This is the third and final part of my reviews on the seven full-length films featured in the CinePanalo Film Festival.

‘FLEETING’

What makes a mainstream movie great? Escapism, star power, pacing, accessibility, and, of course, emotional engagement and spectacular visuals. In short, entertaining.

Unfortunately, Fleeting only manages to fulfill two minor things: promoting Mati, Davao Oriental and sikwate, the traditional Filipino hot chocolate.

The film is the debut directorial feature of Catsi Catalan, who, as revealed during the talkback session I attended, was once a PA at Star Cinema. No surprise there. Fleeting has all the markings of an old Star Cinema romance, which is essentially the Philippine counterpart of a Nicholas Sparks movie adaptation (except this one lacks tension). It follows the Sparks formula: small-town romance, a bittersweet ending, and gorgeous beaches.

The story follows Gen Z city girl Gem (Janella Salvador) and surfer-slash-café-hostel owner JC (RK Bagatsing) as they explore a central question while falling in love in picturesque Mati: If life is fleeting, should it be spent embracing slow living or chasing dreams with a go-getter attitude?

Unfortunately, Gem and JC have no real personalities. They’re just beautiful to look at, with Gem in her perfectly curated beach wardrobe and salon-fresh wavy hair, and JC with his abs silhouetted against the sunset, all framed by DP Dan Villegas in glossy, travelogue-like visuals.

The dialogue is overly cheesy, and the story unfolds like a fantasy dreamed up by a hopelessly romantic high schooler, one who prioritizes kilig over logic and convincing details. Like the early 2000s Star Cinema rom-coms, it even throws in two loud, meddling sidekicks, played by Peter Mendijar and Alora Sasam, whose only job is to push Gem and JC together.

Another problem is that Salvador and Bagatsing have no chemistry, despite their acting talents. The film relies on sunsets, beaches, and palm trees, and its attractive stars, hoping these are enough to compensate for its lack of emotional depth. Then, midway through, the film dedicates a large chunk of time to an instructional sequence on making sikwate, from farm to cup.

The banter is cringe-worthy, the themes of love, ambition, and living in the moment feel forced, and the execution is contrived and unfocused. Ultimately, Fleeting is just that: a fleeting movie experience.

(1.5 out of 5 stars)

‘CO-LOVE’

So, social media killed the movie star, right?

We live in an era where all it takes is turning the camera on yourself, and suddenly, you’re the star of your own show: flaunting beauty, wealth, talent, or just an opinion.

Co-Love understands this viral age, the Social Media Revolution where vlogging has evolved beyond a hobby or a fleeting distraction. It’s now a career fallback, a serious livelihood. The algorithm era has even seeped into relationships, where couples become content collabs, and breakups, along with new romances, turn into public consumption.

Which is why it’s such a shame, and such wasted potential, that Jill Singson Urdaneta’s “confused boys” rom-com set in this digital world is so poorly executed. Beyond its awful tin-can sound design and crude technical aspects, the film actually gets online culture.

The story follows two content creators, Jarred and Clyde (KD Estrada, Jameson Blake), who, after breaking up with their respective girlfriends and co-vloggers (Alexa Ilacad, Kira Balinger), suddenly find themselves questioning their sexuality.

Strangely, Jarred and Clyde are established as superstar influencers and big enough to land a guest spot on The Boy Abunda Show, despite their vlogs being unimaginative, even irritating.

But what’s more troubling is the film’s underlying misogyny. The female characters are portrayed as either dumb, talentless, or outright annoying. Naturally, the script (by Joni Mones Fontanos) feels the need to justify why the boys break up with them. As a result, Ilacad’s character is written as an airhead, serving a dual purpose: to reinforce this justification, and to highlight how insecure kids cling to social media in hopes of a lucrative future.

Still, it’s hard to ignore how the film treats its women. The way this story unfolds, it’s almost as if the female species is so insufferable that the only logical conclusion is to start falling for the same sex. There’s an undeniable meanness to how these characters are written.

Blake and Balinger deliver the most natural performances in the film. Balinger plays an overdramatic, talentless actress-wannabe (pushed into showbiz by her heartbroken mother), while Blake’s Clyde — whose OFW parents rely on his content to feel connected — is a cute guy exhausted by social media (a thread the film frustratingly fails to explore). Then, out of nowhere, Clyde develops romantic feelings for Jarred.

What’s even weirder is how the girls, despite clearly sensing the boy-love thing going on, respond with surprising mellowness — when, by all logic, this should be treated as betrayal.

Co-Love had an interesting premise and could have been a sharp take on the New Media Age, but the whole thing crashes under a frenetic, pressured execution, a bad script, and weak visual language.

(1.5 out of 5 stars)