A KathNiel Fanblog

I am a filmophile, or I'd like to think I am, and one experience I always look forward to is that of trailer launch. 

 In the last five years, the "teaser trailer" has become an event in and of itself. It makes the anticipation for the full trailer even more hyped - I remember when the teaser trailer for "Star Force: Force Awakens" was released, the internet broke, I think. 

By the by, KathNiel's "Barcelona: A Love Untold" is lauded at the "Movie Event of 2016" so the anticipation for its teaser and full trailer is palpable. Last night, was a countdown for everyone, sad to say that a two-hour delay was very anti-climactic. 

That said, the teaser itself was everything you'd dream of from an Olivia Lamasan film, written by Carmi Raymundo, starring Kath & DJ. 

Teasers should increase the moviegoers curiosity first for the full trailer and moreso for the film itself -- and this one minute teaser did just that. 

THE COLOURS: SERENE & TRANQUIL 

The teaser opened, as expected, with the sweeping view of Sagrada Familia. It set the tone of the teaser: zoom in to see the details; the grandeur is both in the minute as it is in the grand. 

One famous spot after the other - all scenes that make you thing it's a travelogue, then that shot of Daniel in character: a seemingly lost young man, travelling; wandering; if you look closely, his eyes tell a painful story, one probably he wants to forget but cannot; or he refuses to, in any case. 

 KISMET: OF TRAINS & PLATFORMS 

 In literary cues, if Daniel and Kathryn's characters really do meet on that train, it's very symbolic isn't it: a road from the old to the new. Daniel's Ely was able to convey both shock & hope as Kathryn's Mia utters, "Excuse me..." 

 As he follows her from the trains - jumping around people in dedicated pursuit of a girl - his hope is seen, that eternal wish that she is indeed who he thinks she is. 

 Alas, no. 

"Hindi ako si Celine!" affronts him as he caught up with her, and walks away in vehement irritation. 

That also shows more of Kath's Mia - why such disdain for a honest mistake? 

And there goes that intriguing aspect of a teaser trailer. 

 LOVE, UNTOLD 

The teaser closes with two polarising scenes, and in both scenes (with a powerful refrain beautifully performed by Gary Valenciano), Ely and Mia draws us even more; they make us more curious; they make us want to care for them; to know them and their story, individually & together. 

And as Ely pronounces, "Mahal kita" to which Mia answer's "You don't have to.." you sit in wanted stupor; in that stupor you play and imagine scenes in your head this one-minute teaser failed to show; in that very second the scene fades to black you have an insane inkling to hit that replay button, if only to experience Ely & Mia yet again; you do this indefinitely, until you've had your fill of them only to realise you need the full movie, the soonest, the better. 

You’re still reeling from her rejection - that gnawing feeling of disappointment unmasking all your insecurities - when you see them. 

She looks radiant in yellow: hair just so, highlights of dark auburn and streaks of dark brown; those shoulder blades you wish to God you don’t dream about; her eyes, you didn’t see her eyes -- were they smiling, was she happy to go out with him? 

Was he too late? 

As you stare at the car pull out of the garage, you curse yourself a million times for not being fast enough or eager enough, for saying that the dinner was work-related when it’s everything but that. 

The attraction is ripping your senses in all different directions, but you find yourself here, now, standing alone thinking of ways to rip his innards out. 

A dream. 

You sit there thinking you’ve seen and felt everything you can feel, but the universe surprises you yet again.

And it comes in two beings who, arguably, the Powers That Be, seem to have deemed as partners, destined - soulmates, perhaps.

You consume what you can of them because Merlin knows you can’t get enough.

And the reason still baffles you to this day for you have been a fangirl all your life, and save one or two other thespians, you can always justify why you’re a fan of whomever.

This time around, it is- like them - unexplainable.

You tried looking at it from all angles, tried to rationalise the need or want to consume their bodies of work; why they’ve carved a niche in both your personal & fangirl life similar to only one other fandom, that of Harry Potter.

