"My Love Will Make You Disappear" [2025]

Film

Kim Chui, Paulo Avelino

Written by: Patrick Valencia, Isabella Policarpio, Prime Cruz

Directed by: Chad V. Vinanes

Star Cinema

==========

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

==========

WARNING: SPOILERS!

INITIAL THOUGHTS:

One of the reasons why I was enticed to watch this film is that I want to somehow test the two leading actors’ chemistry when it comes to the big screen. After the success of “Linlang” and the Pinoy adaptation of “What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim,” I was curious if their partnership is still effective in the movies. My verdict? Yes, it does.

At this point in their career, I can say that the loveteam of Kim Chui and Paulo Avelino, or KimPau, can now somehow level with the success of the loveteam of Sarah Geronimo and John Lloyd Cruz. What makes these two loveteams have in common is the familiar trope in romantic movies. A serious, selfish guy who meets a bubbly and optimistic counterpart who is tested by conflicts to bring out the best in each other. The film's primary narrative may appear similar and something we've seen before, but I was surprised by how the director gave a new twist to the story.  It was familiar yet still managed to offer something unique to the viewers.

Before anything else, I would like to tell you that I’m not really a fan of Pinoy romantic comedies. During the heyday of KathNiel, Lizquen, and Jadine, while everyone was anticipating the weekends to watch their idols on screen, I was minding my own business. No matter how viral or how trending the scenes or dialogues of those loveteams were, I wouldn’t get curious. I would only stumble upon them when they were already showing it on television, and the hype was already over by a few years already. I lean more on drama, thriller, or sometimes comedy movies since I would tend to observe the actors’ skills and acting styles.

Considering what was said, another reason why I decided to watch this is because I want to see how Paulo and Kim would treat this story, given that it is in a romcom. For Kim, we all know how good she is at portraying the happy, optimistic, goal-getter type of character in her past projects. Actually, if not for “Linlang”, I would still boxed and typecast Kim in those kinds of characters, which is a difficult thing as an actor because as you grow older, you would want to expand your skills and explore the range of your emotions.

As for Paulo, the challenge for him is how he will be able to have comedic timing since he is popularly known as a serious actor whose characters often have intense emotions and complicated backstories.

---

SYNOPSIS:

The movie is about Sari (Kim Chiu), a woman who believes she is cursed, as every man she falls in love with mysteriously disappears, and Jolo (Paulo Avelino), a troubled landlord dealing with a failing apartment complex and financial difficulties. The film’s core conflict arises when their paths cross as they work to prevent the displacement of their community. As Sari and Jolo grow closer, Sari’s fear of her “curse” threatens their budding romance.

(Source: Rodmagaru)

STORY:

The plot of the movie isn’t new, but what sets it apart was how it was presented to the audience. When you watch the whole film, you’ll think that there are a lot of layers to it. A lot of conflicts to solve, and I honestly wondered if it would have a satisfying ending. But it turns out, everything falls into place.

If you are a regular filmgoer of local mainstream romcom movies, for sure you already have a formula or a flow of how the film would go. There’s this main conflict in the beginning, subsequent minor conflicts in the middle, and then all those minor conflicts will be solved in the third act of the film. When the characters are on the point of finally accepting or realizing the situation, a major U-turn will happen that will leave the audience in a cliffhanger that makes us wonder if it will be a happy ending, and then by sheer luck or a convenient miracle, the major conflict will be resolved, and then it will be happy ever after.

But here, the main conflict of the movie had already been solved just at the beginning of the third act! The rest of the minor conflicts were settled towards the end of the film, which is, for me, just the director’s way of wrapping things up, making sure there will be no loopholes.

This style of narration is quite unexpected and might raise some eyebrows of some movie reviewers, but for me, it is an unpredictable yet fresh way to surprise the audience, which is what I really like.

Besides that, I have to say, I really love the funny scenes in the film. The comedic parts were natural and not just an “add-on”; it was unexpected and effective too. There was a particular scene where Sari pretended to be a ghost, and when I saw that, it reminded me of something we usually see in K-drama.

Other comedic scenes were the same ones as what we saw in other movies, but because of how Kim and Paulo deliver it, it didn’t feel cringey at all.

CHARACTERS:

Kim’s portrayal as Sari is not surprising. Just like her other characters in the past, whom she plays as happy, hopeful, and a ray of sunshine to others, this one doesn’t fall far from the tree. But what surprised me the most was that beyond those funny antics that she does, I saw a sense of maturity in her. It may be because of her age or her experiences in her past roles; I really don’t know how I will explain it, but for me, this particular Kim is different from others. She was able to deliver this “happy” persona without being annoying or repetitive. There were some behaviors of her character where you would assume it was a “childish” thing to do, but there is a reason why she acts that way. Her character has these certain behaviors because of what she went through. It is justified and not just there for the sake of being there.

