Maybe is already a place betwee0n a yes and a no. If you are between maybes, yes, you are trudging an uncertain future, and no, time you lost cannot be returned. However, letting yourself lose control may be the way to get back your sanity and see a clearer perspective, with or without labels.
In Between Maybes, a new film by Black Sheep, Hazel (Julia Barretto), one of the protagonists, is not sure anymore that being an actress is making her happy and her differences with her mom lead her to backpack and take a sudden trip to the Saga prefecture located on the island of Kyushu. There, she meets Louie (Gerald Anderson) who grew up in that place and seems to be estranged from his parents.
Even though the trailer might make you think that the movie is about age gap and how it causes problems for potential partners regardless whether they meet in a workplace or on vacation, you're totally wrong.
The strength of the film lies in the character development of both parties. Hazel starts off as an entitled millennial, which is to be expected given the fact that she's an actress with a stage mom and dad. Louie, accustomed to the Japanese culture, is polite and quite formal. Though they seem to be the opposite of each other, what starts out as Hazel's homesickness leading her to convince a fellow Pinoy Louie to check up on her every now and then, eventually evolves into a romantic relationship which proves that familiarity breeds contempt.
Julia played Hazel with spunk and her character modeled after the typical not so intelligent celebrity feels natural, like getting lost easily or trusting a stranger just because he's Pinoy. Gerald showed that he can definitely pull off mature roles as Louie, who has to deal with a girl who broke his cycle of quiet and contemplation working in a fishery.
Yayo Aguila stood out as the ambitious mom who only pushes her child because she doesn't want Hazel to experience her childhood. Her lines during the webcam scene as well as her performance are just gold. The Japanese talents are okay but the one who played Louie's employer has one scene where she seems to have a bit of a temper but I don't think it was needed in the scene. Saga being the setting made sense because the movie also utilized the making of ceramics as a metaphor on how we are molded by our upbringing and surroundings.
Jason Paul Laxamana brings his A-game as a writer-director and even though his romantic comedies sometimes tend to have more punchlines than needed, the script here is very balanced and the buildup is good, especially the nifty little details which foreshadow Hazel and Louie's past they were unconsciously not trying to deal with and how it leads to the ending which is just logical. This is definitely the best romantic comedy film he has made.
Between Maybes open starting today, May 15, in cinemas nationwide.
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