Like in the Movies (2020)

The importance of queer voices

Wow, this was sort of, kinda, lowkey really good.

As someone, who has their qualms with the BL fandom, I am always a bit wary when it comes to BxB content, often I am left with a weird, fetishistic mess, but people insisted Gaya Sa Pelikula is one of the good ones
And you know what?
They're right.

This was the first Filipino show I have ever watched and I found it incredibly charming. I think the reason why this struck a chord with me is that, while this drama has its flaws, I could tell that it comes from a place of sincerity.
My beef with most BL content is, while it capitalizes off gay relationships, it is so often very far removed from anything LGBT+. The writers/directors are often straight. The actors usually are. The plot is often centered around some weird harem full of handsome, vaguely similar-looking young men, so far removed from anything resembling "the gay experience tm”. Often times they treat the more flamboyant, feminine gay characters as a punchline, oftentimes they refuse to even use the word gay. BLs are so obviously produced for a straight audience. And that is okay, I guess.
But it's nothing I am particularly interested in.

Gaya Sa Pelikula is very much not that. I could tell that the plot, the characters everything about it, came from the corner of someone's heart. Because it touches on something real. It isn't afraid of tackling subjects such as unsupportive parents, internalized homophobia, heck even micro-aggressions within the LGBT+ community get mentioned here. It just felt... I don't know, real? Like the author obviously was drawing from his own experiences. And this is what made this show stand out to me. But okay let me structure this properly.

Let’s start off with everything I love about this drama:
I love all the characters in this, even the minor ones, but I especially love Karl. Many viewers were probably charmed by smart, outgoing, sassy emotionally intelligent Vlad, and I can’t blame them, but the character I found myself most in is Karl. I feel like he is, not only a relatable character for many LGBT+ teens, as he tries to figure out his sexuality, but relatable for a lot of young people in general. We all know the feeling of being a side character in our own story. And this feeling of having no agency in life, was beautifully conveyed in the show’s poignant dialogue. While I found the premise of the show cheesy and sort of immature, the dialogue very much was not. Not only was the banter between the two leads funny, cute and natural, but the dialogue in the more serious scenes was remarkably intelligent. Gaya Sa Pelikula, as mentioned, managed to touch on a lot of social topics, without it feeling like strict PSAs or the writer’s way of speaking directly to the audience. Every character had a distinctive way of speaking and everyone had a unique perspective and something important to say.
I also have to give a shoutout to the show’s female characters, as BLs very rarely take the time to write three-dimensional women. A lot of people loved Anna, and I get why, but I found Judit, Vlad’s sister much more intriguing. Yes, she was deeply flawed and oftentimes annoying but that was her point and what I liked so much about her. I found her journey as an ally very believable and important and especially the scene where Vlad calls her out for her performative activism left a huge impression on me. It showed that sometimes meaning well, simply isn’t enough, while also demonstrating how much she truly cares for her brother and wants the best for him.
This is also one of the rare occasions where I actually have something to say about the show’s OST: It’s great! Every song is an “absolute banger” as the teens say, especially “True Young Lovers” which I still haven’t stopped listening to. Everything in the soundtrack felt like it served a purpose and nicely accentuated the scene it was in.

On to the things I did not love about Gaya Sa Pelikula.
This show did not have a big budget and sadly you can just tell. I realize that this is something the production team, in the end, has very little control over, sometimes you have to work with what you have, so this is definitely one of the drama's minor offenses, but as a result, the cinematography doesn’t stand out. There were a few scenes where they were more creative with it, but mostly it fell rather flat. I also feel like this either wasn’t really color-corrected or like the color correction was just sort of… bad? The colors were extremely pale and it did throw me off sometimes.
This story also definitely just needed more time. I have commended this show in the paragraph above for how many issues it tackled and its characters but sometimes it did feel like it bit off more than it could chew. Anna’s side story of her temporarily leaving her daughter was fairly heavy and felt like something that could have been explored more, but since this is a mini-web-series, the whole thing gets resolved rather quickly and off-screen as well. In the end, I was left wondering if it hadn’t been better if they had left out that plot point entirely.
While I think that Vlad and Karl’s actors had good chemistry and while I definitely loved their banter, they needed more time together as well. The whole progression of them falling in love with each other was a bit unclear to me and did feel a bit rushed, unfortunately.
At times this drama also felt a bit overwritten. Like I don’t think we needed tragic lore on why exactly Vlad doesn’t like it when people touch his hair, I get what the writer was trying to do, but it gave me a bit of a “Joker-origin story”-feel if that makes any sense at all.
Also, and this is just personal preference, I just couldn’t get over the premise. The whole “fake dating”-thing made me cringe through the entirety of the show. I could have gotten past it if the rest of the show had been more on the silly side but it was just a bit too fanfiction-y to me, in a story that otherwise was very mature. I fully get that a lot of other people love this stuff, but I just don’t. I usually prefer for my romances to feel more grounded in reality, especially if the tone of the rest show is more serious. But again, this is something that comes down to personal preference.

