If you haven't seen 'I'm Drunk, I Love You' yet released almost 2 years ago then this long weekend is the perfect time to do so especially if you will just be staycationing, so you can live vicariously through Dio, Carson and Jason as they go on a road trip to La Union before the first two finally graduates after seven long years - the same amount of time Carson has been pining over her best friend Dio. The movie was conceived during the director's nightly drinking sessions with friends (whoever said that being a drunkard will get you nowhere?), it is relatable in the sense that unless you have strict parents that you never tried to go against there's a big chance that you've:
*Gone on a road trip spontaneously,
*Bad influenced a friend to ditch work due to said road trip,
*Got drunk and said stupid things,
*Woke up the next morning regretting saying such stupid things.
Director JP Habac explained in making IDILY: "I truly wanted to show true cinema and one that makes you think thoroughly. We have gotten many cute films. I wanted to make a film that would challenge and break RomCom norms" - and break the RomCom norms he did with this excellent piece of work that deserved more attention and love than when it was first shown. Paulo Avelino (who co-produced) even went on a Twitter rant calling out the lack of support from local movie theaters. But then again isn't that the travesty some of the greatest Indie films have to go through? Fight for the short attention span of the viewers who mostly gravitate towards manufactured love teams, preferably those that can turn on the waterworks. Which is quite unfortunate because it's brilliantly written so much so that I'm already laughing way too much within the first 30 minutes. The answer is yes if you were wondering whether I saw myself as Carson, stupidly pining over someone who will never feel the same way about me (come to think of, did I ever stop? lol,) and then as Jason, the wise gay best friend who shepherded his more stupid-in-love female friends into salvation (you can thank me by hitting the like button.)
The cast all delivered, anchored by the talented Maja Salvador (I see shades of Judy Ann Santos), Paulo Avelino (I dunno if it was great acting or he was just being himself, you know, a FB) Felix Roco (who I usually like and he was great here, but I would've wanted someone more natural for the gay bf, like Mikoy Morales,) and indie darling Jasmine Curtis Smith (for a small role, she filled it up nicely.) Cinematography was beautiful, as if each shot was carefully planned with some looking like they were telling a story in itself, and the color palette they used in some take were effervescent. The last 10 minutes where they were together and didn't say anything spoke volumes, much more than if they had a conversation (something like that last scene in Call Me By Your Name.) A sequel is already in the works, and can we all agree that this time, we will give it the attention it deserved?
