Alone/Together is more than just the typical mainstream film. It illustrates highly vulnerable love affair within a socio-economic context, exploring the real world in contrast to idea of university education. And it shows the idea of people who really strive hard to pursue their dreams and at the same time make their relationship works.
Director Antoinette Jadaone created a beautiful love story about the two young people (Enrique Gil as Raf and Liza Soberano as Christine) trying to save their lives from the painful past they had both experienced, that those painful experiences lead them to the opposite of what they want to be and the chance for their relationship to bloom into a beautiful love story and working on the premise of what-ifs.
From the opening shot, Jadaone first presents, Tin (Liza Soberano’s character), an Art Studies major student at UP Dililman and a part timer at the National Museum, and she believes that she can change the world. That scene alone, established that the film will focused on her struggles. Then there’s Raf (Enrique’s character), a medical student from UST.
Tin, being the center of the story, is a passionate strong woman that came across to unfortunate circumstances in life. She may appear a strong aura but on the inside lives another character that faces hardships that even her outer self cannot ever show. But nonetheless, Liza herself did a great job portraying her character especially trying to redeem herself at the point where she is losing herself over and over again.
So as the story continue, the romance between Raf and Liza in the actual film, is sweet enough to create much needed sense of kilig that audience wanted to feel. And the greatest what-ifs that made the viewer’s sympathized to their current situation and made them cried as well.
The last few scenes of the film point the story to a more hopeful direction. It leaves a reminder that no matter how stupid, or seemingly impossible, you have to chase your dreams. Because in the end, no matter how you successful you think you are opposite to what your dream was, it will never be compared to what really makes you happy. That message alone, makes Alone/Together worth watching.
-Kristle Vital
collision of ideas 