#jp habac

[eohachu]

[ID: nine gifs from Gaya Sa Pelikula, showing Vlad and Karl dancing unrestrainedly through Karl's apartment. /end ID]

REWATCHED IN 2023:

Gaya Sa Pelikula (2020), dir. JP Habac

#gaya sa pelikula #like in the movies #pinoy drama #filipino drama #gayasapelikulaedit #cinematv #tvarchive #asiancentral #asiandramanet #asianlgbtqdrama #dailyasiandramas #asiandramasource #userdramas #tuserskc #tuserkinga #tuserashinlae #tuserjade #gaya sa pelikula 2020 #r.gif #*mine #*mine:gsp #*watched #. sooo hard to colour omg. i Tried #. wonderful wonderful drama tho

[kalakian]

Summer MMFF 2023 official 8 entries

Apag Director: Brillante Mendoza Starring: Coco Martin, Lito Lapid, Jaclyn Jose, Gladys Reyes

Singlebells Director: Fifth Solomon Starring: Aljur Abrenica, Alex Gonzaga, Angeline Quinto

About Us but not About Us Director: Jun Robles Lana Starring: Romnick Sarmienta, Elijah Canlas

Kahit Maputi na Ang Buhok Ko Director: Joven M Tan Starring: RK Bagatsing, Meg Imperial

Unravel: A Swiss Side Love Story Director: RC delos Reyes Starring: Gerald Anderson, Kylie Padilla

Here Comes the Groom Director: Chris Martinez Starring: Enchong Dee, Kempee de Leon, Awra Briguela, Xilhouete, Maris Racal, Kaladkaren

Yung Libro sa Napanuod Ko Director: Bela Starring: Yoo Min-Gon, Bela Padilla

Love You Long Time Director: JP Habac Starring: Carlo Aquino, Eisel Serrano 

#kalakian #pelikula #pelikulang pilipino #mmff #metro manila film festival #summer mmff 2023 #love you long time 2023 #yung libro sa napanuod ko #here comes the groom 2023 #unravel 2023 #kahit maputi na ang buhok ko 2023 #about us but not about us #single bells 2023 #apag 2023 #filipino #pilipino #pilipinas #philippine cinema

[thebaronmunchausen]

"and besides, i'm an ally. and, a socialist."

—Judit, Gaya Sa Pelikula, Ep 02, dir. JP Habac

[ginnsbaker]

https://www.tumblr.com/ginnsbaker/722917822907416576/httpswwwtumblrcomginnsbaker72290800529276928?source=share

Correct ko lang si filo moot, I'm Drunk I Love you was directed by JP Habac 😁

And yes it was DEFINITELY WORTH THE WATCH , KAKATAPOS KO LANG SYANG IREWATCH JUST NOW JAJDKKSJSKS

Publishing this for the other anon :)

[gorsuuuch]

watching another jp habac movie sa netflix, yung here and there.

[sapphorarelyreads]

Gaya sa pelikula special episode 1

Gaya sa pelikula is a beautiful series that is created and directed by queer people starring queer people for queer people

exactlyyy paolo!! i dont wanna be the one who stans actors for saying trans rights which is supposed to be like basic human rights but im glad he spoke about it.

#pride month 2021 #gaya sa pelikula #gsplife #gsp spoilers #paolo pangilinan #ian pangilinan #karl almasen #vlad austria #jp habac #karlvlad #pinoy bl #gay pinoy #lgbt representation #asian lgbtq dramas

[porpla]

It’s hard not to look at you, James. (Meet me Outside trailer)

#Meet Me Outside #Kaloy Tingcungco #Genesis Redido #Juan Miguel Severo #JP Habac #asianlgbtqdramas #pinoy bl #gif:outside #gif:mine

[ppatpranss]

Giliw, kung pahihintulutan mo ako...

Watch this latest micro-series offering by Juan Miguel Severo and JP Habac, the tandem that brought you Gaya Sa Pelikula (Like in the Movies). Meet Me Outside is about "two young men, alone for the holidays for different reasons, gravitate towards each other on the day before Christmas after a conversation through the Blued app.”

It stars Kaloy Tingcungco (Boys’ Lockdown) and Genesis Redido (In Between), and let me tell you right now that these two have fire chemistry together.

Watch all six episodes on Meet Me Outside’s official Youtube channel: (x)

I might do more gifs for this show because I really loved it, and I am hopeful for a second season -- and hopefully a full-length one -- because these two, and James and Dale’s story, deserve it.

So if you liked the show as well, please tell your friends about it.

