I know I said we’re doing an entire week of romance reviews and believe me, this still counts as one. I’ll start off by trying something different today by reviewing my first trailer. Why? Because I am truly enthralled and intrigued by the premise of “Ulan”, the upcoming movie of Nadine Lustre and her first movie apart from her perennial on screen partner, James Reid.

Synopsis: For the first time, Nadine Lustre and award-winning actor Carlo Aquino share the screen together in director Irene Emma Villamor’s magical romance film, Ulan. The film also stars Viva artists AJ Muhlach and Marco Gumabao as Nadine’s love interests as well as an assortment of mythical characters that comprise the otherworldly element of the film.

Trailer: I was completely blown away by the trailer of “Ulan”, to tell the truth. It was hauntingly beautiful and the revival of the Rivermaya hit of the same name, performed by Janine Teñoso in semi folk-semi gaelic style served as a perfect backdrop to set the mood of the trailer.

Quiet, mystical, with a hint of traditional folklore brought by the appearance of creatures tikbalangs and enkantadas, the trailer teases time jumps from the past and the present as well as ventures into the world of the unknown. At the film’s center is Maya, the character played by Nadine who seems to have the ability to communicate with mystical beings and at the same time connects her life events with the rain.

The trailer teases the idea of love and heartbreak as Maya rages at the rain and blames it for her life’s misfortunes which makes audiences guess at tragedy. Yet, at the same time, the trailer focuses on another central character played by Aquino, who seems to have a deep connection with Maya and grounds her character to the world of the humans.

In an earlier interview, Nadine once disclosed that the movie was about self love which implies that her character will not proper romantically, as is the trend of most movies these days that tackle self discovery and empowerment. Still, the strong chemistry displayed by Nadine and Carlo makes the audiences hope that their characters will find happiness despite the ominous vibe that the trailer presents.

Different elements of the trailer seem to symbolize many things and a quick look at the tread on youtube has fans theorizing like crazy. Personally, I think the rain hints at self discovery but its really the magical element that has me baffled. Is Maya a mythical creature too, trying to fit into the world of the humans? Will this be an inter-species romance or is there a more supernatural aspect that the trailer is holding close to its chest? As a fan of horror, I’m leaning more towards a beautiful death at some point in the movie. Sue me.

For now, I would have to say that the “Ulan” trailer succeeded in generating interest in its intriguing concept. It piques curiosity while keeping its audiences excited about the mysterious premise of the film. Whether the build up to the mystery would pay off for the film of not, audiences will find out on March 13 when the film releases on Philippine theaters. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it does.