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2 Cool 2 Be 4gotten
2 Cool 2 Be 4gotten
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Petersen Vargas
Written by	Jason Paul Laxamana; Petersen Vargas;
Produced by	Alemberg Ang
Starring	Khalil Ramos; Ethan Salvador; Jameson Blake;
Cinematography	Carlos Mauricio
Edited by	Mark Cyril Bautista
Music by	Alyana Cabral; Christopher Flores;
Production; companies	Cinema One Originals; VY/AC Productions;
Distributed by	Star Cinema
Release dates	November 17, 2016 (Cinema One Originals); March 15, 2017 (Commercial release);
Running time	95 minutes
Country	Philippines
Languages	English; Filipino; Kapampangan;

2 Cool 2 Be 4gotten is a 2016 Filipino coming-of-age drama film directed by Petersen Vargas in his feature-length directorial debut and written by Jason Paul Laxamana. The film stars Khalil Ramos, Ethan Salvador and Jameson Blake.^[2] It depicts the mysterious coming-of-age tale of Felix after he met half-American Snyder brothers, Magnus and Maxim.

The film premiered on November 17, 2016, at the 2016 Cinema One Originals Film Festival, where it won three awards, including Best Picture.^[3]^[4] It was commercially released by Star Cinema on March 15, 2017, in selected theaters nationwide.^[5]

Synopsis

The film depicts the coming-of-age story of Felix (Khalil Ramos), a friendless and smart high school sophomore, who lives in post-lahar Pampanga in the late 1990s. His life takes a turn after the two new half-American students, the Snyder brothers, Magnus (Ethan Salvador) and Maxim (Jameson Blake), transfer to his school. He finds himself drawn toward them, especially Magnus, who becomes his classmate. Magnus befriends him and he infiltrates the private lives of the Snyder brothers. He interweaves himself to the dark and mysterious motives of the Snyder brothers and at the same time, his interactions with them uncover desires within him that he has never confronted before.^[6]^[7]

Cast

Main

Khalil Ramos as Felix Salonga
Ethan Salvador as Magnus Snyder
Jameson Blake as Maximilian "Maxim" Snyder

Supporting

Ana Capri as Demetria
Peewee O'Hara as Mrs. Salvacion
Meann Espinosa as Ms. Echiverri
Joel Saracho as Mr. Pangan
Ruby Ruiz as Felix's mom
Badjun Lacap as Felix's dad
Jomari Angeles as Spencer
Jerom Canlas as Leon
Dylan Talon as Arwin

Production

Director Petersen Vargas started his career in filmmaking by producing short films and shooting music videos. He became prominent after he won the Best Direction award for his short film, Lisyun qng Geografia, in the 2015 Cinemalaya Film Festival.^[8] In early 2016, Vargas approached fellow Kapampangan filmmaker Jason Paul Laxamana to collaborate for an entirely different story concept he had in mind. But instead, Laxamana offered him to direct a script he has written which was originally entitled Dos Mestizos. Laxamana's script focused on the effect of the arrival of the half-American Snyder brothers in their new school and Vargas made some revisions to this script to focus on their relationship with Felix. Later on, Vargas and the film's creative consultant, Jade Castro, decided to change its title from Dos Mestizos to 2 Cool 2 Be 4gotten to reflect the youthful spirit of the film. The title was inspired by Lucinda Williams' 1998 song, "2 Kool 2 Be 4-gotten".^[9]

They finished filming the film in just 8 days in order for it to be completed in time for the 2016 Cinema One Originals Film Festival.^[10]

Release

The film originally received a R-13 rating during its screenings at the 2016 Cinema One Originals Film Festival. When it was submitted for a review for its nationwide commercial release, the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) gave it a R-16 rating. The producers appealed the rating but instead, the MTRCB slammed the film with a R-18 rating as it said that “the film lacks any social redeeming value.” This caused an outrage from some netizens and filmmakers.^[11]

Critical reception

Maridol Ranoa-Bismark of Philippine Entertainment Portal writes, "2 Cool has the potential to affect viewers with its versions of unconditional love."^[12] Philbert Dy of The Neighborhood gave it 4.5 out of 5 stars, commending the cinematography and the acting of the ensemble cast.^[13] Oggs Cruz of Rappler praised Laxamana's screenplay by describing it "as intelligent as it is emotionally potent." Cruz further described the film as "a work of gorgeous sentimentality."^[14]

Rito Asilo of the Philippine Daily Inquirer highlighted the performances of Ramos and Salvador by saying that the film "gets its main thespic tag-team boost from Salvador and Ramos’ complementary portrayals, each in thoughtful sync with the other."^[15] Status Magazine stated that it would "keep the audience on their toes with gripping scenes and a conflicted narrative."^[16] Prominent writer J. Neil Garcia described the film as "textured and outstanding". Furthermore, he praised the "deft and beautiful direction" of Vargas and the "comparably strong and noteworthy" performances of Ramos, Salvador and Blake.^[17]^[18] Movies for Millennials calls it "...sweet, humorous, romantic... An experience that's too cool to be forgotten. No pun intended."^[19]

Awards and nominations

Year	Association	Award	Category	Nominee	Result	Source
2016	Cinema One Originals	12th Cinema One Originals Film Festival	Best Picture	2 Cool 2 Be 4gotten	Won	^[3]^[20]
			Best Director	Petersen Vargas	Nominated
			Best Actor	Khalil Ramos	Nominated
			Best Supporting Actor	Jameson Blake	Won
			Best Supporting Actor	Ethan Salvador	Nominated
			Best Supporting Actress	Ana Capri	Nominated
			Best Screenplay	Jason Paul Laxamana	Nominated
			Best Cinematography	Carlos Mauricio	Won
			Best Editing	Mark Cyril Bautista	Nominated
			Best Music	Alyana Cabral Christopher Flores	Nominated
			Best Sound	Monoxide Works	Nominated
2017	Young Critics Circle	27th Young Critics Circle Awards	Best First Feature	2 Cool 2 Be 4gotten	Won	^[21]
	National Museum of Cinema	32nd Lovers Film Festival - Torino LGBTQI Visions	Audience Choice Award	2 Cool 2 Be 4gotten	Won	^[22]
	Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino	40th Gawad Urian Awards	Best Actor	Khalil Ramos	Nominated	^[23]
	Philippine Movie Press Club	33rd Star Awards for Movies	New Movie Actor of the Year	Jameson Blake	Nominated	^[24]