Hard to love, harder to hate

COMPETITIONS. Kris Aquino teams up with Joshua Garcia and Julia Barretto in "I Love You, Hater". All screenshots of YouTube / ABS Cinema CBN Star

There is a scene in Giselle Andres I Love You, Hater which makes the film worth almost all its problems.

Reasons

Zoey (Julia Barretto), clearly ecstatic, is in front of Joko (Joshua Garcia), his rival of several weeks for the position of assistant to media mogul Sasha (Kris Aquino).

She tells Joko of a sacrifice (which involved her lying to Sasha) and strangely does not result in the recognition of love that she could have expected. Joko, stunned because he knows how Zoey appreciates honesty, begs her to tell him why she did it.

Out of all the absurdity and foolishness of his feelings, Zoey begins to cry and confesses his love for him knowing that he will never love him because he is gay.

However, Joko is not gay.

He pretended to be gay just to have a stab at the lucrative work under Sasha. He also loves Zoey, and admits, with the fact that his homosexuality is a trick. Zoey does not take it lightly, and her tears of self-pity turn quickly into tears of rage because of someone's betrayal she may have liked to the point of embarrassing

The scene is remarkable for several reasons.

The scene allows Barretto, who has proven himself in previous films as a very beautiful actress, to produce a nuanced performance, that is, an understanding of the subtle differences in the various emotions conveyed by the film. Act of crying.

Barretto's performance would not have been possible if the story, which was shamelessly complicated from the start, did not bother so relentlessly to reach such an emotionally loving and surprisingly authentic confrontation between the two stunted lovers.

BUSINESS MEDIA. Sasha (Kris Aquino) is a businesswoman looking for an assistant.

Creature of Formula

At least at this stage of the film, it works

It almost seemed like its diverted way of addressing the value of truth in the field of relationships, profession and even sexuality is complete meaning. It almost seemed like some of his brushes with insensitivity when it came to representing gays or their ways out had more reason for them than an attempt to amplify either the drama or comedy, that the movie engages quite feverishly. The film is funny when it is necessary. It goes to romance or drama with ease and mechanics.

In fact, it almost seemed like the movie was making a real statement and not just an acceptable moralism that has always been linked to these commercial love stories.

are surprising loose ends that provoke. Sideplots, such as those involving the father separate from Zoey or the ex-husband of Sasha, are never granted the expected resolutions of rom-coms that aspire to happy ends for everyone.

This can be interpreted as indicating a more progressive direction for gender, considering that the repercussions of the purpose are to represent women realizing their value despite the negligence of men in their lives.

I Love You, Hater is still a creature of formula.

He avoids cutting deeper than he should. He dwells on easily recognizable dilemmas and all the strong feelings that accompany them. This is not bad at all, but its simplistic character poses several problems, especially if its claim is based on problems requiring a little more sensitivity.

PROBLEM? Joshua Garcia claims to be gay to get the job assistant offered by Sasha.

Suintant de charme

With all its problems, I Love You, Hater is a difficult film to love.

Fortunately, it is full of charm, making it a more difficult film to hate. – Rappler.com

Francis Joseph Cruz pleads for a living and writes about cinema for fun. The first Filipino film that he saw in theaters was the Pass Tirad by Carlo J. Caparas

Since then, he's on a mission to find better memories with Filipino cinema