This review may contain spoilers
It's time to take back our story!
This indeed took back our story. As someone who's not yet out to his family, I understand Karl's fears and confusions. Accepting you own identity and coming out is a journey. Given that the world, though it is more tolerating now, is still far from being safe and accepting to our community. Come out only when you're ready and no one has the right to drag you out of the closet.As someone who has been denied by his lover, I also understand Vlad's pain. It's just so tiring to be in a secret relationship, especially when you hear your lover introduced you only as a "friend". Like Vlad, we also want to experience to love freely. Outside. Without fears.
The story really hits home.
If you can't relate to either one of them, are you really gay?
My only complaint is the fact it runs only for more or less than 30 mins per episode. It deserves more!
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MY TOP BL SERIES OF 2020!!!!
I swear if you haven't watched this series, go and do yourself a favor and watch it now. Gaya sa Pelikula is like no other, it teaches and unfolds the story of people in the LGBTQIA+ commnunity in a very realistic screenplay. And also, the actors are SUPERB ? in portraying their characters like they fit perfectly for the roles (can I just say Pangpangs toptier chemistry in the series ugh!*chef's kiss* Just like what ate Judit said and I quote "YOU ARE VALID" guyss we are all valid. May laban pa sa labas ng palabas! Patuloy tayong lumaban para sa kalayaan at karapatang pantao ng bawat isa.Was this review helpful to you?
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Sweet, realistic drama that might show you some of the hardships of being gay
Finally, we get some great insights about what being gay feels like The main actors are so good, it's like they're not even acting. The secondary characters are quite interesting. I really liked Victor's sister, Judit (with no h!). She's more complex than she initially seems, and although some people found her ''annoying'' I actually understood where she was coming from. The actress who potrayed her (Adrienne Vergara) was really awesome, I think she's got great acting skills. Every actor was quite skillful, they felt real and I could relate to them. Honestly, if you like BL or even just love stories or dramas in general, you gotta watch this!Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
This should be a must watch
Let me preface this review by saying it will be full of spoilers, as i need a place to put my thoughts. I am not a native English speaker, sorry for the mistakes. Again, THERE ARE SPOLERS AHEAD.MUSIC:
Perfection! 15/10
CAST:
20/10
REWATCH VALUE:
100/10. I would, if i could, make every single person i know watch this. It's beautiful.
ENDING:
Immaculate
I loved every single second of this series, and I am hoping we will be lucky with a S2. It isn't really a drama in the way most of us are used to, there is no antagonist, no scheming, no true villains. It's a slice of life series that happens to tackle the problems young adults are faced in the LGBTQ+ community. It is wholesome, heartfelt, it will shred you to pieces, and it will bring you back up again. Its a perfect example of "We love each other, but the time isn't right".
Everything regarding this series is amazing. The writing, the acting the music, pacing, subtle hints, hidden gems! The little messages and ending credits- aahhh im still bawling my eyes out. Honestly, its god tier.
Although there are (only) 8 episodes the story isn't rushed at all. It flows naturally, and you don't have a feeling you're watching a series, it feels like you're peeping through a window into Karl and Vlad's life. It starts off slowly, but quickly builds and grows from episode one. You can see the characters grow, mature, make mistakes, fall in love, break apart, and mend each other . The backstories aren't there just as fillers, they help us see their point of view, help us sympathize , and understand their actions and responses to challenges, each other, but to themselves too.
Karl is a shy boy, unaware of his own sexuality, who is a little rough around the edges in the first 2-3 episodes. As the series progresses, and the story unfolds we see that he is really attentive, selfless, compassionate and overall a kind soul. Don't get me started on the hidden presents, birthday and the dancing. ;_; He made mistakes regarding using derogatory terms, and backhanded compliments- but he was eager to be educated when Vlad confronted him about it. His backstory is tragic, and something i deeply sympathize with. His parents had a son before him, who loved drawing houses, and the parents wanted him to be an architect. Due to their parents moment of negligence he drowned in the ocean. Karl was conceived(or born) a year after his death, and inherited everything. Including his brothers name, clothes, and dreams. He wasn't given a possibility of choice even when choosing his college.