The way this show tackled LGBT+ topics was honestly something I have never seen before. It wasn’t “great for an Asian drama”. It was just great. Period. Many scenes here will tuck on your heartstrings. Obviously, Karls and Vlad's breakup made me sad, but the first scene that brought tears to my eyes was between Karl and his gay uncle (a flamboyant, overweight man that is more than just a punchline, I can’t believe it). “I’m not always suffering because I am gay but because I always choose to love. So don’t turn me into a cautionary tale, I’m too fabulous to be one.”- How beautifully put in a show that is essentially about queer suffering. Many stories centered around the gay experience are so caught up with dealing with trauma, that they completely forget to remind us that grief is the price we pay for love. And that it is worth paying.
This show successfully captured the beauty of your first love and heartache as you figure out who you are. Never has "right person-wrong time" been so accurate. It doesn't demonize Karl for needing his time before he is ready to come out. It doesn’t demonize Vlad for not being able to go back into the closet. Neither of them has done anything wrong, it is society that has wronged them.

As I researched the writer of Gaya Sa Pelikula, I came across an interview where he stated, that the drama was indeed based on personal experience. That he once was like Karl and many years ago met his Vlad, an out and proud gay man who he fell in love with and who also loved him. But like Karl, the writer was not ready to come out, so when the other man asked him to be in a public relationship, he turned him down. When he eventually was comfortable enough to come out, the man he had rejected, had moved on and they could only be friends. Shortly after this, his first love died tragically at a young age.
This is the real heartache of this show. That the author’s first love will never be able to see this tribute to him. That it is a story of “could-have-been”s. “What would happen if we didn’t have to be afraid?”, is a question that Vlad asks in the very last episode and it is the one I have been asking myself ever since I watched this show.
Gaya Sa Pelikula, while being flawed, beautifully illustrated the importance of queer voices. Because this a story only a gay person could tell. And the more often we hear stories like these, the less often they will have to occur. In that sense, kudos to this show, for being so real, for being so poignant, for being so open, so vulnerable, so very very relevant.

I want to take this last paragraph to tell my fellow LGBT+ folks: Get your story out there. Whether it be in the form of an actual book or movie or if that just means existing and being an active part of the community, our experiences matter. No matter where you are in life, whether you can live your truth or are still in the closet, you’re so valid and important. What you have to say makes a difference and helps make this world a better place. You are the main character of your life. You have a story that no one else can tell, so make sure you tell it.

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Like in the Movies, Good or Bad?

THIS REVIEW DOES CONTAIN SPOILERS.

This drama started off slow, however, the topics discussed in it are very important; sibling surrogation, LGBT, and coming out.

At the beginning of the drama, Karl seems like a typical man who lives by himself and is undergoing an architecture degree of some sort. A degree that was forced upon him by his parent's expectations. Meanwhile, Karl himself is interested in the film world. He wants to change his degree to film but is scared of disappointing his parents because it was revealed that he is a surrogate for his deceased brother. He has his brothers name, his clothes, and even his assumed dream.
On the other hand, you have Vlad. An outgoing, extroverted person. A complete opposite of the introverted Karl. He is someone who is comfortable in his own body, his own skin and with who he is as a person. He is openly gay and is willing to openly talk about it. He originally used to live next door to Vlad but due to some circumstances, he begins to live with Vlad and they even pretend to date to fool his sister. In return for such a favour, Karl has asked Vlad to help him prepare for changing his degree to film since Vlad is a film student. I was thoroughly impressed with both characters in the beginning and their slow development. Vlad has some amazing one-liners such as "I refuse to be a plot device that triggers somebody else's identity crisis". Welp bad news Vlad, you were.

There was only one thing that disappointed me with this drama.
It was the fact that Vlad, Vlad's sister, the neighbour and even his uncle who expected Karl to confidently say he was gay and in love with Vlad when Karl had no idea who he truly was. The development was all new to him, especially when he and Vlad kissed.
I completely understand that Vlad previously dated someone who wasn't ready to come out, and I understand where he was coming from, but Karl is different from Vlad's ex. His ex already knew he was gay, just didn't want to come out of the closet.
Karl, on the other hand, was completely different. He didn't know if he was gay, bisexual, pansexual etc. All he knew was that he had something inside him that started to genuinely like Vlad. Something inside him that liked kissing the latter, and something inside him that yearned for the latter. Karl was never trying to 'hide in the closet'.
He was trying to understand the new sexual awakening that occurred. What he needed support to understand it all, but instead, he was pressured into putting a label on something he had no idea how to process or comprehend.

Since the beginning of the drama, Karl has slowly been trying to gain the courage to live for himself, rather than for the original Karl and his parents. Then there he is flooded with newfound, confusing emotions. His world, emotionally wise, was completely flipped around because of Vlad and his influence.

Meanwhile, the acting was superb. The actors really got into their roles, and genuinely made me smile. laugh, cry and angry. They all seemed so comfortable with each other and genuinely gave off vibes that they enjoyed filming this drama.
Paolo was a good choice to cast as Karl. He gave the perfect amount of introverted awkwardness that most individuals have when they are unfamiliar with a social situation. It perfectly fits the essence of Karl. Meanwhile, Ian was the perfect choice to cast as Vlad. He portrayed Vlad with confidence, snark and cheekiness. You can't help but just love his entire personality and presence as a whole. He really brought Vlad to life.

The soundtrack for this drama, made my jaw drop. It was absolutely perfect and you can tell that it was thoroughly thought out because each track complemented each scene perfectly. It didn't take away anything, nor did it overpower the work of the actors.

Would I rewatch this drama? It depends. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the plot, the acting and the entire work overall. However, as I said, there was a part that left me disappointed and thus, resulted in me lowering my rating for the story content itself. However, I am deeply impressed that regardless of that slightly disappointing approach they took, to the situation, they still maintained authenticity. They kept it all realistic and took into consideration real-life scenarios, real-life stories, and real-life topics.

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THIS IS HOW YOU MAKE A SERIES!!!

What can I say about this amazing series besides being a perfection? This series is really just like "heart-warming" and great. This series kept my interest til the end and I'm so proud of the main leads of this series. The producer and the director really infused this series with outstanding acting and amazing sstoryline, periodt. From the vintage-like cinematography, dialogue, characters and the storyline, there's nothing I could ask for because they afford me completely. My heart goes for this kind of series being a nostalgic and just "right in your feelings". I love the way the story is being made and the flow of every episode is beautiful. Every episode is worth to watch for. The end did not really disappoint me and I'm good with that. For the people behind this series, kudos to you, keep on making this kind of amazing series. ???????????

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Like in the Movies...or Real life

Welcome to the world of Vlad and Karl. We get a seat to witness the dynamic of being out and proud vs closeted and afraid. An authentic and sophisticated representation of what the confident gay vs panic gay looks like in reality. It is truly a nuanced, intentional and intelligent story. Every decision has meaning from the shots, compositions, music, colours etc. It is full of quotables, smart writing and beautiful visualisations . A pretty well thought out story showing a spectrum of issues and phases of acceptance. It makes you think and feel. We can all relate!

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The story is very Filipino

I already finished watching tons of BL dramas (Korean, Thai, Japanese) and this is my first Filipino BL drama that I have watched. The story is so far the realest of all and addresses the situation of some LGBTQ community in today's society. I love how they mixed a lot of comedy and a little horror in the series.

