MOVIE REVIEW: Rewind Should Rethink Its Message on Death and Loss

(SPOT.ph) Rewind casts Dingdong Dantes and Marian Rivera as married couple John and Mary. In the opening moments, Mary narrates their situation: she loves John deeply even when he can be mercurial and will often put work ahead of family. Then, after a particularly bad night, the two get into an accident that leaves Mary dead. While in mourning, John has an encounter with a mystical being who tells him he will be sent back in time to the day before the accident, so that he might get another chance to see his wife, right his wrongs, and maybe learn something along the way.

Similarities to the 2004 film If Only aside, this setup does provide some interesting narrative possibilities. Unlike the 2004 movie, John knows right from the start what’s happening, which should enable him to really change the way things go. There is a price negotiated with the supernatural being, and though the negotiation itself plays out a little clunkily, it’s an avenue through which the movie can create tension. It also puts John in an intriguing potential mindset, as he’s genuinely got nothing left to lose.

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Unfortunately, none of this really plays out. John may know from the start what’s happening but he doesn’t immediately act on his newfound knowledge. He still lingers at a company party, going through a lot of the same events even though none of it would matter for what he really wants to accomplish. One would think he wouldn’t want to waste another second of his time away from the woman he so dearly loves; the wife he thought he’d never see again. But he sticks around to do a dance number, talk to his boss, and later tell off a female co-worker, who happens to be written as a caricature of an ambitious, duplicitous woman, even if we’re told earlier on there’s more to her than that.

The movie is pretty sweet in its middle section, as it becomes about John trying to show his appreciation for his wife. It should be said that both Dantes and Rivera are pretty great in this. Rivera is just absolutely radiant on screen, so much so that one might start wishing this story was more about her. But Dantes is a good dance partner, and their genuine affection for each other really shines through.

The last stretch is marred by an extra bit of conflict that doesn’t make sense given the context of the story, especially given the price John negotiated. But the movie just pushes through anyway, contriving hurt feelings at a moment where none of them belong. The way the movie waves off this late conflict is indicative of how unnecessary it really is. It’s like the movie is trying to fulfill arbitrary demands of narrative formula: it’s the point where characters have to fight, and so they fight even if it’s completely illogical.

The movie has one last thing to resolve, anyway, and it’s a big one. And there will probably be differing opinions of how Rewind pulls this off. Personally, I think what the movie ends up saying about loss and death is kind of troubling, in that it seems to present tragedy as a tool people can use. It’s hard to talk about it without spoiling the experience for those still planning to watch Rewind but there is this almost transactional approach to tragedy, to the point where the film practically makes the argument that maybe some bad things happening to people is actually good. Thematically and theologically, the movie stands on some shaky ground.

Rating: 2½ out of 5

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