymundo
Films with screenplays by Enrico C. Santos
Films scored by Cesar Francis Concio
Films set in Metro Manila
Films shot in Metro Manila
Star Cinema films
Star Cinema drama films