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Although I’m a full Filipina, I grew up in a primarily English-speaking household. Tagalog was mainly spoken around me and my brother, but never really to us. The few times I heard Tagalog spoken at length in my household were when my parents would watch teleseryes (Filipino soap operas) and other Filipino films on TFC (The Filipino Channel). Although I wasn’t as involved in the shows as my parents were, I was still able to pick up on the general formula of Filipino romantic comedies, or rom-coms.
While it had been a few years since I last watched a Filipino rom-com of my own accord, Sigrid Andrea P. Bernardo’s 2017 film Kita Kita had been on my radar for some time now. The film follows Lea (Alessandra de Rossi), a Filipino tour guide living in Japan who is afflicted with stress-induced blindness after witnessing her fiance’s infidelity. She eventually meets fellow Filipino overseas worker, Tonyo (Empoy Marquez), who helps her regain her sense of wonder about the world.
The premise immediately sounded like an over-the-top scenario that never really happens off-screen, which is what most Filipino films and shows are known for. However, I was not disappointed with Kita Kita as a whole. Most “pang-masa” (for the masses), Filipino rom-coms are notorious for exactly what it means, catering to the masses. They usually do so by featuring and capitalizing on the best-looking “love teams” (Filipino actors and actresses that are featured as love interests in many films and shows together and are usually romantically involved in real life). These films also tend to be filled with exaggerated scenarios that take away from the depth of the characters. The few windows of opportunity for actual development in the characters’ relationship are overfilled with eye-roll-inducing scenes for the purpose of making viewers “kilig to the bones” (thrilled by cheesy romantic moments).
I may sound a bit bitter thus far, but that’s only because I care. Even though I have a bone or two to pick with how most Filipino films are structured, Kita Kita made its mark on me. The casting choice felt intentional, deviating from the standard pang-masa romantic pairing. Marquez and de Rossi were never actors that I envisioned together, but their on-screen chemistry was palpable and felt very natural.
Filipinos love their cheese. This film may have laid the cheese on pretty thick when it came to Tonyo’s jokes, but to a degree I actually found refreshing. What makes Kita Kita so great is how a majority of the film centered on the genuine connection between Lea and Tonyo. Their bond is largely formed when visiting various tourist spots in Sapporo together. These scenes were my favorite, as the stunning visuals never took away from the moments that Lea and Tonyo shared. During these scenes, Tonyo proved himself to be a very jovial and light-hearted person. While many Filipino rom-coms tend to portray the male lead as a cool, popular, and generally untouchable guy, Tonyo was perhaps the most genuine male lead I’ve ever seen in a Filipino film. His cheesy jokes and puns were very typical Filipino humor, as Filipinos love to joke around. Although much of Lea and Tonyo’s chemistry consisted of said humor, it was obvious that they sincerely cared for one another. I couldn’t help but liken Tonyo to numerous individuals I’ve met over the years, which made him an even more genuine character to me. He never believed himself to be better than anyone else, nor did he care to be. All he simply cared to do was make Lea happy and share her joy. When a character actually feels like a real person that I can envision myself talking to in real life, then the writer’s done their job well.
All in all, was this the perfect Filipino rom-com? I might have advertised it as such, but it wasn’t and that’s perfectly okay. Some scenes were a little over-the-top and beginning to tread pang-masa territory, but they were few and far between when considering the film as a whole. The authenticity of Lea and Tonyo’s relationship definitely overshadowed those few pang-masa moments, especially the unrealistic premise. I don’t want to say too much at this point because I want you to consider giving this film a chance. Let me just say I cried. Hard. Maybe you could shed some tears too while watching it on Netflix.
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