Sana Dati

Sana Dati is a 2013 Filipino romantic drama film written and directed by Jerrold Tarog. The story of Andrea Gonzaga (Lovi Poe) set to marry a man whom she doesn’t know if she loves or not (TJ Trinidad). Enter, a young 21 year old wedding videographer (Paulo Avelino) whose mysterious presence turns Andrea’s whole wedding in disarray. The film similarly starts with the past. Memories of the main characters intersperse continuously and constantly with the present, at times intrusively so. As Lovi Poe’s character prepares unenthusiastically for her wedding, she is also trying to grapple with her doubts and emotions that are as alive, if not more, than her current reality.

The entire movie shows her struggle between moving on from her feelings of what-could-have-been and her thoughts of what her life could be with a man whom she is uncertain if she really loves. "Sana Dati" is not a film about winners. It is not about the fictional poet, named after Spanish director Julio Medem, who wrote the most beautiful verses about the feeling of being in love prior to dying. It is not about Andrew, who, like fictional Medem, died with a heart overflowing with love. The heart of "Sana Dati" lies with the losers, the ones we tend to forget when the most intense statements about love have already been declared. It is about Andrea, whose life goes on despite the tragedy of her one true love perishing. It is about Robert, who is about to marry a girl who does not love him. It is about Andrew, who stirs trouble in somebody else’s romantic affairs.

Sana Dati is a visually stunning romance drama with hints of light humor. Its expertly photographed scenes evoke emotion and convey information at an unhurried pace. Past, present and the possibilities of the future collide with each other all throughout the movie—making scenes appear seemingly scattered and confusing.