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Carson (Maja Salvador) and Dio (Paulo Avelino)
have been best friends for seven years, but that is about to come to an end.
Maxing out their MRR, they finally graduate. Inevitable change is about to come
when they reveal their plans after obtaining their diploma. He wants to go to
law school to follow the footsteps of his parents before him. She wants to work
as a social worker to give back to her mother, who can’t be any happier that
she has finished college at last. Carson has always been in love with Dio, but
she never had the guts to admit her feelings. Tagging along on a road trip to
La Union en route to a music festival, she musters all her strength through
alcohol and the coaching of her gay friend Jason Ty (Dominic Roco) to confess
her love once and for all. What she doesn’t know is that he decided to go to
that event to meet his old flame Pathy (Jasmine Curtis-Smith), an overachiever
who left him for her dreams seven years ago. Will she end up graduating from
the friend zone or is this the end of the road for the two of them?
We have all been there. Most people consider
college as the best time of their lives. There’s just so much going on at
university that seems to be a matter of life and death. Sometimes, romance
becomes a coping mechanism to cope with that kind of pressure, and from it
stems a myriad of love stories that are all different yet still very much the
same in its core. In this film, it’s the unrequited kind, the much dreaded
friend zone which might have undergone a couple of name changes through the
decades but serves as a common experience regardless which generation you
belong to.
Salvador totally embodies the best friend who
has always been there, but her lingering stares should have separate billing.
You know that an actress is really good when she does not have to utter a word
and yet manages to make you feel what she won’t dare verbalize. It also helps
that she does look fresh out of college. That lends some credibility to her
portrayal. Her verbal musings with Roco while inebriated serve as the highlight
of their story arc. That particular scene just hits so close to home. You
should know, when the teenagers seated next to you start to audibly cringe, as
if they were watching a documentary of their very own idiocy when it comes to
love. If you are well above thirty, it will serve as a reminder of how
complicated everything was back then, yet so fun. The bygone era of your
carefree existence!
Avelino and Curtis-Smith are just fine. They
are able to give what their characters demand. Perhaps the issue is
with characterization. Both Carson and Jason Ty turn out to be more memorable
because of their quirks. Here you have two people who wear their hearts on
their sleeves, a train wreck waiting to be criticized. Dio and Pathy are the
quiet type. There’s always this air of mystery surrounding them, which could
easily translate as boring to some moviegoers. In terms of chemistry, Salvador
and Avelino do have it, although theirs is more like rapport between two
friends. Somehow, seeing them as lovers feels a bit awkward, or maybe it’s just
me.
Roco is entertaining as the gay friend. While
he serves the purpose of the best friend role, it is good to see that he has a
subplot of his own. He is not there just to be one of the lead characters’ conscience
or train of thought, but rather a well fleshed out person who has his own story
to tell.
We love romantic comedies in which the lead
characters just think out loud, usually with the assistance of liquor, to
express what they really feel inside. We have nothing against mainstream love
stories. It’s just that the predictability of the formula employed usually
takes the thrill out of the equation. With indie flicks that tackle love and
relationship without having to rely on tried and tested gimmicks, the focus will always be on the
dialogue. In a way, it doesn’t feel like watching a movie, but rather listening
to a friend open up about his or her heartaches. Such technique fosters a more
personal atmosphere, an intimate setup that feels strangely familiar.
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