#meet me outside #MMO #kaloy tingcungco #genesis redido #KaloGen #JamesDale #blued MMO #juan miguel severo #jp habac #boys love #boys love ph #pinoy bl

[digitalfilipina]

Jollibee Studios proves that true love is one that transcends romance in new John Lloyd-Bea film

Jollibee Studios proves that true love is one that transcends romance in new John Lloyd-Bea film

Many people are looking for the one and a love that lasts and while many have been fortunate to find it and keep it, many are still searching for that person, or what the one means to them. Jollibee Studios’ newest 30-minute film, discusses what makes love that lasts in a poignant and heart-tugging story that brings together the country’s most iconic love team, John Lloyd Cruz and Bea Alonzo. The…

View On WordPress

#JollibeeOneTruePairMovie #Bea Alonzo #John Lloyd Cruz #Jollibee #Jollibee Foods Corporation Philippines #Jollibee Studios #JP Habac #One True Pair The Movie

[glennethph]

I just wanna be held.

#i felt that #meet me outside #genesis redido #kaloy tingcungco #juan miguel severo #jp habac

[kingmrklynblog]

GAYA SA PELIKULA (Like The Movies) EPISODE 7 REACTION [Hindi pa ready si...

#gaya sa pelikula #like the movies #pangpang #paolo pangilinan #ian pangilinan #globe studios #reaction video #bl series #pinoy bl #boys loves #gay love #gay kiss #coming out #gay couple #gay #juan miguel severo #jp habac #gaya sa pelikula episode 7 #karl and vlad

[juanrepublic]

A Few Thoughts on “I'M DRUNK, I LOVE YOU” (JP Habac, 2017)

1. This movie hits right at home, as if speaking to me in a personal level. It contains two of the things that I love the most - good booze and good music. Almost 80% of the movie involves drinking, which is relatively the same percentage of what I do during my free time. Or so I thought. Also, it is packed with great music from talented Filipino artists like Ang Bandang Shirley, Cynthia Alexander, Bullet Dumas, Johnoy Danao, Parokya ni Edgar, and Ebe Freaking Dancel! We'll get more of that later.

2. I'm claiming this: This is the best performance of Maja Salvador in a movie, a full 360-degree turn from her laughable role in One More Chance. The way she portrayed her character Carson was a natural and a very convincing, er, drunk Iska who fell into the Friendzone Realm. Paulo Avelino? He's a great, versatile actor. You can't argue with that. He fits perfectly for the role, though, what surprised me is how convincing he is as a musician and a film student. Dominic Roco was downright hilarious as Jason Ty, Carson's BFF. Though some of my friends would dismiss his acting as "OA", I think he candidly provided the much-needed humor in this painful movie. Jasmine Curtis-Smith as Pathy (with an "H") provides balance to the wacky, unholy trinity of Dio, Carson, and Jason Ty.

3. In a dialogue-heavy movie like this, the script plays a vital role in delivering a good story. You have to give it to the writer(s) for making the lines natural, smart, funny, relatable, and towards the end, painful. You add up good music (with equally, great lyrics) to pair up with the lines and you come up with a masterpiece. (Side note: Suddenly, "graduation" has a new connotation. Hay.)

4. Let's talk about the music. As mentioned above, this contains some of the best songs from Filipino artists. Even before I saw the movie, I was already playing "Lloydy" on loop on Spotify (I even made a cover of the song twice). Hearing Ang Bandang Shirley's "Tama na ang Drama" made me want to play it repeatedly inside the car. I almost screamed when I heard the intro of Cynthia Alexander's "No Umbrella" (though, I just sang inside the theater, haha!). But the best song in the movie? Of course, the version of "Burnout" by Danao, Dancel, and Dumas. What a fitting end for a wasak movie like this.

5. I seriously craved for beer, bagnet, and butter balls after watching this. Why you do this to us?

6. Bonus feature: This includes the short film "Anghelito", a spin-off to the widely-successful "Heneral Luna". If that doesn't get you hyped for Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral next year, aside from Paulo Avelino (duh), I don't know what would.

7. Another bonus feature: The trailers of the upcoming movies mostly from TBA (Tuko, ButchiBoy, Artiko Uno) Productions. I fucking smiled from ear to ear (pun intended) when I saw the trailer of "Smaller and Smaller Circles"! Fast forward to that movie please!

