2 Cool 2 Be 4gotten
Theatrical release poster
Directed byPetersen Vargas
Written by
Produced byAlemberg Ang
Starring
CinematographyCarlos Mauricio
Edited byMark Cyril Bautista
Music by
  • Alyana Cabral
  • Christopher Flores
Production
companies
Distributed byStar Cinema
Release dates
  • November 17, 2016 (2016-11-17) (Cinema One Originals)
  • March 15, 2017 (2017-03-15) (Commercial release)
Running time
95 minutes[1]
CountryPhilippines
Languages
  • English
  • Filipino
  • Kapampangan

2 Cool 2 Be 4gotten is a 2016 Filipino coming-of-age drama film directed by Petersen Vargas in his feature-length directorial debut and written by Jason Paul Laxamana. The film stars Khalil Ramos, Ethan Salvador and Jameson Blake.[2] It depicts the mysterious coming-of-age tale of Felix after he met half-American Snyder brothers, Magnus and Maxim.

The film premiered on November 17, 2016, at the 2016 Cinema One Originals Film Festival, where it won three awards, including Best Picture.[3][4] It was commercially released by Star Cinema on March 15, 2017, in selected theaters nationwide.[5]

Synopsis

The film depicts the coming-of-age story of Felix (Khalil Ramos), a friendless and smart high school sophomore, who lives in post-lahar Pampanga in the late 1990s. His life takes a turn after the two new half-American students, the Snyder brothers, Magnus (Ethan Salvador) and Maxim (Jameson Blake), transfer to his school. He finds himself drawn toward them, especially Magnus, who becomes his classmate. Magnus befriends him and he infiltrates the private lives of the Snyder brothers. He interweaves himself to the dark and mysterious motives of the Snyder brothers and at the same time, his interactions with them uncover desires within him that he has never confronted before.[6][7]

Cast

Main

Supporting

  • Ana Capri as Demetria
  • Peewee O'Hara as Mrs. Salvacion
  • Meann Espinosa as Ms. Echiverri
  • Joel Saracho as Mr. Pangan
  • Ruby Ruiz as Felix's mom
  • Badjun Lacap as Felix's dad
  • Jomari Angeles as Spencer
  • Jerom Canlas as Leon
  • Dylan Talon as Arwin

Production

Director Petersen Vargas started his career in filmmaking by producing short films and shooting music videos. He became prominent after he won the Best Direction award for his short film, Lisyun qng Geografia, in the 2015 Cinemalaya Film Festival.[8] In early 2016, Vargas approached fellow Kapampangan filmmaker Jason Paul Laxamana to collaborate for an entirely different story concept he had in mind. But instead, Laxamana offered him to direct a script he has written which was originally entitled Dos Mestizos. Laxamana's script focused on the effect of the arrival of the half-American Snyder brothers in their new school and Vargas made some revisions to this script to focus on their relationship with Felix. Later on, Vargas and the film's creative consultant, Jade Castro, decided to change its title from Dos Mestizos to 2 Cool 2 Be 4gotten to reflect the youthful spirit of the film. The title was inspired by Lucinda Williams' 1998 song, "2 Kool 2 Be 4-gotten".[9]

They finished filming the film in just 8 days in order for it to be completed in time for the 2016 Cinema One Originals Film Festival.[10]

Release

The film originally received a R-13 rating during its screenings at the 2016 Cinema One Originals Film Festival. When it was submitted for a review for its nationwide commercial release, the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) gave it a R-16 rating. The producers appealed the rating but instead, the MTRCB slammed the film with a R-18 rating as it said that “the film lacks any social redeeming value.” This caused an outrage from some netizens and filmmakers.[11]

Critical reception

Maridol Ranoa-Bismark of Philippine Entertainment Portal writes, "2 Cool has the potential to affect viewers with its versions of unconditional love."[12] Philbert Dy of The Neighborhood gave it 4.5 out of 5 stars, commending the cinematography and the acting of the ensemble cast.[13] Oggs Cruz of Rappler praised Laxamana's screenplay by describing it "as intelligent as it is emotionally potent." Cruz further described the film as "a work of gorgeous sentimentality."[14]

Rito Asilo of the Philippine Daily Inquirer highlighted the performances of Ramos and Salvador by saying that the film "gets its main thespic tag-team boost from Salvador and Ramos’ complementary portrayals, each in thoughtful sync with the other."[15] Status Magazine stated that it would "keep the audience on their toes with gripping scenes and a conflicted narrative."[16] Prominent writer J. Neil Garcia described the film as "textured and outstanding". Furthermore, he praised the "deft and beautiful direction" of Vargas and the "comparably strong and noteworthy" performances of Ramos, Salvador and Blake.[17][18] Movies for Millennials calls it "...sweet, humorous, romantic... An experience that's too cool to be forgotten. No pun intended."[19]

Awards and nominations

Year Association Award Category Nominee Result Source
2016 Cinema One Originals 12th Cinema One Originals Film Festival Best Picture 2 Cool 2 Be 4gotten Won [3][20]
Best Director Petersen Vargas Nominated
Best Actor Khalil Ramos Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Jameson Blake Won
Ethan Salvador Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Ana Capri Nominated
Best Screenplay Jason Paul Laxamana Nominated
Best Cinematography Carlos Mauricio Won
Best Editing Mark Cyril Bautista Nominated
Best Music Alyana Cabral
Christopher Flores		 Nominated
Best Sound Monoxide Works Nominated
2017 Young Critics Circle 27th Young Critics Circle Awards Best First Feature 2 Cool 2 Be 4gotten Won [21]
National Museum of Cinema 32nd Lovers Film Festival - Torino LGBTQI Visions Audience Choice Award 2 Cool 2 Be 4gotten Won [22]
Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino 40th Gawad Urian Awards Best Actor Khalil Ramos Nominated [23]
Philippine Movie Press Club 33rd Star Awards for Movies New Movie Actor of the Year Jameson Blake Nominated [24]

References

  1. ↑ "2 Cool 2 Be 4gotten". VYAC Productions. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
  2. ↑ "LOOK: "2 Cool 2 Be 4gotten" Opens In Theaters On March 15!". Myx. March 13, 2017. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
  3. 1 2 "LGBT tales triumph at Cinema One fest". Philippine Daily Inquirer. November 25, 2016. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
  4. ↑ "'2 Cool 2 Be Forgotten,' Jasmine Curtis-Smith lead Cinema One Originals filmfest winners". InterAksyon. November 21, 2016. Archived from the original on February 26, 2017. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
  5. ↑ "'Baka Bukas' and '2 Cool 2 Be 4gotten' to be commercially released". Philippine Daily Inquirer. February 27, 2017. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
  6. ↑ "Full lineup: Cinema One Originals Festival 2016". Rappler. November 14, 2016. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
  7. ↑ "Khalil steps out of his comfort zone in gay-themed thriller". Philippine Daily Inquirer. March 17, 2017. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
  8. ↑ "'Pusong Bato' leads Cinemalaya winners". Philippine Daily Inquirer. August 17, 2015. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
  9. ↑ "What's in a movie title". Philippine Daily Inquirer. March 4, 2017. Retrieved March 30, 2017.
  10. ↑ "These Kids Are Way Too Cool". Scout Magazine. November 16, 2016. Archived from the original on March 31, 2017. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  11. ↑ "'2 Cool 2 Be 4gotten' trends on social media due to MTRCB's R-18 rating". Cinema Bravo. March 16, 2017. Archived from the original on March 26, 2017. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  12. ↑ "REVIEW: Khalil's character exposed to sexually provocative scenes in 2 Cool 2 Be 4gotten". Philippine Entertainment Portal. November 21, 2016. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  13. ↑ "'2 Cool 2 Be 4Gotten' Has a Distinct Regional Flavor". The Neighborhood. March 13, 2017. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  14. ↑ "Movie Reviews: Cinema One Originals film fest 2016". Rappler. November 22, 2016. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  15. ↑ "Cinema One entries more frivolous than fabulous". Philippine Daily Inquirer. November 26, 2016. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  16. ↑ "2 Cool 2 Be 4gotten is Too Memorable to Not Talk About". Status Magazine. November 25, 2016. Archived from the original on March 26, 2017. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  17. ↑ "Naturalism and Queer Coming of Age: a Review of 2 Cool 2 Be 4gotten". Facebook. November 19, 2016. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  18. ↑ "Remembering Your First Love in Coming of Age film "2 Cool 2 Be 4gotten"". Pelikula Mania. March 12, 2017. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  19. ↑ "2 Cool 2 Be 4gotten review". Movies for Millennials. January 20, 2017. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  20. ↑ "2 Cool 2 Be 4gotten nominations". Facebook. November 20, 2016. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
  21. ↑ "Young Critics Circle votes 'Women of the Weeping River' best film". Young Critics Circle. February 12, 2017. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
  22. ↑ "PH film wins audience award in Torino". Philippine Daily Inquirer. June 23, 2017. Retrieved June 25, 2017.
  23. ↑ "Mindanao-based Women of the Weeping River bags most Gawad Urian nominations". BusinessWorld. June 30, 2017. Archived from the original on January 18, 2018. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  24. ↑ "PMPC names nominees for 33rd Star Awards for movies". Philippine Daily Inquirer. July 18, 2017. Retrieved August 19, 2017.
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