Love and loss in ‘My Perfect You’
Sometimes, we go through great lengths to forget the pain of being left by someone. Sometimes it hurts us enough to make us ask if love truly deserves a second chance. Filmmaker Cathy Garcia-Molina captures a tale of bittersweet love and loss, and the hardships of coping and trying to fix a broken heart.
“My Perfect You”, a 2018 Star Cinema film that can be streamed on Netflix, tells the story of Burn (Gerald Anderson) whose heart is broken after his girlfriend leaves him. His ensuing downward spiral results to his employer firing him as the company’s graphics designer.
Burn broods in his despair, unable to see the rays of light and hope from the covered windows of his room, unable to go on and live. The next scenes perfectly capture the darkness that engulfs his soul and the bitterness that poisons his ability to love again.
Molina’s expertise in storytelling carefully showcases the beauty of the tragedy of mental illnesses and the complex yet subtle wiring of the human mind. Burn consequently creates his own world – one bereft of the ugliness of reality.
In comes the character of Abi (Pia Wurtzbach), a lighthearted, bright, sympathetic soul who believes that merely smiling can fix even the hardest of problems. Burn meets a tragic car accident that led him to Abi’s hotel in the thick mountains.
“Ang lungkot lungkot ng mga mata mo,” Abi says to Burn. Being the sunshine that she is, Abi smothers him with care and concern.
“Makulit ako sa’yo dahil ikaw ang pinakamalungkot na taong nakilala ko!” is one of Abi’s most striking lines.
Because of Abi’s mystique, charm and loving efforts towards Burn, his genuine smile returns, and he starts to likewise care for Abi. In return, Burn helps Abi with ideas to reinvigorate her business, employing his skills to enliven the sullen aura of the hotel.
Molina’s story writing kills us in this next part of “My Perfect You.” We then learn that Burn is actually suffering from schizophrenia and Abi was merely a creation of his mind. The character of Abi embodied the qualities Burn needed to survive and remain optimistic.
This makes the story appealing to young ones – the simple, yet heartbreaking and soul-drenching twist that brings tears to an audience.
“My Perfect You” teaches viewers that as humans, we long for the feeling of being loved. We require love. Sometimes we go to great lengths, seeking for this mysterious feeling that the poets have always compared to the beauty of the moon. Love, in itself, is a beautifully haunting song the midnight weaves. And love? It will always be worth the second chance. (This article by Rachel Jane B. Woolbright on the topic of one of her favorite films placed first at Marigondon National High School in Lapu-Lapu City’s recent School Level Press Conference.)