The story is good actually but the execution of the characters (excluding Anna because she's perfect in every scene) has a bit off in some parts. The conversations have too much Taglish (Tagalog-English) and it's a little displeasing to my ears. For me, it would be better if they lessen the use of English. One to three English words in a sentence would do.

I'm quite impressed to the acting of Ian (Vlad), Justine (Sue) and Yesh (Anna). Paolo (Karl) has a decent acting though. Adrienne (Judit) is way too exaggerated sometimes but I like how consistent her way of speaking. Their emotions through body language and facial expressions are very remarkable. But, I noticed unpleasant phrasing of words in some parts when the main characters are conversing. That made me off while watching.

Although I rated this with 7.5/10 which is in the average on my standard, I would say that this is a MUST-WATCH.

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Coming out vs Pulling back in

Subjective Gut Rating - 8.25

As I start to watch this drama, I was wondering why the high praises? How come all the reviews are rated 9s and 10s? Isn't this just a simple drama about cohabitation and falling in love?

The first 6 episodes are cute. It has my favorite tropes of cohabitation due to individual circumstances., bickering couple learning to live together harmoniously, getting to know each other and falling in love. We've seen this plot many, many times in both BL and non-BL dramas. The songs are great, the actors are cute, and we have a couple fun supporting actresses in the sister and the neighbor. It's all good but nothing we have not seen before.

Then episode 7 happened and now I realize why this drama is so highly rated. Coming to terms with your feelings for someone and realizing that one is gay, are already two huge milestones. But coming out to your family and to the world?. That's a whole different story. It's important that one is given the time and the choice to do so at their own pace without being forced.

But what if you are already out of the closet (and it's not easy to do) and now you fall for someone who's not quite ready? Is it fair that you get pulled back into the closet? Is it fair to not be able to love the way you want to? What if you want to show the world and the person you love how much you care for them?

It's rare to see a drama explores this dynamic. And I am glad to discover "Love in the Movies" which takes the time to show us a different side of a gay romance that's not being talked about enough.

I'll end this review with the quote from the drama during the ending credits:

"The real fight is on the outside. We will welcome you when you are ready."


Completed: 3/24/2023

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Cute but Sad

It was cute but at the same time I found it a bit sad.

I understand Karl while I also don’t understand him.

Let me explain, I’ve been raised in a family where being gay is not an issue at all, as long as you’re happy, they couldn’t care less. So I can’t really relate to his struggle of telling the world how he feel. However, I know the world is not all rosy and while I can’t relate, I can understand and see his struggling.

Realising you are gay and coming out in front of everyone is definitely not an easy thing to do. Especially when the world is full of persons who won’t and don’t want to understand you.

But at the same time, I totally get how Vlad must feel. How he is ready to offer the world to the person he loves and that person just want to keep him hidden in the closet. I would be heartbroken by that too.

In fact, I get both of their feelings. They are both valid and that’s what is making it sad.

However, despite that, I think it’s a very nice series. No lies, no superfluous elements, no unnecessary drama. Just two guys who fell in love with each other while not being ready for it.

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Great to Watch -- and Then Watch Again

I hesitate to call this a BL drama, because it is head-and-shoulders above the rest of the genre. Plot, production values, actors and soundtrack are all top-notch. There are no tropes, and no easy solutions for Karl, the guy who is soooo scared of his own gayness. But it has a clear message of humanity and the universality of love and longing to belong -- all packaged in a drama that starts out as a rom-com but ends up being much, much more. It is well worth watching (and then watching again, to catch the details of the characters' evolution in their relationship to each other -- and to themselves.)

The production values are very high and the OST superbly suited to the ambience that the director sought to create.

There are a couple of long reviews in this thread that talk about why the messaging is so important, and I won't repeat them. But the reviewers are so right......we have all known somebody -- or been that somebody -- who is shown in this film. And the message that gay people are ordinary lovers and brothers/sisters and sons/daughters who want the same things that everyone else wants (love and home and acceptance and an end to fear) comes through very powerfully. Kudos to Globe Studios for "coming out" on the messaging. Kudos to JMS for knowing what needs to be said, and saying it so powerfully. And Kudos to Ian and Paolo for bringing to life all the contradictions of being human.

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Even better the second time around

Some good soul decided to sprinkle some fairy dust on this production. Coming as it did in the dark days of lockdowns and vaccinations, this was not just fresh air, but was scented with jasmine or lavender or whatever. The fragrance lingered for a while till the time I decided to revisit it. What did I then discover?

What is a fairly ordinary story set mostly in a single apartment (and its common areas) is somehow transformed into joyous, frothy love story. But in its wake, there are meaningful insights into coming out, gay identity, broken families, job-hunting, making that first step into the big bad(?) world of commercial media. The back stories are sometimes painful , but they make for the right balance between the lightness of the romance and wanting to make a broader statement about the Filipino economy and society today.
paint.
I think there are only 6 characters in this series. Remarkable is that each of them has something to add to this broad canvas that GSP is trying to . Full credit to all the actors for telling us heir stories - laughter suddenly turning to grey unresolved sadness. As for Ian and Paolo,t his could not have worked without you two. Alternating between laughter, anger, silliness, and seriousness, you built your roles around your mutual affection; it was never that far away. And we, the audience could see the affection and we decided to come along for the ride.
Dare I mention the music. Not since "Lovesick" and Hormones" has there been a soundtrack that is tuneful, original and so in sync with the story.
Thank you JP Habac and Juan Miguel Severo - for completing and releasing the series during the pandemic, but also for your vision of what this show should be. As I said, I am writing this after my second viewing. I had a smile on my face right through.
There's a a song (revealing my age) by Frank Sinatra which goes "Love is lovelier ... the second time around.."

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One of the best series i have ever watched!

I really enjoyed watching like in the movies because it wasn't like in a lot of bl's so happy-clappy everyone is going to accept that I'm gay and no one cares. Everyone in the lgbt community will be able to relate to the struggles and dysphoria Karl was going through. I was so amazed by this series, it was so much b better than I ever imagined. To my friends who are new to watching Bl, this is probably one of the first ones I will recommend them to watch. It even is a great family movie. The two characters had so much chemistry, they were made for each other. It was funny but also had some deep and beautiful moments. What kinda spoiled it for me was that they didn't end up together, but that's just my opinion :) Overall I can really recommend watching it, I'm sure you'll love it!

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One of the best bls

I don't usually write reviews but for a show this amazing I really have no choice other than to do it. This show is amazing from top to bottom I love the acting, directing, script, delivery, editing and filming. The music hits so well and is accompanied by these beautiful and amazing shots. I love Karl and Vlad, I think that they are great characters the way the fall in love to the conflict is expressed in an amazing way and done so right. Also I have to mention something that took me by surprise and that was the humor. There was no funny background soundtrack that they usually play, no awkward moments to make me cringe and feel second handed embarrassment. The humor is so funny and casual. They way jokes are delivered are so natural and its so entertaining seeing characters interacting with each other. Most of all there are no fan service moments. Their love feels so real and genuine it is insane. But the main part of what captured this show is the dialogue, every single line has so much weight laced on to it. There are so many beautiful quotes you can pick from this show and understand their meaning so easily. I'm sorry if my review is a bit all over the place, I just want to put across the fact that this show is an absolute gem and deserves all the love and attention it receives.

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Must watch series!!!

Ok so to start off this review I wanted to say I don’t EVER write reviews but this was so good you don’t understand. Usually don’t enjoy shows that have a slow burn like this one but this is so worth watching! I have the attention span of a 4 year old and watched this all in one go lol.

To start off let me say the acting was AMAZING!! I really loved the chemistry there two actors had it left you on your toes the whole time! They really seem to have a close connection even off screen so that’s something amazing.

The storyline really was amazing, the way they didn’t write this as a normal “BL” series was amazing it was just a love story between two men who have struggles in this society because of who they are. I love series like this I definitely recommend it to people of the lgbt community and allies!

The music was AHHH! I have never seen a drama with such a good sound track! All the songs went with the emotions of what the character/characters on screen were going through.

I don’t know if they will have a season two because of the sexual assault problem that happened but whatever happens i’m happy this series was a thing.

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