Love is Blind goes in some strange directions. The main thread concerns a young woman who uses a magic potion to appear more beautiful to the object of her affections. But it turns out that the movie isn’t really about her. It shifts its attention to the said object of her affections, filling him in with weird narrative subplots that involve agriculture and a girlfriend that he inexplicably doesn’t appreciate. The movie doesn’t really seem eager to explore the consequences of the very premise of using a magic potion on someone. It instead goes deep into the world of a man who isn’t really worth the attention.
Fe (Kiray Celis) is working as an intern at a luxury hotel. That's where she first encounters freelance male model Wade (Derek Ramsay), who is attending an agricultural conference at the behest of his father. Fe falls head over heels for Wade, but isn't confident enough in her looks to approach him. She acquires a potion that makes her look exact like his girlfriend Maggie (Solenn Heussaff) to him. When Maggie breaks up with Wade, he pursues Fe, and he introduces her into his world. And while Fe is happy to spend time with Wade, she isn't entirely satisfied with what she finds.
The outcome is obvious, but the movie goes about getting in weird ways. It devotes as much time to the bizarre concerns of Wade. He begins the movie as a shallow jerk overly concerned with what his old high school classmates think about him. This leads to the rather absurd development of the character thinking that his girlfriend, played by Solenn Heussaff, isn't hot enough. There is also the very slight subplot that involves him gaining an appreciation for agriculture. None of this is very interesting. The movie grinds to a halt every time it shifts it attention to Wade.
Not that Fe's scenes are actually any better. At no point does she ever seem to consider the fact that what she's doing is wrong. She is never made to confront the fact that she is lying to this man she thinks she's in love with, and is causing disruptions in his life. Whatever conflicts she faces in her pursuit of Wade comes through bizarre outside contrivances. Her manager keeps catching her shirking her duties to spend time with Wade, and this results in another weird subplot where Fe is clearly in the wrong, but the manager is made out to be the villain. Through all of this, the movie never manages to elicit any particular feeling.
Perhaps the movie is meant to be romantic, but it doesn't work out that way. There are plenty of jokes, but the movie doesn't maintain enough comedic momentum to really be funny. The movie looks good enough, but it's cut together pretty loosely. The cast gives these roles more than they really deserve. Kiray Celis certainly commits to her character's infatuation, even if it seems to be based on absolute nothing at all. Solenn Heussaff once again displays a lovely willingness to get silly. Derek Ramsay and Kean Cipriano aren't given much, but they do all right.
Love is Blind feels confused. It doesn't always feel like it knows what story it wants to tell. It begins and ends with Wade and Maggie, the characters who don't really have much to do with the film's central conceit. It is almost as if the filmmakers didn't trust that Celis could carry the movie on her own, and hedged their bets with their much more conventionally attractive stars. There is irony in there somewhere, and I don't think any of you need my help to see that.
My Rating:
