Maja Salavador and Paulo Avelino plays Caridad Sonia “Carson” Herrera and Dionysus “Dio” Brillo respectively. They're best friends who are finally about to graduate from college after their long overdue stay in UP for three years. They've know each other for seven years, and they've gone through a lot of stuff already that they're practically closer than BFFs. Days before their graduation, Dio invites Carson to go on one last road trip to La Union for a music festival. Carson agrees, and she is joined by her ever supportive gay bestfriend Jason Ty (played by indie favorite Dominic Roco). Little did Dio know is that Carson has been harboring feelings for him for the past seven years. Problem arises when Dio's ex-grilfriend Pathy (Jasmin Curtis Smith) shows up in the picture to reconnect with him. Will Carson finally get the courage (with the help of a bottle of beer) to tell Dio her true feelings for her before it's too late?
Maja Salvador plays her character Carson with so much commitment that she actually feels like the real thing. She doesn't look like she's just playing a role. It's as if she itself was Carson plucked out of the real world. Her funny quips and natural acting brings her character to life. She doesn't feel nor look like a caricature of past female romcom leads we have seen before. It was actually weird because it feels like I'm just watching a friend of mine, someone that I know, in the big screen. Paulo Avelino's Dio, who mostly glides through the emo/ mysterious type of guy, actually feels more authentic than most male characters we see on romcoms these days. Remember Enrique Gil's character Gio in the first few minutes of the other recently released My Ex And Whys? Though both Dio and Gio shares that moody and mystic attitude of their character, Paulo Avelino's Dio stands out between the two because his portrayal of the role is more raw and natural. Gio is on the verge of becoming this pop fiction character while Dio is bordered in reality. I don't wanna compare the two but it's just the truth. Dominic Roco and Jasmin Curtis Smith deserve some praise for their portrayal of the classic gay best friend and the ex-girlfriend, respectively. Dominic Roco plays his character, Jason Ty, with gusto, though seeing him do those girly moves with his body kinda feels a bit awkward. Jasmin Curtis plays the role of Dio's ex-grilfriend, Pathy with honesty. I don't know why but I can't feel any hate towards her character with the way she portrays the role. She's supposed to be the kontrabida in the love story of Carson and Dio but Jasmin gives her character some empathy, that she's just a normal person like one of us, hoping to be back with someone she loved before. Instead, my hatred was actually all pointed towards Dio. I don't know why I loathed him so much after the film. Maybe I met one like him in my life before and seeing what Dio have done to Carson made me feel all the pain all over again.
Another thing that I really loved about this film is the awesome soundtrack. Taking cues from films like the 2007 Irish film Once and the 2013 American film Begin Again, JP Habac infuses some great OPM songs into the story. But don't think of it as just another musical film because it isn't. The injection of songs into the scenes doesn't change the whole movie's reality based tone and atmosphere. It actually adds more punch into the pain that the audience will feel while watching the scenes. From Juan Miguel Severo, Kai Honasan, The Out of Body Special, Ang Bandang Shirley, Cynthia Alexander, Parokya ni Edgar, as well as Ebe Dancel, Johnoy Danao, Bullet Dumas and many more, what else can you ask for, right?
I'm Drunk I Love You presents itself as a romantic comedy/ music film. But if you've actually watched the film already, you'll know that this is by no means the romance film you were expecting to see. Yes, it does feature a character who is in love with another character which I guess is a requirement for it to pass as a romance movie. Yet I've read in Wikipedia that one dictionary defined it as "a funny movie, play, or television program about a love story that ends happily". Well, this movie is not that. It's actually more of a coming-of-age story. A wake-up call. A self-help manual. A reminder. And slap in the face. A harsh slap to make you realize that hey, it's time to grow up and move on.
The so-called friendzone is a great basket of tearjerk stories that will definitely bring out all the hugot and feels in each one of us. We love stories about friends falling for their BFFs, and ending up together. Therefore, we live these stories and follow these character's decisions. These days, a lot of people, particularly those in the teenage years up to young adult stages are very fond of the idea of hiding their feelings for a person. We entertain this poetic idea of a love, and are contented of just being the best friend. We end up being martyrs because of our own doing. We are hoping that we are somehow gonna end up like those fairytale stories of BFFs ending up together in the end. We end up hoping, and hoping. But this film wants us to wake up from this dreamy depiction of love and asks us to get real. The movie wants us to be honest to our emotions and to ourselves. It wants us to take the chance, to risk and make that decision. Because if we won't take that one, bold move now, what else is there for us but to be stuck in an endless cycle of heartbreaks. Just like Carson who already maxed out on the MRR (Maximum Residency Rule) of UP, we too have reached our quota in our own lives. Guys, it's time to grow up and move on.
Rating: ✰✰✰✰✰ out of 5
I'm Drunk I Love You (2017)
Starring Maja Salvador, Paulo Avelino, Dominic Roco, Jasmin Curtis-Smith
Directed by JP Habac
Directed by JP Habac
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