The meaning of limerence, and recognizing that rain is ‘ulan’ in Filipino, will help you understand the why of my title to this review, after having watched the film. "100 Awit Para Kay Stella" is the long-awaited sequel to the 2018 box office hit 100 Tula Para Kay Stella, and it opens in cinemas this Sept. 10.

For those who have not watched the first film, the premise chronicles the four years of college life and friendship between Stella (Bela Padilla), a free-spirited wannabe rock star, and Fidel (JC Santos), an earnest, artistic young man with a speech impediment. At its core, it was a ‘will they, won’t they’ kind of film that rang as authentic, because it was so much deeper and about missed chances, and not your regular rom-com treatment.

Picking up more than a decade later in the lives of the two, when we encounter Stella, she’s an event organizer, and Fidel is a ghostwriter/composer for a young recording star, Clyde (Kyle Echarri), who is following the footsteps of his late father, a recording industry legend. Clyde makes an appearance in one of Stella’s speed dating events, and when asked to sing one of his songs, it strikes a chord with Stella, who senses the lyrics could only have been penned by Fidel.

What then ensues is a narrative that rekindles the feelings that have always lain below the surface between the two, coupled with the realization that much of what has transpired in their own respective lives in the intervening years still requires resolution and understanding. So there continues that element of ‘will they, won’t they’; but it’s now layered with more psycho-drama and emotional weight. Kudos to writer/director Jason Paul Laxamana for turning this love story around and eschewing the temptation to go crowd-pleasing, and turning it into a simplistic, perfect concluding love story.

While you have numerous ‘kilig’ moments, there are as many ‘ugly cry’ sequences, and when I watched the film, you could hear the shrieks of anticipation and the collective sighs of the audience. As with the first film, the musical soundtrack is just as important as the lines of dialogue in helping us understand what is happening between the two leads. The song Lipstick Na Itim should be the hit single from the film, and it deserves all the accolades it’ll get.

A salute to the lighting director as he makes Fidel/JC look really good in the sunlight and from the glow of a campfire; and Stella/Bela is luminous throughout, not just via the lighting, but with her portrayal and the arc of Stella in this film. She reminds us how one man’s limerence and goddess can also be a victim and whipping dog of another man, and it’s finding oneself that ultimately counts.

Fidel has his own arc to negotiate and explore, and JC’s strong stage background comes through, as he plumbs the layers of his character. At times weak, at times resolute when driven and prodded, but always sympathetic. Echarri portrays Clyde as a pouting young Elvis, and it works. When asked for more depth in the latter scenes, one can see that the two veteran actors just have that much more chemistry between them, but that’s not necessarily Echarri’s fault, and he gets my nod for the effort.

The narrative keeps you off balance, and you can’t predict what’ll happen next - which is a good thing. If you like coincidences, then your eyebrows won’t be raised by how a sudden change of venue by RainStart, the events group of Stella, means they end up in the house of Fidel’s late father, a home that he leases out, and that Clyde would show up to sing at the event.

100 Awit Para Kay Stella is a film with no neat resolution, reminding us that, as so often in real life, there are no neat endings. But it leaves us with hope, and the chance for renewal. Let’s see if it’ll become a trilogy, like Before Sunrise by Richard Linklater. That would be nice, and I’m hoping Jason Paul is listening!