Vlad is a confident, smart outgoing guy, comfortable in his own sexuality, and mature enough not to be agitated with every mistake Karl made, so as long he was willing to learn and apologize. Vlad too has a sad backstory, and he blames himself that their father left. Vlad's dad is a homophobic dick, who hit his child because he was "too excited to talk about a seatmate". He was 6 at the time. A year later, during his birthday party he ruffled Vlad's hair, left and never came back. His sister, Judith, played a major role in why he blamed himself. continuous saying "if only you weren't gay" and other bullshit, made him believe he was the reason. Also, consent is so fucking sexy! All hail Vlad, and his maturity! <3
Judith is, from my point of view, a complete bitch. Due to the mistakes, and blame she put on Vlad when they were younger, she is now an "avid ally". Every scene with her irked me, and i wanted to slap the shit out of her. She is pompous, invades privacy, gives herself too much rights. Barging into OTHER peoples home, shushing people, and cutting them off while talking is disgusting. If i were Karl, i would've pushed her down the stairs. -.- The behavior portrayed by her is that of toxic positivity, and is more damaging than it does any good. Forcing her brother and Karl to kiss in front of her, while exclaiming "You gays give me life" creeped me the fuck out. It sounded like fetishisation of gay relationships, and i wanted to barf. Also, cornering someone into coming out, in front of people is so fucking wrong on so many fucking levels. People are entitled to their own truths and "coming out" in their own terms, and when they are ready. She is the perfect example of "the road to hell is paved with good intentions". Judith gave me flashbacks to when i had to protect my best friend at the time, due to the exact same situation. He was cornered into coming out, but instead of liberation - he got kicked out of his home and ostracized from his family. We were 15 at the time, he was living with me and my family for the time being. It took us 2 years to bring his confidence to half of what it used to be. Being an ally is being a support system, and fighting alongside those you love and support - when it is needed. It is not proclaiming "I AM AN ALLY" every two seconds.
Anna is a bit annoying, has a sharp tongue, and her backstory explains her behavior. She is a teenage mother, who got pregnant at prom night, and fears that she is missing out on life because of her kid. Anna refuses to be "reduced" just to the role of motherhood and sacrifices, cause she is so much more. She is an artist, she is bold, honest and unapologetic. Her role is that of female empowerment, and she proved to be a great friend, and a much better ally than Judith. Her advice was always timed and phrased perfectly- and she was the push that Karl needed to become braver. I loved her so much.
Karls parents are so much like mine, that i started crying uncontrollably when he talked to them last time. You are the perfect child and you can do no wrong- so as long as you do what they say. The moment you have the "audacity" to have your own dreams, and refuse to have them shoving their on complexes and dreams down your throat- you're in the wrong. You're ungrateful. They had the audacity to pretend like Karl isn't a replacement child, forcing their dreams and plans onto him. Also a great example of toxic positivity. Some people don't deserve to be parents. So many dreams, hopes, aspirations and lives get crushed under the overwhelming pressure of forced dreams, and wanting love and approval from parents. I was so happy when Karl started taking steps towards his dreams, and ultimately - freedom.
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Gaya Sa Pelikula (Like In The Movies) Is A Magnum Opus
We rarely see BLs that educate and represent the LGBTQIA+ Community properly. It is refreshing to see such a BL to actually represent the community really well, that LGBTQIA+ People are not only for the sake of comedic relief.For me, GSP is a revolution in the sense that it is the first time that a BL actually addressed problematic issues affecting the LGBTQIA+ Community at large. That we are beyond our sexuality and gender identity as opposed to the negative representation in media that LGBTQIA+ People usually get.
I am emotional while writing this review because GSP really hit close to home. From the dialogues to the music, they will hit you right in the feels.
GSP is a must-watch for everyone. Hopefully even straight people watch this show because it really is an eye-opener to a lot of problematic issues towards the LGBTQIA+ Community.
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Drop everything and just watch this!
A definite must-watch for everyone. This series transcends the usual BL show by giving its viewers a realistic slice of life. The series takes its audience on a journey through the reality that faces the LGBTQIA+ community. The storyline and plot is well rounded. The script is impeccable, very detail-oriented and inspiring. There are no wasted scenes. The acting is well done. Both leads breathe life into these complex characters. The OST is amazing! This series is super rewatchable. You get to catch more details every time you watch it.Best BL series by a mile.
Don't sleep on this. Just watch it. You'll thank me later.
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The most refreshing and sincere BL story I've ever watched
Beautiful on so many levels. This has to be the most perfect BL series I've ever watched. This made me cry so many times (but in a good way) and the ending is just perfect in my opinion. Nothing in this series is forced or unrealistic, which is something so refreshing to see in a sea of so many dull, high school BL dramas.If you are sick of all the cliché, run of the mill BL storylines revolving around silly miscommunications, forced love-triangles, immature possessive characters and lack of consent- this show will be such a divine fresh breathe of air for you.
