Film & TV

‘I’m Drunk, I Love You’ deals with the things we let go of when we move on

By GEO CABRAL

Some people might say, after watching the movie, that I’m Drunk, I Love You is a love story. And they wouldn’t really be wrong.

The movie, directed by JP Habac and written by both him and Giancarlo Abrahan, talks about the story of best friends, Dio (Paulo Avelino) and Carson (Maja Salvador) who decide to go on a road trip a few days before their graduation.

In some ways, it is a love story. Carson is attempting to deal with the unrequited love she has for her best friend for the seven years that she’s known him. This is a fact that Jason (Dominic Roco), Carson’s gay best friend who also tags along, constantly reminds her about.

But while the movie can certainly be called a love story, it should be noted how it is so much more than that.

What we are ultimately presented here, is a story about the difficulty of moving on with our lives. The characters of Carson and Dio display in their own way, the kind of struggle we go through when we are learning how to let go of what has been comfortable for us for so long, when a new chapter in our lives is approaching. In some ways, it is about a fear of a future that is different from a familiar past. It all hinges on the context that they are graduating in a few days. Scenes like when Carson says she has to work, despite her still wanting to do gigs, because it is what is practical, or Dio’s feeling of defeat when he compares himself to what his peers have already achieved, might be familiar feelings that we all have, especially to those graduating soon.

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Dominic Roco as Jason Ty shines not only for his incredibly funny moments, but for his role as someone who provides Carson with a reality check, constantly giving her advice about remembering the present. Pathy (Jasmine Curtis-Smith), acts not only as the cause of Carson’s jealousy, but also as a part of a possible future that Dio is trying to figure out.

It is important to note as well, that this is the kind of movie that demands you take notice of each and every detail, and how they enrich the story. The music is on point, not only in filling the silence, but also in deepening the emotions of certain scenes. The words that are repeatedly said, and the way they are said — like the tiredness in Carson’s voice when she says the words “seven years,” or phrases like “control the present” and “time check” are important as well. Their actions, like getting drunk, also have their own implications.

All in all, IDILY is more than just a love story. One could say that the story of unrequited love in this movie is but one part of a much larger theme about having to move on from everything that has been constant in their lives for so long — whether it is Carson’s love for Dio, Jason being single, or simply the years of experience of being a student. It’s about the struggles of change; our attempts or desire to slow down time to grab hold of the last few moments of this old life, and our trepidations about coming into a new life. It’s about dealing with the knowledge of the past, and the uncertainty of the future.

In some ways, the movie compels us to ask the question: What do we have to let go of when we move on? What are the things that stay?

 

 

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