PHILIPPINE MOVIE REVIEW | Barcelona: A Love Untold

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WARNING: SPOILERS. 

Kathniel at it again, making a box-office hit. Mahahabang pila, mga tumitiling fans kapag nai-interview about the film, the commendations from other celebs, etc. 

Trailer palang, kita mo nang ito na talaga ang transition ng naturang loveteam from their cutesy lovey-dovey roles into serious ones. Kumbaga, ang kwento ng mga karakter nila ay hindi na naka-sentro sa romance. And that is exactly what Barcelona: A Love Untold gave to its viewers. 

What made me become motivated to watch this movie is its director, Olivia Lamasan, fondly called "Inang" by most artists from ABS-CBN. For those who are unaware or living under the rock, Olivia Lamasan is one of Philippines' highly-acclaimed directors and has created some of the most memorable and phenomenal movies like Got 2 Believe (w/ Rico Yan [may his soul rest in peace] and Claudine Barretto), Milan (w/ Piolo Pascual and Claudine Barretto) , and my personal favorite, Starting Over Again (with Toni Gonzaga-Soriano and Piolo Pascual).

Okay. Title-wise, obvious naman dito kung saan ang setting. Then, the subtitle "A Love Untold", dyan ako curious. Bakit untold? Sasagutin ko 'to later on based on my understanding. 

The core of this movie is pretty much around the concepts of finding yourself and move forward with your life. Both Ely and Mia have gone through so much remorse in their lives back in the Philippines and both of them thought that settling in Barcelona would help them escape. 

A SNEAK PEEK ABOUT THE MOVIE:

Sa part ni Ely, he went to Barcelona to purse his masters in Architecture. He's been juggling 3 jobs para may mapa-sustento sa family niya sa Pinas. Ang issue niya ay ang kanyang ina. She left her family when Ely was still a little boy and went on a relationship with a rich Spanish guy. He used to have a loving girlfriend named Celine who unfortunately passed away and obviously Ely has not moved on from her. 

As fate has it, his ex-gf Celine looks so much like Mia. Mia, on the other hand, was like the "blacksheep" of the family. She caused embarrassment on her family due to her cheating scandal back in her college years. Nag-abroad siya dahil hindi niya na kinakaya ang trato ng ama sa kanya and also, gusto niyang patunayan sa sarili niya and to her family that she will do great. That she is so much more than that one mistake from her past.

I read a couple reviews before starting to write my own. This particular review from Rappler, written by Oggs Cruz, said that BALU is "dull and ineffective". Nasa mismong title pa iyan ng review niya. Another thing he said is "... it all feels too mechanical, too designed to work. It's all brazenly artificial." (Google search this if you wanna prove it's legit. Type nyo "Rappler review barcelona a love untold") 

Now, what is my say about the movie? 

Na-sense ko rin agad ang mga objectives ng paggawa ng film na ito. 

Since it's shot in a different country, nariyan ang scenes depicting how Filipinos are doing in a foreign country. Kung ano ang pinagdadaanan ng isang OFW. It was shown in the scene na nasa long table sina Ely and Mia with other Filipinos na kakilala ng auntie ni Ely (played by Aiko Melendez). Ely was helping Mia to get a job and Mia requested on the spot for an office job since she graduated with a Psychology degree back home. The people at the table started telling what degrees they finished with in PH then what jobs they got when they settled in Barcelona to work. Na kesyo Accountancy graduate pero nag-work doon as a janitor. You get the point. 

Especially when Ely emphasized in a later scene how Filipinos swallow their pride in exchange of earning money for their loved ones. And this is true. Even here in Canada, I am aware of Filipinos taking jobs far from the field they actually majored in in PH. Simple lang, kapag kasi nagpaka-choosy ka, wala kang kita. And it's the reality, especially if you are new in a different country, you start at the lowest point. But of course, you work your way up as time goes by. Madalas, kumukuha muna kasi ng experience ang Pinoy para magkaroon ng strong asset sa resume when they decided to work somewhere else that they desire.