Entry: “I Love You, Goodbye”

Production: Star Cinema

Direction: Laurice Guillen

Screenplay: Vanessa Valdez, Kriz Gazmen, and Karen Ramos

Cast: Angelica Panganiban, Gabby Concepcion, Derek Ramsay, Kim Chiu, Liza Lorena, Angel Aquino, and Matet de Leon

Christmas is for children and that’s why the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) is mostly a showcase of fantasy-adventure movies geared towards general patronage.

Still, the festival welcomes films that tackle adult and complex themes. Some of its past best picture awardees in this genre, namely Eddie Romero’s “Ganito Kami Noon, Paano Kayo Ngayon,” Celso Ad Castillo’s “Burlesk Queen,” Mike de Leon’s “Kisapmata,” Ishmael Bernal’s “Himala” and Marilou Diaz-Abaya’s “Karnal,” have even become classics.

Sadly, “I Love You, Goodbye,” doesn’t belong to that illustrious league.

The story of a young woman (Angelica Panganiban) hooking up with an older and richer boyfriend (Gabby Concepcion) whose mother (Liza Lorena) and daughter (Kim Chiu) hate her with a passion is nothing new.

But director Laurice Guillen, whose 1981 masterpiece “Salome” still scintillates, earnestly tried to turn the old tale into an interesting and watchable movie.

She succeeded in the beginning, when Angelica’s character, Liezelle, is introduced as a loving and supportive girlfriend to Gabby’s Adrian, a medical doctor who’s in the middle of an annulment procedure from his sophisticated wife, Valerie (played by Angel Aquino).

Valerie is not the stereotypical ex-wife. She is friendly and sympathetic to Liezelle, and even tries to dissuade Adrian’s mother and her and Adrian’s daughter Ysa – who both adore her – to give the new girl in her ex-husband’s life a chance.

Liezelle, for her part, may be the usual heroine who quietly puts up with Adrian’s demanding mother and daughter, but Angelica plays her with warmth and feistiness. Yes, Liezelle doesn’t fight back but she doesn’t allow herself to become a pitiful character either. She’s made a choice to be with Adrian and she’s sticking by it.

Then again, her old flame Gary (Derek Ramsay), who broke her heart two years before, re-enters the picture. Despite her strong resistance, fate plays a trick on her and she goes for whom her heart beats faster.

A series of coincidences early in the story compromise the movie’s believability but the latter part totally ruins it. After the big reveal of the reason behind the failed tryst, suddenly comes the regulation happy ending.

It feels like some scenes had been mysteriously edited out from the final cut and as the closing credits roll, the moviegoers end up scratching their heads in disbelief and disappointment.