Alone/Together

Alone/Together is my first Liza Soberano-Enrique Gil movie and I really wanted to like it but I didn't as much and maybe because it's a Tonette Jadaone/Black Sheep productions that my expectation was set high and with good reasons: Never Not Love You for Jadaone and Exes Baggage for Black Sheep. It's surprising I've never seen a comparison between Never Not Love You and Alone/Together because they pretty much resemble each other: the girl who's struggling to find herself compromised by being there for her partner and the boy who was a failure at first but became a success after. Both were written and directed by Jadaone and released less than a year apart, NNLY in 2018 and A/T in 2019. I was wondering if I saw it in reverse, would I like A/T as much as NNLY (for reference I rated NNLY a rare 4 of 5) but I reckon I wouldn't primarily because I feel both actors fell short of what was required of them. Soberano had to be 27 yo and although she did look the part, she still resonated 22 yo (her actual age.) As for Gil, he was supposed to be a doctor, cum laude to boot, but there wasn't any wisdom or maturity displayed in his acting. All I could do was watch them drown scene after scene and while it wasn't bad per se, it just didn't provide me the escape I'm looking for whenever I watch a movie.

Now while A/T seems like a knock-off of NNLY (actually even that last confrontation scene reminded me of One More Chance), it's not a waste of time because it had its own strengths, particularly the beginning when we see Soberano's character and her promising trajectory as an overachieving Arts major headed for the big leagues. She was believable whenever she spewed knowledge about the arts, and she looked good to boot. In fact, she looked so good the only way we could root for her after the wrong decisions she made in her life was for Gil to be paired with the equally gorgeous Jasmine Curtis Smith who appeared a little under 5mins with barely anything to say. Meanwhile, all Gil had to do was go out of a hospital wearing a lab gown and we're supposed to believe this made him a doctor. The most interesting part aside from the Met Museum tour is the conversation they have about how Soberano's character's life turned out was due to cowardice or bravery: her decisions can be interpreted as cowardice by the person looking from the outside, but it was bravery for her who had to live it.

It would've made more sense if A/T was marketed as a Soberano standalone movie instead of a LizQuen Valentine's day offering. It was just about her character with some guest appearances. In essence, A/T was brave to put Soberano out there, but it was cowardly to leave her hang out to dry. It would've been better if we could've seen both Soberano and Gil feeling Alone in their respective relationships, and in stark contrast how happy they were when Together. They might not have gotten it right this time, but hopefully they will all be brave enough to try again.