One's first impression for That Thing Called Tadhana is it's a local rom-com with the style of Before Sunrise, since it's a long walk of conversations. The film is mainly about a girl who meets someone who she can express her emotional pain from a recent heartbreak. The entire movie is basically as simple as that, it somehow abandons the clichés of where a long conversations like this usually lead to and instead just be an example of what we love about human interaction. It can be blissful and bitter, but what's important here is to let these two naturally grow their relationship. The beauty here is it never compromises with demanded formula and just lets itself be honest about their fate.
This is basically a change of pace of the two, taking a break from their ordinary lives and finding a way to let go of the worst of their past by just talking out their backstories, drama and interests. It doesn't matter if they ever end up together, those discussions aren't only sweet talk or anything that would necessarily lead to romance, they are simply just honest conversations that share each other's cynicism, joys and mistakes until one gets relived from her bad memories. But out of this adventurous bond, you can really see how these two develop genuinely, feeling that they are really moving on in a new phase of their lives.
And around those meaty interaction, there's a total appeal in their road trip. From the city of Baguio to the mountain top of Sagada, the way they shoot these places just adds more things to love in these moments that already owns a rich personality. The lead couple can be quite charming, even with the amount of criticism and bitterness in their heads, they're basically just being relatable. Angelica Panganiban is the soul here, she carries the energy and the heart of these conversations, and that is absolutely what this character is meant to be. While JM De Guzman makes a good pair for not always taking the pain of his partner seriously until it becomes a big deal for the both of them.
That Thing Called Tadhana immediately triumphs in its honesty to its storytelling and opinions towards love, letting go and other stuff. The narrative doesn't need anything more than settling with these two characters trying to find a light after a disappointing and hurtful past. It's sometimes enough for just finding someone to tag along and run away to an unexpected vacation, despite of involving some awkward situations. Even in these simplest moments, it brings a satisfying solution from such emotional burden. That Thing Called Tadhana speaks more from the soul of a relationship because that is what makes it truly special.