(5 Stars for being brutally drunk, honest, and painful)

#IDILY #I'm Drunk I Love You #Maja Salvador #pinoy #philippines #movie #pop culture #paulo avelino #dominic roco #jasmine curtis-smith #JP Habac #UP #university of the philippines #isko #iska #beer #alcohol #movie review

[askikamle]

Ready ka na? I’m Drunk, I Love You review

I went on an early lunch out. It’s almost time for the screening by the time I got to the theater, 25 minutes before the movie and I found myself tapping my feet constantly: shit, it’s senior’s citizen free movie day and they were having trouble with the computer; only the senior citizen ticket counter’s serving. In my head, I’m ranting: Pakshet bakla, tumakas ka lang sa opisina, kailangan maabutan mo yung 11:00 am screening, at kailangan maabutan mo ang magkapatid na Bernal sa 20 minute-film ni Tarog.

I almost ran to the theater. Surprise surprise, I was the only one in the cinema. Imagine how creepy that was. If it weren’t for Koronel Enriquez bargaining with Miguel, I would’ve remained standing off the entrance. Almost halfway through and a girl sat in front of me, followed by a guy sitting at the back. You can count the number of people inside the theater with your hands and it’s just sad really, because not a lot of people can watch the brilliance of Tarog and Habac on screen. Their combination makes it more than your money’s worth.

I’m Drunk, I Love You touches the cliché ‘stupidly falling in love with your best friend’ scenario. Boy and Girl meets, become best friends for years, girl falls in love with guy and holds that torch for him for 7 years. 7 years of one sided love, silently hoping that it would take on the next level; that the guy would see her as a girl and not just a friend. We’ve seen My BestFriend’s Wedding, we’ve heard that rustic line “oh yes, kaibigan mo ako… kaibigan mo lang ako! And I’m so stupid to make the biggest mistake of falling in love with my best friend!” What makes this film any different?

I’m Drunk I Love You however, tells the story of how it actually is: no impossibly dramatic line, no elaborate script, no absurd scenes. It paved the way for a simple, yet very realistic storytelling of what it’s actually like to fall in love with your best friend. It was an honest representation of the journey of Carson and every other person’ who felt more than they ought to

“Ready ka na?”

This question from Irma Adlawan in the movie resonates loudly. For someone who has experience in that type of cliché firsthand, it’s that question that’s on repeat. Ready ka na? 3 words, pero sobrang loaded yan. Ready ka na ba na tumigil sa pag-asa? Ready ka na ba mag-move on? Ready ka na ba bumitaw? Ready ka na ba maging kaibigan na lang habambuhay? O Ready ka na ba kalimutan ang pagkakaibigan nyo?

I read this somewhere in social media: There is a Carson in all of us. I didn’t believe that initially. Not until I find myself being transported back to the time when I fell in love with my closest guy friend. (P.S. mine didn’t last 7 years though haha 4 years ata give or take)

“Mahal kita, seven years na.”

This particular scene I find very relatable. Dumadating kasi talaga sa punto na sobra na, sobrang overwhelming na nong nararamdaman mo, nong weight ng pagtatago, ng sakit – that when you finally say the words, when you admit how you feel, it’s like “shet, nasabi ko na, makakahinga na’ko.bahala na si batman”. Ang o.a. pakinggan pero realtalk, once na nasabi mo na mababawasan yung weight on your shoulders. I think for me it was 2010 when that weight was lifted from mine. I fell in love with my closest guy friend in 2006 and I told him through text, confessed more like back in 2010. It was a slip actually; I was reading this book while texting him and I suddenly find myself overcome with emotions that I composed this elaborate text message confessing I love him more than I should. Hindi nagreciprocate yung pinagsabihan ko, pero hindi rin naman sya nag-sorry kagaya ni Dio. Pero sobrang laking bagay nong pagsasabi ko. Alam mo bakit? Kasi when I said those words? I meant them. When I said I love you, I was letting go of my control over the situation. Kumbaga nasabi ko na eh di bahala na sya kung meron o wala. At least hindi ko na sya paghihirapan itago. Alam na nya eh.

Sabi nga ni Carson: “We make a good pair eh, kaya lang hindi nya ako mahal”

Paulo Avelino was brilliant in his portrayal of Dio. Ang gwapo. Ang swabe. Pano ka ba naman hindi maiinlove don? Juskolord. But Maja Salvador? Maja Salvador WAS CARSON. It wasn’t a portrayal. It felt effortless. It was played naturally that you have to wonder, “nag-character analysis pa ba ‘to?” Kasi kuhang kuha nya eh. Kuhang kuha ng mata yung pagpipigil, yung adoration, yung sakit, yung suporta, yung pagmamahal. Syang sya niya. Ganap na ganap yung Carson ko from years ago. While watching, it was like seeing yourself from the time when you were this in love with your closest guy friend – like looking in a mirror or like a high definition slideshow of your experience playing in front of you.

And it wasn’t just Carson and Dio’s story, mind you. It was subtle but their take on Jason Ty’s story was hard to miss. That as we watch Carson and Dio in their complexities, there’s Jason on the side who served as Carson’s rock when he himself needed to find his own courage in taking a chance on love. Kudos to Dominic Roco by the way, they owe the comedic take on the film all to you. The quips, the hugot lines … millennial na millennial eh, napapanahon baks!

And the music, oh the music! The soundtrack played a huge role in the movie hitting all the right and tender parts of your heart. Each song was obviously selected with a particular scene in mind. And I guess, it’s the scene and the emotions exchanged, but this specific song has touched my heart the most:

Akala ko habambuhay tayo Akala ko hanggang dulo Kayhaba pa ng kalsada, dito na ba tayo bababa Kung ganito na nga ba ang usapan Kung dito na ang hangganan Dapat siguro nang iwasan ang maraming kamustahan Mga nakasanayan dapat nang kalimutan Hanggang dito na lang Hanggang dito na lang

More than the characters, the artists who played them, the music, the dialogues, and the premise of the story, it was the ending that totally got to me. Because it was my ending. When love isn’t reciprocated, when you’ve lay it all on the line, you bare yourself the way Carson did and you got the same response from Dio, then you ultimately find yourself at a crossroad: do you still continue being friends or do you leave it all behind to move on? What’s more important: love or friendship? Do you keep hoping that one day he will fall for you or do you let it go completely? And just like Carson, I chose the same path:

Graduate na’ko

#paulo avelino #maja salvador #i'm drunk i love you #idily #carson #dio #bestfriend #love #bff #dominic roco #jasmine curtis smith #irma adlawan #jim paredes #jp habac #jerrold tarog #indie #film #review

[maixmaixmaix]

I’m Drunk, I Love You  JP Habac 

Simulan natin ‘to sa trailer na hindi ko na maalala kung kailan ko napanuod. Basta, nagchachat si Ategurl habang lasing tapos nagsabi ng I Love You kay Kuya. Boom! Actually, akala ko ganun aaminin ni Carson ang pag-ibig niya para kay Dio. Haha. Pero okay lang. Mas maganda yung eksena ng pag-amin niya sa movie kaysa sa trailer, mas natural! mas bongga! 

Sa trailer pa lang, mukhang maganda nga yung film. At hindi nga ako nagkamali. Hindi ko alam pero parang basta pag TBA, bongga ang film. DIBAAAA?!?!?! 

Tapos ayun nga, punyeta bes. Maja Salvador! Tapos may Dominic Roco! Gibson!!!! Hahaha. Halos lahat ng kakilala ko, alam nilang fan ako ni Maja dahil sa Dahan Dahan niyang kanta. Haha. Hindi ko alam, pero trip trip lang naman talaga yun tapos bigla ko na lang narealize na ang ganda pala ng kanta at ng iba pa niyang mga kanta kaya naging fan na ako! At dahil fan ako, kailangan ko 'tong mapanuod! Haha! 

Moving on sa pag mamarket nila nitong film. BES. Yung poster pa lang, palong palo na! EWS ang nagshoot! Ang saya diba!!!! Tapos basta, ewan ko. Haha. Ang ganda talaga. Art kung art! At sobrang hype niya sa social media. Deserve niya naman ang hype kasi worth it naman ang film. 

Okay. Pagkatapos manuod ng film, chinachant namin ang 'bagnet bagnet bagnet!’ with feelings! Pero pinalitan namin ng, 'bucket bucket bucket’ with more feelings! At yun! Nag-inom kami pagkatapos! HAHAHAHA! 

Nakakatawa kasi. Halos buong film, nag-iinom lang sila. WTF. Pano po yun?!?! Haha. AT ANG WITTY NG MGA LINYAHAN BES! Lalo na pag si Jason Ty at Carson ang nagbabatuhan ng linya. Huhu. Ang galing galing! Favorite ko yung part na 'Anong pinakatangang nagawa mo kay Dio every year?’ BES! Ang galing ni Maja dun! Paksheeeeeet! At yung young star scene, pati yung vegan scene…. Wew! Parang normalan lang. Natural na kwentuhan, ganern! 

At eto na nga, eksena na ng pag-amin ni Carson kay Dio. Pucha! Ang ganda ng pasok ng scoring! Ang ganda ng timing bes! Ang ganda ng eksena. Ang galing talaga. Hahaha! 

