"Before" Meet me in St. Gallen"

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"Before" Meet me in St. Gallen"

During a bus ride, I was talking about the romantic films I already watched and I talked about the Before series (Before Sunrise 1995; Before Sunset 2004; and Before Midnight 2013) by director Richard Linklater. It is not a kind of romantic film that causes lovebites to flare but then go like a flu as forgettable. These conversation films in the series have their appeal on being able to open up to strangers, raw thoughts in conversations, and the promises of possibilities. The love story cooked up in the series is an answer to the adage that familiarity breeds contempt.

Now, I saw the trailer of "Meet Me" and got caught by the Celeste and Jessie forever... and the newsclip dubbing it as a conversation film. As I suspected it was a take on the Before series. So, I watched. I liked the idea that Bella Padilla and Carlo Aquino are the leads as this can be an experimental pairing (I don't like the faddish star couples).

I am pleasingly surprised that I loved the script of Meet Me (Shout out to scriptwriter and director Irene Villamor) as it was just enough exposure of the characters, their dreams and their passion. Bella Padilla killed her role while Carlo Aquino lacks the necessary "it" factor. He sure can cry well and looks good but his presence lacks intensity. Ugggh, I wished the Carlo's acting for the film worked for me.

Though the film idea is not original, I still loved it that the setting is current as it involved facebook. The allure of the central theme is still the same, the conversation exposes two strangers and make them not strangers but they don't want to mess each other's lives so as not to kill that "time" they bottled together. Not communicating is avoiding the sting of "familiarity breeds contempt."

As for me, I was drown to "Meet Me" not as to what the characters were saying or doing because I find them even grand concoction to prove the story's point like the pig convo or the physics thing. I was moved by the beauty of what they did not say like That moment of kissing and Celine said that the moment is perfect, let's not ruin it and she went out. That moment when Celine went up her gallery and I can see e.e cumming's flirting poem on the wall (May I feel said he).  That hand touch in the car. That heartbreaking window scene when she said, I am the same girl, you are a better Jessie. When Jessie said that you don't break hearts on Christmas day. Then, the end, that fitting unsaid things in the end. I have that happy feeling that they will end up together. Perhaps next Valentine's.

I'm smiling because I got it. That moment, and people at the back were saying things like, is this some kind of Korean film with no ending, or  oh, we need a refund 'cause it's not finished. Oh, boy... Lalalalalalala 



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