8. It’s the Megastar like you’ve never seen her before.

Sharon Cuneta practically deconstructs her own mythology in this movie. She puts herself in situations you wouldn’t expect Sharon Cuneta to ever be in, yet reacts to these situations exactly how you’d expect her to react.

7. Sharon Cuneta shows off her comedic timing.

Ate Shawie might not be known for her comedic chops, but as one of the most versatile actresses in Philippine cinema, she can really be funny when she wants to. Where you expect her to play the straight (wo)man to the insane stuff happening around her, she instead manages to do that, but also be a foil to the more serious situations going on in the movie. This is comedy done right, and the Megastar deserves massive props for it.

6. It’s Oh-So-Relatable

Mid-life crisis? Quarter-life crisis? It doesn’t matter what stage-in-life pathos you’re going through, you’re going to find all of it in this film. That’s pretty much what happens when you combine a bunch of people who are barely legal along with a fish out of water like a 50+-year-old woman who just went through a massive life event. Everyone is second-guessing themselves, and it just works.

5. Marco. Gumabao.

As a movie that’s best compared to a funny version of How Stella Got Her Groove Back, Marco Gumabao oozes a lot more sex appeal than even Taye Diggs did, and that’s no mean feat. And yes, the obvious sexual tension between him and a woman practically three times his age is palpable.

4. A hilarious way of dealing with metaphors.

There’s plenty of symbolism here in Revirginized, but it’s so deliberately ham-fisted it’s funny. Watch out how they decide to deal with these metaphors throughout the film, because it’s an instant classic.

3. Coming of age at THAT age.

The Megastar may not look a day over 30 most of the time, but she’s still 55 years old. Normally, these coming-of-age movies are made for teenagers or maybe people entering young adulthood, but Revirginized turns that on its head. It’s not every day that you’re told about the story of someone who peaked decades too early yet is finding their second wind much later in life as the core of a story. That’s usually side character stuff!

2. The snappy dialogue.

Vincentiments loves him some dialogue, but this film is his best achievement in that department thus far. Yes, we’re fans of that infamous line Ate Shawie uttered in the uncut trailers…

1. The earnestness of it all.

Revirginized is ultimately a low-stakes film that has so much to say about the human condition. The fact that it’s helmed by a very game and very capable Sharon Cuneta elevates your standard fun and light-hearted indie movie to something that could actually hit the international scene if given the right opportunity.

You can stream Reviriginized online through KTX.ph.