The story is simple, but the attention to detail in every aspect of the production, acting, OST, etc. bring it together to be such a wholesome, poignant and important story to tell. For one example, this has to be one of the only BL series where the side characters are not mere annoyances or cardboard cut-outs. They're real people with their own stories to tell that add to the realism of the story (even despite the short length of the series). The main characters are not gay characters existing in a "gay world". These are real people having their story told in a sincere, mature and honest way.
There's so many things I could say about this series, but in summary I just absolutely loved it. This series transcends the BL genre and stands alone as a wholly human, masterfully told story. Pure romance, pure perfection. What I want most out of a BL series is too feel the love, feel the romance- and that's what this series accomplished. That and more.
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CAPTIONLESS!
There are so many “Good Things” to be talked about this series. I may miss out some points to consider, and I’ll take responsibility of my negligence. Without further ado, I’ll break down my analyzation about this series!“Norm-Breaking!”
Unlike most BL-themed series, that goes with a repetitive plot mixing it up with some unique representation of events. GSP (Gaya sa Pelikula) are one of those “FEW” BL series that took a step forward to be different in many aspects. In a general perspective, we see most BL series to have a common background.
In example, the common BL story conflict would be likely to revolve on 3rd Party Issues. With one of the main characters (mostly the MASCULINE character), having an ex-girlfriend who’s still nosing around to reconcile her broken relationship with one of the protagonist.
Another common conflict of a BL story that compliments with my 1st sample is all about Trust Issues. That one character thinks that his partner would do something stupid or make a mess with someone, is somewhat an overused concept. Yes, it is indeed a core topic to be discussed. But if it keeps on repeating in a single-story baseline, it will only make a general impression on how bad it is to be in a SS (Same Sex) relationship, which supposedly not the ideology to be imposed in BL stories.
Labelling conspiracies is a big issue that most BL series/movies do lack of acknowledgment. They would simply impose some characters’ mindset that identifying someone as “GAY” is a form of insult or a derogatory statement. We all know that this is actually how most people would think about the LGBTQ+ community. But keep in mind that this stereotyping would not help those who are deeply closeted. As one of the main reasons why BL genre stories existed, is to give a gleam of hope to the community that we acknowledge and appreciate their existence in this world with no much disgrace in the identity that they have.
GSP did a lot of synergizing to compliment with some of the ‘REAL ISSUES’ that we should be aware of. As how the series is narrating, GSP did a scenario on addressing conflicts based on the interpersonal aspect of the characters. A niche situation that most couples been into, yet not being a vocal topic enough to be publicly acknowledged.
As how Karl struggles to look at himself as GAY, is how most LGBT people feel. The way how his environment nurture him the thoughts that being GAY is a disgrace, pressures him a lot to acknowledge his true self. Considering the fact that his character was pre-made to be a replacement of his older brother (because his older brother died too young), he had no choice but to fit in the shoes of his belated brother in order to please his parents.
As with Vlad, he struggles to risk in a potential relationship due to his past relationship where he was dumped just because that person wasn’t ready to acknowledge his identity. The frustration that he feels, speaks to most LGBT people. The feeling that you are the only one who is brave enough to be open about your relationship is a big burden. You have no choice but to limit your actions towards to your partner publicly, fearing that your partner may think that the people around you would recognized your relationship (due to the fact that he wants your relationship to be discreet).
“Why do we need to be acknowledged as Gay?”
It is for us to be labelled as how it should be. A sense of self-identification and people being able to acknowledge your identity is what LGBT people stand for. This also plays when the norm would speak only about the LGBT people. The “Straights” would also likely want to be acknowledged as Straight if ever the norm was on the other way around. Merely because the norms doesn’t fully recognized the thought of someone being GAY, and Vice-Versa if the norm wasn’t how most people see it today.
GSP did a good execution in this concept, in the form of Vlad’s character. An openly-gay man, which never feared to be labelled as Gay. His character enables us to realize that acknowledging yourself as Gay (if you are to be) is not a bad thing. It’s never a bad idea to acknowledge yourself on who you really are. Just because people see your ‘identity’ as a disgrace, doesn’t mean you are. Vlad enables Karl to acknowledge him as Gay, not to think of it as a form of euphemism but a form of acknowledgment to his identity. Also Vlad wanted Karl to acknowledge that his feeling would considered him being Gay, because it’s how it should be.
The reason why some LGBT people sticks to be called as Bisexual is because on how derogatory the word Gay looks like in other people. GSP emphasizes the idea that you should never fear to acknowledge yourself as Gay, and rather be called out as something as a “Safe Spot” like Bisexual/Bi-romantic/etc.
“Coming Out of the Closet!”
Have you ever been so feared to be called as something you never wanted to be acknowledged off? That’s basically you being “KARL”.
The struggle of Karl’s characters not to be perceived as Gay is a struggle of most of us.
A person who is in a “May-December Affair” with a rich man/woman doesn’t want to be labelled as a gold-digger. A Kinless teenager boy, who is a sex worker, doesn’t want to be called lecherous.
So on, people didn’t want to be called out as something due to the fact that is it inclined with a negative ideology. In instance, Karl struggles to accept himself as Gay, because he thinks that people around him would just insult him for being Gay.
We all know that “Coming Out” is a process that should be done deliberately. This thing should not be done by force, which Vlad did a not-so-good thing to Karl forcing him to acknowledge himself as Gay. His actions, the way he feels about Vlad, may project to his identity as being Gay. But for as long as he is questioning himself, don’t force him to speak out.
“Just Ally Things”
Let’s give GSP a round of applause for letting those people supporting the LGBTQ+ community a part in the story. Ate Judith’s storyline behind her existence being an ally (Vlad’s Older Sister) was an eye-opener for most people today that support the LGBTQ+ community. I can say that there are many “Judith”, who did a mistake in the past and regain themselves from their wrong ideologies preventing to make the same mistake again.
It was brave enough to convey the story of Judith, who did insult Vlad (when he was young) for being gay, that she thinks was the cause of their parents’ separation. This is a story of those families who had just started a good relationship with their LGBT relatives, after realizing the mistakes they did in the past for insulting their identity.
OVERALL, I can say that GSP is an S-tier BL series. Better than most BL series that I have watched. A must-watch series in my opinion!
With that, I might create a different review that will tackle about the “Bad Points” that I have noticed while watching this series.
This review is taking too long to pile up the “Bad Points” that I have recognized.
Anyways, that’s all I can say!
PS. This is only my POV. The Rates are solely based upon looking all the "Good Points" I have noticed in this series. The rating may vary when "Bad Points" are included.
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Nice soundtrack and characters, not so much a great plot
I enjoyed this show, but I think the structure of the story is kinda bad. It should either be a show with a slow burn of the main characters realizing they like each other, culminating in the kiss on episode 6. Or a show that moved over that part quickly, so it makes sense to have their “happy life” destroyed by reality and fear. I think the “break up” would be more impactful if we got to see them living a happy life together, with the added layer of romance. Everything before episode 8 takes place over a month, so it’s not like they were together for months and then broke up.I think the actors are great and that they have great chemistry. The soundtrack is amazing.
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Raw and Real
I will be the first person to say I enjoy BLs. I tend to watch Thai BLs which are generally cute and fluffy and easy to watch. Bonus are the few that have genuinely good messages and ideals. They also tend to be full of tropes and there are a fair number of them that have problematic ideals or are just problematic in general. This drama, however, doesn't just break that mold, it shatters into a million pieces. This is what BLs should aspire to be.With Karl and Vlad, we get two very different perspectives of their sexuality and identity which is what the story focuses on.
-Vlad has known he's gay from a very young age whereas Karl has never had the freedom to really explore his sexuality or identity until he spends the semester break on his own. And for each of them, its a different journey. Vlad blamed the fact that he was gay for his father's leaving the family. He felt that he had failed in his purpose to save his parent's marriage. He thought his mother was ashamed of him being gay. It was a hard journey for him to become comfortable with himself and find pride in his identity and sexuality and once he did, he wasn't willing to go back into hiding, and rightly so. He's come to a point where he's not only proud of who he is, but he's able to educate others. When Karl flounders, dancing around the word "gay", telling Vlad that he doesn't look gay, rather than getting angry or defensive, Vlad gently corrects and guides him and Karl learns.
-For Karl, he's been living his deceased older brother's life for his entire life instead of living the life he wants, studying architecture instead of film like he wants. Fear rules his life, fear of telling his parents that he wants to transfer majors, fear of his feelings for Vlad, fear of his own sexuality, fear of what others will think, fear of the outside world. This drama highlights just how incredibly hard it truly is for someone to come out. Its not all sunshine and roses, even when they know the people around them will support them, coming to terms that their sexuality and identity does not match what society deems as "normal", that they are faced with telling family and friends who may or may not be supportive, that has to be terrifying. And I feel like they portrayed that so realistically here. But Karl does start facing his fears, little by little, first by telling his parents that he does want to transfer majors and then at the end, with Anna's encouragement, by going out into the world.
What this drama also highlights is the struggle of relationships where one person is out and the other is not. Despite their love for each other, Vlad and Karl are faced with a situation where Vlad is out and he is, understandably, not willing to go back to hiding his sexuality and Karl is still discovering himself and isn't quite ready to take that step. The scene there towards the end in the condo is bittersweet because of that discrepancy. But the open ending of them together watching the movie outside the condo in the open gives me hope that things will work out for them.
I loved our two female characters of Anna and Judit. BLs tend to do female characters dirty either by using them as objects, fangirls for the leads, or villains to cause conflict. Not the case here. They were both well developed characters with their own stories and reasons behind their actions.
-I honestly wasn't sure if I was going to like Judit at first. Her over the top behaviour and constant line that she was an ally seemed very fake. I didn't think she was a bad person, I just didn't really believe her to be as supportive as she said she was. But when she and Vlad had dinner together and he calls her out and everything unfolds, it suddenly all made sense why she acted the way she did. For the first time, he made her face her actions, the damage that her words had caused, and she finally apologized and she admitted that she was still learning too. It was a really great moment between the two of them. What I also appreciated about her character was that even though they had that conversation, Judit was still Judit, there was no immediate change, she was still over the top, she was still spouting her, "I'm an ally" spiel, which I found realistic. Change takes time. She'll get there eventually.
-For Anna, I also found her to be realistic. If a woman has kids, she's expected to be a mother 24/7, 365 days a year and if she takes a break, for some reason, that's looked down on. That is such a damaging concept, and I loved that Anna realized that she needed a break from mothering and she took it. Her comment that she didn't want to blame her daughter was so powerful. Mothers are human beings too, they needs breaks, they need time to themselves and there should be no shame in taking that time. I think she highlights the fact that just because you become a mother, that does not mean your life is over, you can still have your own hopes and dreams and strive for them. And in doing so. she is being a role model for her daughter to never give up. She was just such an amazing character to me and I loved her.
As a side note, although she wasn't a big character, I also really liked Sue. She was always supportive of Vlad and was someone he could really talk to. She gave it to him straight and was pretty no nonsense which I appreciated.
My favorite dramas are the ones that are like puzzles. You have all these pieces, actions or items that you don't think much of, that end up being part of a bigger picture and in the end everything come together like a puzzle. This was one of those dramas. Things like Vlad not liking his hair touched , the corpse in the closet story and then Vlad finding the picture of Karl's deceased brother in the closet, Vlad having a keychain that was a match to Karl's, there was just so much symbolism, so many little moments that turned out to have a bigger impact, it was fantastically brilliant.
The OST can make or break a drama for me. Music is what brings it all together, makes you feel more deeply, immerses you in the moment. The OST for Like in the Movies was flawless. I loved it. Each song was perfect for the scene it was used for and the lyrics too just fit so beautifully.
Literally everything about this drama was just so well thought out. The credits scenes were absolutely genius. I loved how they showed the progression of their relationship each episode. It was perfect. And the icing on the cake was the quote at the end of each episode. Each one was clearly carefully chosen and I looked forward to seeing them.
This was truly such a beautiful drama. I loved every second of the emotional journey it sent me on. I laughed and cried and came to love each and every one of the characters. I cannot recommend it enough.
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A Drama Everyone Should Watch, Regardless of if You're A BL Fan or Not
This drama is more than just a BL and it's easily one of my favorite dramas of all time. It really shows how someone who hasn't come out yet struggles to come to terms with who they are as a person and how damaging it can be when people attempt to force them to come out before they're ready. This drama is hard hitting, real, and I would 10/10 recommend this to anyone who wants something heavy but completely realistic. This is more than just a BL series and it really goes into the struggle of people within the LGBTQIA+ community. As someone who's within the community myself, I really appreciated the representation. I tend to watch BL series more for the acting and chemistry and I fully go into almost every BL series knowing I won't see anything realistic, but this is totally different. As I've said, I appreciate the representation and as long as you go in knowing you won't get some cringy, unrealistic drama, you'll enjoy it!Was this review helpful to you?
