The awkwardly titled #ewankosau Saranghaeyo is an independent film that clearly has mainstream ambitions. It takes the most common, most accessible form of our local cinema: the venerable romantic comedy. And it does seem to take some inspiration from recent examples of the genre, playing out as a somewhat gender-reversed version of a Wattpad novel (as the film itself comes to admit). The movie gains much from its richly detailed world, but it seems to forgo the simpler pleasures of a well-structured story.
Baste (Francis Magundayao) is a poor kid studying on scholarship at an exclusive arts academy. He makes money on campus by writing love letters for the other students. He finds himself infatuated with the campus' KPop obsessed bully Cai Luna (Barbie Forteza). Unfortunately for him, Cai notices him and decides to torture him for it. She makes him part of a plan to catch the attention of the most popular guy in school. Baste unwittingly plays along, enduring the physical and emotional pain that comes along with hanging around Cai. Before the two know it, something develops between them.
The film certainly doesn't lack for ideas. The world of the movie is populated with rich detail. Baste, for example, lives along the train tracks, and is the sole hope of a family of ne'er-do-wells. The film really comes alive as it fills in the details of his family life, providing rich color to a pretty standard romantic plot. But this doesn't really add up to a whole lot. The plot feels sketchy at best, and the film really has trouble selling the relationship between the two main characters.
The commitment to detail overrides the more basic demands of the plot. Sometimes, the film seems to forgo the basic building blocks of narrative, skipping over wide swaths of story development in favor of filling in more details about this world. And while the added flavor is indeed appealing, it is no replacement for plot. The relationship just never feels warranted, particularly on the side of Cai. The film doesn't do a very good job of conveying the major change of heart that becomes the crux of her character's arc.
In general, the film has trouble getting a handle on its tone. The direction feels insecure, relying heavily on gimmicks to compensate for the listlessness of the scenes. The young cast is all right, but there's precious little chemistry between leads Francis Magundayao and Barbie Forteza. Forteza never feels comfortable in the role, and the tension seems to keep her from making a solid connection with her scene partner.
There’s a pluckiness to #ewankosau Saranghaeyo that’s pretty endearing. The movie just doesn’t hold back, throwing in odd little bits of poetry and dance and fashion to enrich this story. But in the end, it’s all just window dressing. There just isn’t much to the main romance, the film failing to make a convincing case for the union of its primary players. As compelling as the world of this film is, it doesn’t make up for the clunky arc that builds between the two, with the characters seemingly unable to progress their feelings.
My Rating:
