Filipino Viewers Have A Newfound Appreciation For Alessandra De Rossi, Thanks To "Through Night And Day"

It's better late than never.

Through Night and Day, a tearjerker of a romantic drama from 2018 starring Alessandra de Rossi and Paolo Contis, was a commercial flop when it was shown in cinemas. At one point, there was one theater that housed only four moviegoers during a screening, portending not so great returns to come with a painful follow up of unfulfilled potential. 

And so, the movie came and went, leaving behind as little as an echo of a hiccup in the local movie landscape when its week-long cinema run had ended—until this month, that is. 

Through Night and Day made it to Netflix Philippines last July 9, and in a matter of days, skyrocketed to the streaming website's number one trending movie spot, something that's sure to cement Alessandra's status as a queen of the local film industry's hidden gems treasure box. It's an achievement we know she's proud of, despite her masking her joy with her signature sense of self-deprecating humor.

Her co-star Paolo was just as thankful to viewers for giving them a second chance. 

People on social media, in droves, lamented the missed opportunity to see the Veronica Velasco-directed film when it was still out on the big screen and available in high definition with surround sound, and best enjoyed with movie snacks. 

Twitter in particular was on fire with movie stills captioned with the film's best quotes and those weeping over the film's relatability and gut-punching portrayal of the realities of long-term relationships, while its acting and cinematography were similarly well-received by an audience surprised at what they discovered. 

Alessandra plays the role of Jen, fiancé to Paolo's Ben. 

Their rhyming names are made even cuter by their relationship's background; the pair was together for 13 years before getting engaged and to celebrate the milestone, head off to Iceland, Jen's ultimate dream travel destination. What ensues, as you might have inferred, is a series of unfortunate and less-than-romantic events. 

Alessandra does more than play the film's leading lady, though. The story was actually her own making.

However, she eventually enlisted the help of screenwriter Noreen Capili to give life to her ideas, a collaboration that proved to be well worth it. 

Still on the topic of sleeper hits, Through Night and Day isn't Alessandra's first taste of indie success.

In 2017, she made noise for Kita Kita, also a romance film. The movie had her play a blind woman who eventually finds love again after healing from a disastrous relationship. Like Through Night and Day, the film was patronized only by a few in its initial release, but gained a following within the year while also making impressive financial gains. (Kita Kita even got an Indonesian remake!). 

Alessandra also played the female lead in Watch List, a crime thriller centered on the experiences of a widowed mother protecting her children from the cruel consequences and collateral damage of the Philippine drug war. It was released in February of this year. It was unlike the roles we had seen her play before, but similar to them in terms of how well she projected a character's inner feelings and how snugly her own feet fit into their fictional shoes. 

If there's anything that Through Day and Night's success shows us about Alessandra's acting prowess, it's that time has only fine tuned and sharpened it, making all her performances razor sharp. 

Photos from @viva_films @msderossi / Movie still from "Through Night and Day"