Life can find a way to sneak up on you at times. You can either blame it on the past, or change the way you live in the present. Directed by Joseph Teoxon, Throwback Today urges us to consider the power of our actions, and how even one careless decision can make a huge impact on our future.
The movie follows Primo (Carlo Aquino), a 32-year-old who was once a promising production designer, but is now stuck in a jobless rut. His life is in a downward spiral, as he experiences failure, heartbreak, and regret. One day, he recovers his old computer and later on, experiences a time-bending phenomenon where he finds himself talking to his college self in an online chat room. For Primo, this serves as a chance for him to correct his past mistakes and turn his life around.
The time-traveling concept is highly intriguing; it leaves viewers wanting to know more about how Primo would utilize such a nifty device. However, the film fails to maximize the unique concept and ends up lacking the narrative excitement that will propel the plot to the right direction.
There’s a clear distinction between the past and present eras in the first half of the movie, but it later goes on a rapid, back-and-forth switch between the two time frames, which can easily cause confusion among its viewers. Not much change is evident in Primo’s appearance despite the 12-year gap, which leaves viewers to rely on subtle context clues to tell the two eras apart. Moreover, the pacing feels incredibly rushed and inconsistent. Several scenes would randomly jump to the next, establishing incoherent transitions instead of smooth-sailing ones. It almost feels like a montage with no room to further build the plot.
Despite the jumbled pace, the cast is what makes watching the flick a little more worthwhile. Carlo Aquino delivers a strong performance as he plays two almost entirely different versions of Primo: The defeated and emotionless older Primo, and the spirited and passionate younger one.
On the other hand, Primo’s longtime friend Andie (Empress Schuck) and his crazy on-and-off girlfriend Macy (Annicka Dolonius) are also noteworthy performances; however, they remain static and unchanged even after 12 years. Primo may be the focus of the film, but the lack of character development of those surrounding him did not live up to its promising time-traveling concept.
Throwback Today ultimately ends up falling short on pacing and character development. Its lackluster execution adds to the bleak visuals that gives the film a dull and washed out look. But nevertheless, the film has an interesting premise. Through chatting with his college self and having the chance to correct his past mistakes, Primo’s present was also altered in many different ways, whether for better or for worse. Albeit lacking in some key parts, the persistence and struggle that Primo endures to change the way his life panned out will engage its viewers until the very end.
Rating: 3 / 5
Featured photo retrieved from summitmedia-digital.com