On the other hand, as much as I have this big crush on Paulo Avelino, I have to be honest; he really needs to exert more effort in doing romcom movies. Just like Kim, his character is not far from his own personality. He has portrayed this kind of persona so many times, but the challenge was how he would differentiate this character as Jolo from his other past projects and how he would break the character during the comedy scenes. I still forgive him though since this is his first romcom, if I’m not mistaken, but if he will pursue this genre in the future, he still needs to loosen up a little.

I think another big contribution to why this film was a success was how effective and great the supporting characters (Sari’s neighbors) were. I was delighted to see how others work together; even though their scenes were quite short, they were still able to deliver very well, and each has their own spotlight to do funny moments, which are effective.

Speaking of supporting characters that have short scenes but were still able to have funny moments, watch out for Bernard Palanca and Ruffa Mae Quinto. I’ll not say anything else; just watch the film and see it for yourself.

Unfortunately, Sari’s sister Cecile and her partner Gabby, played by Karina Bautista and Jeremiah Lisbo, respectively, didn’t do as much for me. I didn’t feel any connection to them, and it seems like they were put there in the film just to have Gen Z representation. Good idea, but I believe the movie will still be a success without them.

CINEMATOGRAPHY:

I like how obvious the cinematography of the film was. Like when the scene is with Sari, you’ll notice that the color of the surroundings has a pop of colors. It was bright and lively. Meanwhile, when it shifts to Jolo, it somehow becomes gloomy and dark and sad, which is appropriately reflected in his internal turmoil. Another instance where I caught these differences is when Jolo decided to get closer to Sari; his color grading also became brighter and lively. You might think it is an obvious thing, but I just appreciated how apparent it was in the film.

The shots were also good. Close-up moments were obviously taken from how K-dramas do theirs. Camera angles and continuous shots were good too.

As for the set or location of the film, “Tahanan Homes,” the place where Sari and her neighbors reside and the place where Jolo’s father is located is the same set that was used from Paulo’s previous teleserye with Janine Guitterez, “Marry Me, Marry You.”  

Also, I was happy to see that they shot in the newly renovated Pasig River Esplanade, which I think is the first time it was ever seen in a movie.

TECHNICAL:

For me, Maki’s “Dilaw” as the film’s OST was appropriate. It was played at the right moments of the film.

For the lighting, it was great, as well as how it was used to present Sari’s past and childhood.

When it comes to computer-generated aspects of the film, particularly at the beginning of the movie, for me it was just ok. I mean, if they just opt to do it in a real location, that would be much better, but I guess they have to do that because they don’t want to stay too long in Sari’s past. It was more of just a quick backstory, and I totally understand.

As for Sari’s pet guinea pig, which I’m ninety percent sure is just a computer-generated one, I’m not getting why it is there. Like, besides being Sari’s companion, I don’t think it adds any significance to the plot. Just like Cecile and Gabby, their characters were unnecessary.

LESSONS:

A part of me relates to Sari’s character. As someone who also has this thinking of being afraid to invest feelings in another person because of the risk that someday that person will just disappear, this film reminded me that it is better to love and fail than not to love at all. Whatever we do in life, whether to love or not love, to forgive or not to forgive, there’s always a consequence.

If we just continue to exist on earth expecting the worst thing that could happen to us, what kind of life would that be? We’re only depriving ourselves of the potential happiness that we might experience just because we are too afraid to be hurt again.

But beyond Sari’s decision of choosing not to fall in love with anyone lies a heart that really wants to experience what true love is. Just like the line that she’s always repeating in the film, “Not because I can manage to be alone, doesn’t mean I want this! ” which gives me another dimension to her character. Just like myself, even though I enjoy being alone and enjoy doing things on my own, deep inside, I know I want to also experience how to be truly cared for, loved, and treated as someone special.

For those single people out there, do you also have the same situation? People might see you as someone others can count on; others might see you as someone who can handle things on their own and is always dependable but deep inside longs for someone who can also do those things for them. Someone whom you can lean on and be reminded of how great you are.

CONCLUSION:

It may be only just the first quarter of the year, but I can confidently say that “My Love Will Make You Disappear” is the best romantic comedy movie of 2025. Despite the common storyline, it was still able to present a new style of narrative accompanied by the superb acting skills of the two lead actors.

A simple yet layered movie, it has a right balance of comedy and romance and something that can inspire you to hope in choosing to love again.

---

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnwcaqaXkBU