Seth Fedelin (left) and Francine Diaz during the premiere night of “My Future You.” Image: Courtesy of Regal Entertainment Inc.
A love story transcending time is an old tale in cinema. But the Francine Diaz– and Seth Fedelin-led “My Future You” goes beyond romance, telling the story of two people struggling to find themselves from different timelines until finding clarity in each other.
“My Future You,” which is one of the entries of the 50th Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF), is a story between Lex (Fedelin) and Karen (Diaz) who meet on a dating app, only to discover that the latter is 15 years ahead of him—with the comet tying their fates together.
While it’s clear that Lex fell in love with Karen at first sight, the latter was caught up with the separation of her parents, and her mother planning to marry her new partner. This prompted Lex—who was dealing with family problems as well—to set his romantic feelings aside to work with Karen in rewriting their destiny. But with every change comes a drastic turn of events in their own families which ultimately reminds them to accept their families’ imperfections as it is.
Romance has always been the focal point of a love story. In typical romantic fashion, love is often portrayed as the force that conquers all obstacles. But “My Future You” allows Diaz and Fedelin’s characters to go through silent cries and experience their respective rude awakening as individuals until their romance fully takes over.
Seth Fedelin and Francine Diaz during the 50th MMFF Parade of Stars. Image: Courtesy of Regal Entertainment Inc.
This approach rests on Diaz and Fedelin to deliver. Armed with her experience as a child actress, Diaz’s attention to detail is reflected in her portrayal of Karen, as she made sure that her character portrays the nuances of a child who simply wanted to bring her parents back together.
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Fedelin’s portrayal of Lex, on the other hand, started slow and awkward in his first set of scenes. But as the film progresses, he is able to captivate the audience with his performance, especially as he looks back at his efforts to find his way into Karen’s timeline.
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The film also showed how much Diaz and Fedelin put in a lot of effort to ensure that their characters were handled with care. As soon as the romance kicks off, their tiny smiles, heart-eyed gazes, delivery of sweet lines (including some of its cheesy dialogues), and signs pointing to love are signs of the actors claiming their title as a formidable love team.
Time travel is an overdone theme in love stories. Despite this, there was a conscious effort to ensure that Lex and Karen’s personal stories were as equally important as the romance in itself. While the loose ends of their love story were mostly told through Lex’s (Fedelin) point of view—including how the former unwittingly played a role in Karen’s actions, milestones, and inner pains—it was a surprisingly heartwarming film that reels viewers in the growth of the leads as characters and actors.
Despite Lex and Karen’s growth as individuals, the storyline needs more scenes to seal the love story between the central characters. Diaz and Fedelin’s chemistry played a huge part in making sure the romance is there but the story itself needs to expand more on why the audience needs to root for them to be together. Lex’s narration of how he managed to catch up with Karen was a conscious effort. However, the story needs more scenes to show his actions as proof of their destiny. At the same time, Karen’s point-of-view toward her love for Lex either needs more scenes or lines proving that she, too, feels the same.
While details of the film’s story leave much to be desired, Diaz and Fedelin’s performances made up for it as they paid attention to portray their characters down to the tiniest detail.
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Despite its flaws, “My Future You” remains a heartwarming love story that brings in the feels. The film is clear proof that Diaz and Fedelin are ready to take on bigger projects and make their mark not only as an onscreen pairing but also as actors.
The MMFF entry also stars Christian Vazquez, Almira Muhlach, Peewee O’Hara, Bodjie Pascua, Mosang, and Vance Larena. It will be screened in theaters from December 25 to Jan. 7, 2024.
