This is a wonderful film.

I don't feel I can adequately comment on certain points that I enjoy about this film. That's due to both the fact that I'm not a professional reviewer, and that I do not have the full perspective. I'm not a person who is actually deaf, or one that has fallen in love (Aro/Ace). This film however, has made me felt like I now better understand both. (spoilers are marked with **these**)

Story: The story, although on an objective level is really simple (it's basically an architect falling for a deaf person) feels really personal. It doesn't really feel like a standard, lazy rom-com, that I'm very much used to in my home-country. The plot addresses the issues that, based off of the many articles, reviews, and personal testaments I've seen, portray the life of deaf people pretty accurately. The writers and directors didn't treat any of the characters like they were a problem, or wrong for being different. This story of love is handled with care, when it could've so easily been pandering or portray those with disabilities as outsiders, exotic, not belonging.

In the plot, when Gali feels he doesn't belong, being left alone at a party, his reaction to this **trying to stop being around Mara** is reasonable, it doesn't feel like drama for the sake of drama. It's drama built from reasonable misunderstandings, a fear of being hurt, an outsider.

Acting: i love how the actors conveyed emotion. Emotion doesn't just come from words, it comes from actions, facial expressions. This was something that Maine Mendoza and Carlo Aquino really knew how to use to their advantage, they really could feel like Mara and Gali. When Mara and Gali are happy, you can really feel it with how their faces light up and the energy they have when they dance. That same force in emotion applies when we see them sad, in remorse, regret, or serious, loving each other.

OST: Buwan (by Juan Karlos) and Sino (by Unique Salonga) after this film are forever connected to the scenes in this film for me. That's a testament to both the songs themselves and the visuals. What they picked really works well with this movie. The OST was really used to the fullest, like when **the audio for the song Mara and Gali are dancing to is cut. And all we here when Gali dances is what he can hear, nothing.**

Rewatch Value: Rewatch value is incredibly subjective, and it's highly dependent on personal preference and mood. Personally, it's really easy to get invested into Mara and Gali's story, and cry to. I can attest to that, this is a film I love to come back to, I've already rewatched it around three times already (I cried on my first two rewatches.) There are also things like the visuals that keep me coming back to this film. **Stuff like Mara and Gali dancing at the end, the vibrant blue of them just diving into a pool together, the times where they're just texting, the Christmas lights in Gali's room.**)

Overall, this film was made with a lot of care. For those worrying that this is going to be bad, that this sees someone who's different only as that, and nothing more, this film is not that at all. It's a story of love between two people, who push past their differences and issues by talking to each other and trying to help each other. One which, if you have the chance, I highly recommend you watch Isa Pa With Feelings.

Leia Mais

This was really fun. As expected with a series called Gameboys.

Story: This was able to convey multiple plot elements, the struggles of pandemic life, family, friendship, moving on, and relationships (both platonic and romantic) without making it feel rushed or unfocused. This feels like a love story that I'd see from a "normal" hetero romance film, which is nice. The plot isn't treating Cairo and Gavreel different and fetishizing them just because they are two men. They're allowed to just flirt and fall in love.

Acting: Kokoy De Santos feels so genuine even in moments where he's portraying a more flirty character. He feels more like a person, rather than just a playboy, Elijah Canlas really pulled of Cairo's subtleties. Both of their body language was really strong. This is going without even mentioning everyone in the supporting cast, (Adrianna So, Kyle Velino, Sue Prado) Everyone left a distinct impression even if I saw them for only an episode (Achilles).

I've noticed that after a while, their was a point where it stopped feeling like I was watching a produced web series and it just felt like I was watching people. It was really sincere, the drama, romance, even the fan service felt like it was something these characters would react like in these situations.

Music: I feel that the music, both background and actual songs with vocals were very good. This has a very memorable soundscape. On a more personal note, the music reminds me of the cheesy Filipino romance films I grew up watching. That really added to the concept of "Hey these are two people, it doesn't matter if they're two men, two women, or hetero, they'd still be stupidly smitten for each other!"

Rewatch Value: I'm not sure what this fully entails, so I'll just point out what it means to me. If you rewatch the series it will be just as fun as the first time. There's a lot of stuff you can find in a rewatch that will add to the characters and their personalities. Some examples are the record player Cairo has, Gavreel's big photos of himself in the background, Pearls tapestries, the stuff written out in their Facebook (sorry, Screentime) and Vidgram feeds. There's a lot of little details in their that really bring out stuff about them.

Overall, well done, I'm absolutely ready for more.

Leia Mais