Actually, mas gusto ko yung scoring kaysa yung mga normal na kanta. Idol talaga kita Master Jerrold! Hihihi. Mas mafeels yung instrumental eh. Hayst. Ganda din ng pasok ng Tama Na Ang Drama ng Ang Bandang Shirley! Iba! Ganda din ng prod saka ng cinematog! Tapos, matagal na yata 'tong nashoot no? Yung ibang eksena. Haha. Yung tomatokick kasi saka yung bookay ukay nasa isang building pa. Haha. Eh nung 2014 pa yata yun eh. So ang tagal na pala talaga no? Grabe! Worth the wait. Pero bat yung kay carson, hindi worth it ang paghihintay niya? 

Pero okay lang! Feeling ko, ayaw lang talaga ni Dio mawala yung friendship nila ni Carson. Actually, mas okay nga yun eh. Walang break-up na magaganap. Ayus din ng ending. Hindi masiyadong malungkot, kasi gumraduate na si Carson sa feelings niya kay Dio at sa UP! 

Simple lang naman ang story. Pero ang galing ng pagkakaexecute. At deserve nitong manatili sa mga suki nating sinehan! 

PADAYON! 

#idily #im drunk i love you #jp habac #maja salvador #paulo avelino #film #movie #tba

[sapphorarelyreads]

We Love and Support you whatsoever Paolo 💖💖💖

#paolo pangilinan #gaya sa pelikula #pinoy bl #filipino bl #boys love series #ian pangilinan #pangpang #pangcakes #gsp #jp habac

[ppatpranss]

GAYA SA PELIKULA EP. 04 Review: Finding someone you can be alone together with

“Dahil taga-rito ka rin.”

Gaya Sa Pelikula is pretty much my fixation the past month, and I’ve reached peak devastation after Friday night’s episode. Being reminded that love is a beautiful thing can either make you happy or sad, or both. While it is true that there is nothing wrong about being alone, and that our feeling of completeness should not depend on another person, it still hits different when you find someone you can come home to. Or, in Vlad’s case, slowly realize that home might be Karl.

This show tells us that love is often a slow progress, that you don’t really find it in big moments. It’s in the small, everyday thing you notice or discover about a person. And maybe sometimes, all you need to get through a day is something as simple as a hug (something sorely missed in this time of pandemic). Karl and Vlad, thank you for that reminder.

Disclaimer: I kinda messed up the gif qualities for this post. Since I’ve no time to fix them now, I’ll just do better for the next episode huhu.

[WATCH THE EPISODE HERE]

Law of Proximity

It’s the day before Christmas and Karl is decorating the place. He’s obviously enthusiastic about it because he had garlands, table pieces, and a whole Christmas tree with star. Even cuter, he made two Christmas socks with “KARL” and “VLAD” on them. I can’t believe this kid – he’s letting Vlad slowly assimilate into his life and he doesn’t even realize it.

Anyway, Vlad comes home and is obviously not a fan of the decorations. He made this whole argument about Christmas being a pagan-turned-capitalist tradition, while Karl can only tell him to not be too harsh to baby Jesus (lol). Vlad disputed this even more, making a comment about how Jesus is way too forgiving to be a Capricorn. Despite himself though, Vlad was smiling while looking at the socks and told Karl before he left, “Hey, Arki, if it means that much to you, you can keep the socks there.”

Note: He calls him “Arki” as in short for architecture because Karl is an Architecture student.

We learn a bit more about Vlad in this episode during his videocall with Sue, who we discover is his best friend. She was teasing him about his current “live-in partner” and Vlad launched into this pretty affectionate way of describing Karl and his many quirks. Karl is a very neat person, but hates washing the dishes. Vlad also finds it cute (but he didn’t say this, I’m doing the honors for him) whenever Karl would get excited every time they watch a film together. All of these, Vlad is saying with a big smile on his face, and ending it with a hopeless sigh-like, hay nako. Sue caught it.

Sue tells Vlad about the law of proximity. She made an example of it through Big Brother wherein some people end up being in a relationship because they spend too much time together. Vlad deflects and says he’s not about to fall for a straight guy, “I refuse to be a plot device that triggers somebody else’s identity crisis. Not again.” Nonetheless, it’s good that Sue opened this up because feelings can get really tricky when you spend so much time with a person even if it’s just a short amount of time. Actually, it feels like you’re in a time warp.

Naturally, Vlad sees a lot of things about Karl that he may find either endearing or annoying. It’s obvious though that he finds Karl endearing and he, too, is starting to catch feelings. His reservations are preventing him to make a move, not just because he thinks that Karl is straight but mostly because of a past experience or trauma. He can’t be brave about just putting himself out there so he’s trying to proceed with caution.

Sue still encouraged him to try to invite Karl to spend Christmas with him instead of wallowing alone watching white boy Sundance films (I’M DEAD. I love Sue so much). Vlad actually looked like he’s considering the idea even if he was being a baby about it the entire time.

Theme Song Test

Meanwhile, Karl is also pre-occupied when Anna knocked on his door to use the WiFi. She’s on the phone with a client, visibly mad that they are forcing her to rush the output. This went on and on with Karl just watching her pace around the house. After the call, Anna immediately jumped on the idea of them watching a movie together.

Moments later, Karl and Anna are seated on the couch crying over what is obviously She’s Dating the Gangster. Anna tells Karl that she’ll use the restroom first and it is in this moment when Vlad finally arrives. He must have gotten used to seeing Karl crying at films that he is not really surprised to see him in tears now. It’s cute how he got all fidget-y while trying to ask Karl that maybe they can have a proper Noche Buena, “Tayo. Noche Buena. Together.”

Karl tells Vlad that he needs to go home for Christmas, and that he’ll carpool with Anna. “Who’s Anna?” says Vlad and that is when she popped out to introduce herself. Her presence in the house pretty much stirred conflicted feeling on the side of in Vlad especially when she decided to stay over for another film.

Another movie ends and Karl and Anna are still seated on the couch. Vlad looks hilariously miserable watching them together. Is it even safe to say that Karl and Anna are being flirty? I don’t know, they are mostly loud and touchy the entire time but maybe Karl is really just comfortable around her. Nonetheless, it was so funny seeing them in their elements talking about random things while Vlad is constantly rolling his eyes at anything that Anna says to Karl.

Anna then talks about the theme song test. Apparently, when you listen to a song and a face of a person comes on to your mind, it means you want to be with that person. Karl says he’s never experienced it because he does not like anyone at the moment anyway. Vlad looks so done with them already, but he especially acted out when Anna was about to make Karl listen to a song to do the test. Vlad started getting whiny over the unwashed mugs and Karl is still clueless about his true intention. Even as Karl tries to stop Anna from leaving, she got the hint and said goodbye.

Karl tells Vlad to stop nagging about the unwashed mugs and he had a biting comeback that Karl is not the only one who can get mad about dishes and mugs piling up. Karl thinks that Vlad is acting jealous because he’s putting up an act for Anna, then tells him that Anna knows about them anyway. This agitated Vlad more, and when Karl was telling him to drop the jealous boyfriend act, he actually said “Who says I’m acting?”

Both of them were taken aback and there was this one long painful second before Vlad saved himself by adding, “Angry. Who says I’m acting angry?” Thankfully there are dishes and mugs to wash otherwise he would have made a complete mess of himself right then and there. As usual, they continued to banter with Karl touching Vlad’s hair again to annoy him.

One of the things I liked about this episode, by the way, is the presence of both Anna and Sue. We got to see a different side of Vlad and got to know him more through Sue. When we thought Anna will simply serve as a jealousy bait, she actually helped propelled the romance more by telling Karl (and Vlad by extension) about the theme song test.

“The ever-burgeoning need for people vs the effort put into self-preservation”

Vlad wakes up looking for Karl but of course he’s no longer there since he went home to his family. Vlad pretty much spent the entire day on the couch and was already getting drunk come the evening. He keeps sending Karl messages but is left on seen. He even sent him a couple of selfies. When Karl still hasn’t replied, he sent him a video of him jokingly attempting to ruin the Christmas decorations. Finally, Karl called, and Vlad got really excited about it.

It’s probably because he’s drunk but Vlad keeps on making these little moves on Karl – asking him if he thinks he’s cute, and that he wants Karl to pick him up. But the video call ended as soon as it started because Karl needed to join Noche Buena with his family.

A call from Ate Judit came in but he did not answer it. Then, when his phone rang again, he finally answered it. It was his mother. It’s interesting to me that Vlad would answer this call because of course, what we know so far is that they are not in good terms. But I suppose the holidays really make you soft and set aside any feelings of anger if you can at least have a moment of conversation with someone you still value with your heart. There’s a gut punch when Vlad actually said he’s having fun with friends to his mom, when he’s all alone in the apartment. And to make it slightly more painful, the call ended with an “I miss you.”

Vlad opened his message thread with A. Right then and there, a birthday greeting appeared complete with an “I miss you” (Please, lumayo ka nga Hudas! #OustHudas). He did not get a chance to reply because Sue called and it made him visibly happy. He opened the gift she sent him only to discover that it might have been switched with Karl’s gift to his parents because the content was a framed sketch of his family. As the night wears on, you feel Vlad wallowing more and more into his aloneness.

Nica del Rosario’s Tahanan plays as we see Vlad look around the house, feeling how empty it is. The lights are shining around him, but they don’t look bright at all, at least for Vlad. We see a montage of him dancing around the house, and when he finally checked the content of the VLAD Christmas sock that Karl put up for him, it has a gift inside. Turns out, it was slippers with a note, “Dahil taga-rito ka rin.” He saw another wrapped gift and it was another one by Karl this time with a note, “Bahala ka na kung sa’n mo ‘ko ilalagay” and it was a picture frame. Vlad looked so happy and was hugging the picture frame.

I think that Vlad is a sucker for gestures, of having someone who seems to know him and care for him. I liked seeing Vlad in this state of being alone and lonely. It was personally heartrending to watch, but it tells us so much about what he is as a person. He is fine being alone. I think it’s how he’s operated throughout the years of discovering himself. True, he has an overbearing-but-caring sister in Ate Judit and a wonderful best friend in Sue and they know so much about him, but it’s also the reason why it’s not easy for him to open up about these things. I think that when you go on for so long being “someone” for a specific person, your tendency is to continue putting up that act. This is not to say that Vlad is faking who he is, but that there’s this difficulty for him to fully express himself around them. So seeing him being open about this hollowness that he’s been feeling especially on his birthday was a welcome narrative.

It's that dilemma: your need for people to completely understand who you are, but also just as you are about to bare yourself, you automatically put up these defenses to kind of preserve that little piece of you to yourself. But in a way, you’re expecting someone to get a read on you – that maybe someone would see you even if you don’t offer that piece of you so voluntarily. I think that is Karl for Vlad. Karl takes him by surprise every single time by doing all these gestures for him, or when he overhears what he has to say about him. I suppose that at the end of the day, you just want to find someone who effortlessly gets you.

Theme song test: Tahanan

As Vlad stands in the middle of the living room hugging the picture frame that Karl gave him, he sees Karl come in through the door. Karl walks towards Vlad, and Vlad puts down the picture frame and also walks towards Karl for them to meet halfway. They have this giddy smile on their faces and for a while they were just staring at each other. Until both of their faces start to get closer and just as you think they’d go in for a kiss, they hugged. Both of them smiling, looking comforted and relieved. One thing of note as well is seeing them brush their hands up and down each other’s backs to hug tighter. Tahanan continues to play and the camera moves in circle around them (this scene is a nod to GOT 2 BELIEVE), until we settle back to Vlad standing alone in the living room, and what he was hugging was the picture frame and not Karl.

I am specifically in love with the part of the song that Pat Lasaten chose for the moment when Karl came in. I’m sorry I don’t know much about music, but I am referring specifically to timestamp 22:39 to 23:02. The main song kind of took a bit of a stepback and there was what sounded like a saxophone solo (?) that accentuates it. That was pretty genius because it really moves the scene. It highlights the magical feeling of Vlad finally finding Karl’s face in the midst of the song – someone who he wants to be together with. Extra painful though that after all that music swelling, you end up with a shot of him hugging a picture frame.

I agree with Justine when she said during the Friday night Banlaw sesh that she likes that they went in for a hug instead of a kiss right away. It feels more intimate and more sincere. It feels more sensual. Also, it fits the current pace of Karl and Vlad’s story because these are two people still discovering each other. It also hits different because hugging a person means offering comfort. In Karl and Vlad’s case, it highlights their thing of finding homes in each other. In Episode 03, Karl offered Vlad a home by giving him back the key. In that moment, Vlad accepted it because it was already attached back to his keychain. But in this episode, and through this hug, we see Vlad fully embracing that this is now his home. He isn’t just accepting the key to come and go as he pleases. He now wants to stay there.

The shot of Vlad hugging the frame always gets to me. Amazing camerawork and good music timing. I cannot watch it without crying because the feeling of loneliness really felt raw and palpable. This, and the hug, made everyone soft and fragile while watching the episode last night.

Being alone together

Vlad wakes up the next morning with a different set of clothes. All of the Christmas decorations are gone but we see balloons and an entire HAPPY BIRTHDAY banner hanging. He looks around a bit and when he turned towards the kitchen, Karl was there standing with a stack of pancakes. This time, it’s not a dream.

Both of them looked sheepish the entire time. Vlad was obviously touched and was even apologetic about bothering Karl the other night. Meanwhile, Karl joked and called him “Mr. Jockstrap” because of the switcheroo that happened with his gift and Sue’s. Vlad asks him what happened to the Christmas decors, and Karl just said “meh” and imitated Vlad’s “Jesus is too forgiving to be a Capricorn.”

The entire thing was just adorable. They were just smiling throughout, and Karl told Vlad to finally blow the candle on the pancake stack to make a wish. We don’t know what the wish was, and I’m not even sure we’ll ever know. Gege mentioned that he told Ian to make a personal wish for both him and Pao during the scene.

As usual, Karl and Vlad settled on the floor with chips and soda to watch a film. This time though, Vlad is not watching the film because he’s watching Karl. Vlad watches Karl dip his chips on the soda before eating it. As always, Karl gets so absorbed with the film, almost in tears now, as he mindlessly eats a huge piece of chip much to Vlad’s amusement. At one point, they both reached for the bowl and their hands grazed each other. Karl momentarily looked at Vlad’s direction, and so does Vlad towards Karl – but Vlad’s look lingered and a small smile forms across his face. It was his aha moment, I suppose.

I find it pretty amazing that both Karl and Vlad understood their feelings in a sort of unexpected way because it was so… mundane and normal. For a show that has a lot of these big moments, it sure takes a quiet approach when it comes to feelings and I love that. Because it is so quiet, you don’t really notice it creeping inside your heart. It kind of just fills you in until it’s completely embracing you and you understand it, right then and there, that well, I guess this is it.

Apparently, it’s not really about washing the dishes. It’s really about the good they do for each other every day. Nothing felt more apparent to Vlad than Karl’s absence. The law of proximity builds familiarity and in those short few days, Vlad did not just get used to Karl being around, he yearns for it. I could say the same for Karl, too, seeing as he rushed home to prepare all these things for Vlad. But for now, both of them do not know it yet.

To reference the Wattpad screenplay, all this time Karl thinks that he was the only one waiting for Vlad to look back. But, who knows, maybe Vlad was waiting for Karl to look back, too?

Epilogue

In the last three episodes, it was always Vlad moving closer towards the couch. Karl was always seated at a specific side, not moving at all, but he would always throw glances towards Vlad. This time though, we find Karl seated on the floor beside Vlad.

The episode ends with a powerful quote yet again, “kapag may tinuro sa’yo ang pag-iisa, yakapin mo.”

Comments; Ramblings

It’s funny how Episode 03 launched a friendly bardagulan on Twitter between Vlad Austria Apologists (VAA) and the Vlad Austria Fault-Finding Committee (VAFFC). But the truth is, both Karl and Vlad are the actual clowns for each other and we’re just here to witness them fall in love and watch their connection go deeper.

Personally, in terms of a solid episode, my favourite is still Episode 03 because it had all these elements that moved the story along and built up to that amazing Selos ending. It was something else. However, Episode 04 was the one that made me feel the most (so far). I had a hard time processing it after watching it the first time and unlike the last three episodes, I could not rewatch it right away. I mostly just felt weak and I might have cried a little. Maybe because it reminded me so much of what it is like to fall in love – that indeed love is still a beautiful thing. Sometimes we use being alone as a defense mechanism to feel less alone, but at the end of the day we also crave for someone we can go home to. Karl and Vlad’s feelings continue to unravel and that makes me think about how, as we fall in love, we also discover a lot about ourselves.

To me, this is what’s happening with Karl and Vlad. As they learn more about each other, they also discover a lot of things that they don’t know they’re capable of. They find themselves doing things they never thought they will ever do or feeling things they thought they’ll never feel again. I’m curious how they’ll really meet halfway. For now, I think Vlad is more of the type of person who needs to confirm with himself first if he truly feels romantically for someone before he takes action or shows these soft and caring side of him. Meanwhile, Karl seems like the type to act first before thinking about why he does these things. Maybe it’s just the way he is – a pure-hearted good person. I just hope he’s ready to answer the question when it gets asked.

For now, I appreciate this slowburn.

–

Gaya Sa Pelikula airs new episodes every Friday 8PM (Manila time) on Globe Studios’ Youtube channel. Please only stream it legally!

RELATED POSTS

GAYA SA PELIKULA Ep 01 Review [x]

GAYA SA PELIKULA Ep 02 Review [x]

GAYA SA PELIKULA Ep 03 Review [x]

#gaya sa pelikula #like in the movies #pangpang #paolo pangilinan #ian pangilinan #pinoy bl #filipino web series #filipino bl #boys love #juan miguel severo #jp habac #gsp review #owned #(nakaka-fragile na episode)