Last Night (2017 film)

Last Night
Directed by	Joyce Bernal
Screenplay by	Bela Padilla
Story by	Bela Padilla Neil Arce
Produced by	Charo Santos-Concio Malou N. Santos Piolo Pascual Erick Raymundo Joyce Bernal Neil Arce Boy 2 Quizon Nikolo Juban
Starring	Piolo Pascual Toni Gonzaga
Cinematography	Boy Yñiguez
Edited by	Joyce Bernal Beng Bandong
Music by	Emerzon Texon
Production companies	Star Cinema Spring Films N^2 Productions
Distributed by	Star Cinema
Release date	September 27, 2017 (2017-09-27)
Running time	103 minutes
Country	Philippines
Language	Filipino

Last Night is a 2017 Philippine psychological drama romance film directed by Joyce Bernal, starring Piolo Pascual and Toni Gonzaga. The film follows the story of Mark and Carmina, both hopeless in their lives, intertwined by one fateful night on Jones Bridge when both of them fail to commit suicide.^[1] This film is a co-production between ABS-CBN's Star Cinema, Pascual's Spring Films, and Bernal's film production company, N² Productions.

Synopsis

Mark (Pascual) and Carmina (Gonzaga) find each other at the most desperate moments of their lives. Mark, a businessman, has lost his will to live, while Carmina, a wide-eyed young girl, has given up on life. As Mark is about to jump off Jones Bridge, he hears Carmina calling for help; her blouse is stuck as she tries to end her life in the river below. Mark rescues her, and they form a bond, helping each other brainstorm creative ways to die. Despite their initial intentions, their shared experiences and failed attempts at ending their lives lead them to fall deeply in love. However, they find it difficult to abandon their original plans, caught between their growing affection for each other and their desire to escape their pain.

As time went on, Carmina took Mark to her brother's restaurant, where Mark slowly regained his will to live. When Mark confessed his love to Carmina, she suddenly walked out on him, leaving his question of whether she truly loved him unanswered.

Carmina promises Mark they'll meet again at the church where they first spent nights together. At the church, Mark learns from the regular elderly ladies that one of them had died and could see Carmina in her final days, assuring her peaceful passing. Mark revisits the places he and Carmina had been, discovering he checked into a hotel alone, despite booking separate rooms. In his room, he finds his shirt, which he used to cover Carmina, neatly folded.

Out of options, Mark heads to the restaurant and uncovers a shocking truth: Carmina is one of many aliases, and her real name is Jennifer. Her brother reveals that Jennifer had a lover named Bobby, a journalist and revolutionist. Bobby's reckless actions led to his death at Jones Bridge, leaving Jennifer devastated. Unable to live without him, she ended her life by jumping from the bridge. Her soul, unable to pass on, became the guardian of the bridge, preventing further deaths.

Mark jumps off Jones Bridge again that night, but Jennifer's soul rescues him once more, showing him visions of the future if he were to succeed in killing himself. These visions convince Mark to change his ways and improve his life, inspired by Jennifer's intervention.

Eventually, Mark's problems disappear, and he resolves to find Jennifer one last time before leaving for Canada. He buys a bouquet of white roses for her soul to rest in peace. They bid their farewells, with Jennifer encouraging Mark to continue living. As rain falls at Jones Bridge and the sun rises, Jennifer's spirit slowly fades, and Mark's will to live becomes stronger.

Cast

Main cast

• Piolo Pascual as Mark Peter
• Toni Gonzaga as Carmina Salvador / Jennifer Reyes

Supporting cast

• Joey Marquez as Ricardo "Mang Rick" Reyes
  • Cholo Barreto as young Rick
• Patrick Sugui as Leonard
• Blaine Mendoza as Carmina's mother
• China Juban as Mark's wife
• Margie Moran as Mark's mother
• Lou Veloso as Old man in LRT Station

Production

Development

Actress and writer Bela Padilla wrote the story for this film, as well as the screenplay with Neil Arce.^[2]

Production

Boy Yñiguez, the cinematographer of the highest-grossing Filipino independent film Kita Kita was also the cinematographer of this film.

Principal photography was done at several places in Manila. Among the shooting locations in the city are Jones Bridge, Luneta Hotel, as well as in the Casa Manila restaurant.

Release

The film was released exclusively in the Philippines on September 27, 2017.

References

1. "REVIEW: 'Last Night' is dark, mysterious, and captivating". Push. KRISTHOFF CAGAPE. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
2. My Movie World (2017-09-17), Bela Padilla On Writing The Film Last Night, retrieved 2018-04-24