They say age is just a number so we find couples with an age gap of 15 years or more who have been together for years. But, why does these seemingly perfect relationships suddenly become brittle and just collapse in a single night? Changing Partners delve into the lives of several couples played by four characters. The genders change but the 15-year age gap between Alex (played by Agot Isidro and Jojit Lorenzo) and Chris (played by Anna Luna and Sandino Martin) remain, and so do the problems.
Unlike some people declaring it is actually about the danger of LGBT relationships, it is not. Sure, there's an Agot-Anna pairing as well as a Jojit-Sandino one but this is never about LGBT. It is crystal clear that the film points out that age as well as socioeconomic difference may greatly affect how one looks at things. Alex, already in his/her middle age, obviously values loyalty, honesty, and productivity. Chris, a young adult, is free-spirited and this carefree attitude extends to not having a stable job even though he/she is pushing thirties, forgetting to water the plants, and tactlessly bringing up the subject of a close friend Angel again and again, much to the chagrin of the partner.
Musical veteran Vincent de Jesus was the mind behind the screenplay and the music while Dan Villegas, known for films about relationships and the heartaches it brings like his partner Antoinette Jadaone, helms the film adaptation of this stage musical. Originally titled with a subheading of "torch musical", this ran at the PETA Theater Center around October 2016. The same set of actors went on to do the movie version. Vincent also released his first album titled Songs to Slash Your Wrists By, a compilation of poetic "hugot songs", years ago so obviously he is no stranger to heartbreaks.
What I like about the film is that it dives deep into the relationship of two people without having any supporting characters, thus retaining the voyeuristic effect it gives an audience member. It also translates to another level as it mirrors what's happening in our social media culture where many people want to be onlookers most of the time even though they aren't even close with the couple concerned. This time, it us what happens behind the veil. The film takes us by the hand and shows us a happy and energetic relationship at first, and that same hand goes to our chest little by little as we see the love dwindle and question ourselves whether practicality should also be a priority aside from feelings when choosing a partner we think we want to spend our lives with and cohabitating with him/her.
What I think could have been improved is the direction. See, the reason why you make a film adaptation is so that the characters don't have to do the same things they did in the musical. The shots could've used more creativity like a close-up of the eyes, the lips, or the hands, to further translate emotion. Other than that, Dan was able to capture the spirit of the musical.
Another good subject for discourse which the film explored, albeit inconspicuously, is the power relation between people in a relationship, whether as friends or lovers, that is imbalanced because of the difference in socioeconomic status. Alex is employed in a company and although his/her position was not revealed, a scene with Chris where the latter laments being assigned to a boring position despite the former being having a high position in the corporate ladder shows the amount of power Alex has compared to Chris, the latter being just a college dropout, jobless, and doesn't have much of a high IQ. Yes, Alex "wears the pants" in the relationship. We are now left to ponder upon this concept of having someone playing the "husband" role in the relationship just on the basis of him/her being rich, well-connected, and having a stronger personality.
A songwriter told me once that if one has a strong personality or is perceived as "stronger" in the society, then he/she should pick someone that's not so they wouldn't clash. I think this advice is very applicable to the two characters in Changing Partners. Trust and loyalty are very important and the latter element wouldn't exist without the former. Trust wouldn't be there if you can't get your partner to at least listen at to you when you really need him/her to. Looking down or looking up too much will also lead to a communication breakdown and that's a cautionary tale we are all too familiar with.
Yes, all is fair and love and war but there is always someone who gets hurt more. There is someone whose feelings are depper which cannot be measured by material objects or favors bestowed.
Changing Partners opened last January 31 and continues to screens in cinemas nationwide. It was part of the Cinema One Originals film festival held last November 2017.
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