I'm Drunk I Love You review

It is very rare for movies to tackle romance in a gritty, real way. Most of the times, romantic films focus on how good it is to feel in love. Most films we see today uses romance as an escape to reality. But then, there are those films who would rather hit us with the painful truth about love than portray it as a colorful adventure. And I have never seen a movie to ever do that as hard as JP Habac's I'm Drunk I Love You.

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

Sakaling Hindi Makarating review

Love is one of the main recipes of every Filipino film. It's present in almost every single film released locally. It's like a film is not complete without it. And most of the time, the film presents love as something that is to be shared with someone else. A partner. A lover. But here's one movie which portrays love in a new light. Sakaling Hindi Makarating.

It's a romance movie, but not exactly. Well, it does have a bit of romance injected in the story, but it doesn't really focus the whole movie on that aspect alone. Usually, romance movies portray people finding love and happiness in another person. There's like three other local movie releases this month that does exactly that. But Sakaling hindi Makarating stands out among these film not because it deals with a poetic love story that is bound to be tested by destiny and time. Instead, it's focus on showing us that one can also find love and happiness without the need of another person in your life. It's a romance story that will inspire you to love yourself.

Let me just clarify something before we proceed. This is not the first time I have watched this film. This movie is actually one of the entries in last year's CineFilipino film festival. It is also one of the festival favorites, as it won 7 awards during the festival including 2nd Best Picture and Best Director. I first watched this film when it had a rerun in UP CineAdarna last April 2016. The director, Ice Idanan, some of the crew and cast members were even present for a Q&A after the screening. I even got to ask them a question which made the whole (packed) theater laughed: "Para po makatulog ako ngayong gabi, can you tell me kung sino po talaga ang nakatuluyan ni Cielo?" Then, I was able to watch it the second time last December 2016 during the Inquirer Indie Bravo Festival at Cinema '76 Film Society, a micro theater in Mandaluyong City. There, I met the movie's producer, Melai Entuna who shared some trivias and fun facts about the film. And finally, after a long wait, the film had it's national theatrical release last February 1, almost a year after it's original showing.

Sakaling Hindi Makarating is the first independent Filipino film that I watched and enjoyed inside a theater. It is also the first film that made me fall in love with indie films. I don't know what happened to it but it put a spell on me after, that I craved for more indie films as the months passed. Then, a friend of mine,  Jonell Estillore, a movie blogger and founder of Cinema Bravo, brought me to Cinema '76 which was a haven for indie film lovers. And since then, I started watching more and more indie films that I could watch, from Nestor Abrogena's Ang Kwento Nating Dalawa to Marie Jamora's Ang Nawawala. And even though Petersen Vargas' 2 Cool 2 Be 4gotten already holds the title as my most favorite film of all time, Sakaling Hindi Makarating will always have a special place here in my heart as the first indie film I've fallen in love with.

Sakaling hindi Makarating (In Case They Don't Arrive) is about a heartbroken woman named Cielo (played by Alessandra De Rossi). She and her finacee have just broke up after that latter decided that his life is in the States and wanted the two of them to live there permanently. Cielo does not approve this as her life is here in the Philippines, causing their break-up. She ended up staying in the apartment that they shared, crying herself to sleep every night (with some alcohol on the side). There, she met her neighbor, Paul (Pepe Herera) who handed her some postcards that were dropped in their mailbox. The mysterious postcards depicted different provinces in the country, but she doesn't know where and whom it came from. The only thing she knows about the sender is that he hides in a pseudonym, M. So she embarks on a journey, travelling to each of the provinces depicted in the postcards, in hopes of finding the real identity of the anonymous sender, M.

Just like what I've said earlier, this film is a romance film, but not quite. It shows romance in a different point of view. The movie is like a discovery of one's self. Of finding a new meaning for love. Ice Idanan wanted us to see love in a different angle. She wanted to show to us that you don't need someone else, a man or a woman, to complete yourself. To make you feel full in your life. She wanted to show to us that we can be happy and feel loved even if we are single or alone. She wanted to focus on showing us how to love ourselves. If you search for the word romance /rōˈmans,ˈrōˌmans/ in Google, one of the definitions you will get is that it's the feeling of excitement and mystery associated with love. It's doesn't necessarily mean that you need someone to have romance in your life. The fact that you love yourself is already enough. But I guess we all miss that point at this era where romance is all about love teams, blockbuster hits and Wattpad chicklits.

One thing that really made this film so memorable too was the performance of the actors. Alessandra De Rossi is definitely one of the most underrated actresses in the country. I mean, she should be given more and more projects where she can utilize that talent. She was so amazing in her portrayal of Cielo. She was able to make us believe in her character. I remember watching her in another indie film before, Antoinette Jadaone 's Relax, It's Just Pag-ibig (2014). And she was so amazing there despite her short appearance. She totally stole the show. And seeing her again in Sakaling Hindi Makarating, I must say that she did it again. Pepe Hererra was also great in his role as Paul. He adds a little bit of humor in this film, and somehow makes us want to have a friend like him who would always be my our sides whatever happens. JC Santos in his pre-Till I Met You days was also great. He looks dashing in that long hairdo and also shares a great chemistry with Alessandra De Rossi. The rest of the cast, from Teri Malvar and Hiraya Plata, were also outstanding in their roles.

Aside from the great cast, one will never forget the film for it's gorgeous cinematography. The film, which was shot in five of the most beautiful provinces in the Philippines, uses these picturesque locations not only as backdrops but tools to move the story forward. As Cielo travels from one location to another, she discovers something new to her life. She slowly grows up into a more matured person. Ice Idanan's cinematography itself will definitely bring out the wanderlust in you. I recall smiling and just staring blankly at the screen, wishing I was inside the movie as it jumps from one gorgeous location to another. Every scene is carefully framed and orchestrated to highlight these locations, from the sweeping aerial shots of the colorful vinta regattas in Zamboanga to the breathtaking cliffs of Batanes, this whole film will impress you. This, mixed with a beautiful soundtrack, is just too irresistible. 

With it's simple yet heartfelt story, outstanding cast, and astounding visuals featuring the beauty of our very own country, is sure to bring delight and uplift one's spirit after watching it. This film will bring you hope that you can find happiness in this world even though you don't have a plus one to celebrate Valentines Day every year. It's a stirring and touching journey in finding one's self, and a realization in life that happiness, in indeed, in each one of us.

Rating: ✰✰✰✰✰ out of 5

Sakaling Hindi Makarating (2016)

Starring Alessandra De Rossi, Pepe Hererra, JC Santos

Written by Ice Idanan & Petersen Vargas, directed by Ice Idanan

Best Director-Ice Idanan; Best Actor-Pepe Herrera; Best Cinematography; Best Musical Score; Best Sound; Best Editing; Best Picture (2nd Place)