You have seen this before, this mass hysteria, as you sit inside MOA Arena: deranged screaming by virtue of a promise of a name or a face; the blind loyalty; the fierce dedication; of lives & relationships changing because of a brandname.

KathNiel was never a plan, parts of their phenomenon I didn’t want to delve deeper into, but you willingly go back to them.

And you have no reason as to why you go back - you just find yourself in front of your telly with unexplained emotions, that between death & flailing.

It’s the chemistry.

Yes, partly.

They have charisma, individuallly and more together.

That is also true.

But the one thing that makes KathNiel, KathNiel, is that they are enigmatic.

You think you know them, but in every guesting, in every interview, in every magazine cover, you know they hold something back, and it’s that something that makes you stay.

It’s not even the fact that they are mum about their personal life — it’s them: Kathryn & Daniel that are still both a mystery.

It’s a Cate Blanchett type of enigma.

So you came back, to try and piece together in your head the answer; you fail of course.

It does help that they’re bloody good thespians, and that they’re kind & humble people.

The chemistry , the charisma, the enigma all of these are factors why KathNiel is a brandname but it’s not the entire picture.

And that unknown, undetermined reason is why they are the phenomenon that they are.

You hear the refrain over and over in your head, of that familiar tune which you fell in love with 14 cycles and 12 moons ago. 

It was a story you knew -- or you thought you knew. 

Pangako Sayo was a legend. 

It still is. 

It’s a classic story of love wrapped in everything the genre of soap opera brings: villains, heroes, redemption, revenge, anger, hope; and of course, that mystic, fabled “Happy Ever After”.

It was a story which had a definitive beginning, middle and ending; all of which are still remembered to this day. 

Pangako Sayo was our own version of DALLAS or M.A.S.H. or the Cosby Show: it was a show which changed the landscape of Philippine television. 

Was there anything left to tell? 

That’s the challenge of this 2015 retelling - not remake! - of Pangako Sayo. 

And by jove, the first two episode proved that challenge to be founded. 

VISUAL MASTERPIECE

The opening shot alone was enough to make me drool -- the entire first episode was a feast to my eyes. 

It was cinematic. 

It reminded me of a long-shot of the first time we saw The Shire in “The Lord of the Rings” 

To use social media language, the first two episodes were, ‘scenic porn’. 

The choice of songs and camera shots were aptly used to develop the romance between Eduardo & Amor. 

The colours were also utilised to foreshadow the 2015 timeline: red for Claudia & orange for Amor, anger and rebirth, respectively. 

CHARACTER DEPTH: 

You will root for Amor and Eduardo this time around. 

You will emphatise with Claudia better. 

The layers which will bring complications to the Yna and Angelo romance will, seemingly, have more depth. 

And that is because all of these five characters, if the first two episodes are any indication, are more fleshed out. 

They’re more you and me than cartoonish characters you just happen to watch on a black box in the middle of your living rooms. 

The fabric that continues to unravel before us will prove to be the binding forces that will make Yna and Angelo’s story more human because those before them were also drawn out sketches in our head; this time, Amor, Claudia and Eduardo are characters & not just plot devices for the young lovers’ journey to forever.

AN EPIC-IN-THE-MAKING

The fanatics of the original should be proud of how much effort the network gave to ensure that a retelling was not a cheap remake. 

They did the legacy of the original proud. 

They respected that material, but it’s quite obvious they continued to delve deeper to all corners of this universe. 

It’s very obvious that in all aspects, this show was designed to not just please but to make its audience marvel that despite all the apprehensions, there are still stories to tell for the five lead characters. 

There is none more refreshing than characters, and this movie tells a story of two people almost self-destructing in theirs: hiding,playing roles, broken.

Whilst Crazy Beautiful You still follows the usual tropes which plague Philippine, or Star Cinema, movies, it does however have Jackie and Kiko, and for that, I am grateful.

100% CHARACTERS

I would be remiss if I would say I came to this will high expectations, if only because She’s Dating The Gangster, for this film genre, is pretty much high up there.

Now, this is not to say that CBY is better than SDTG, quite the opposite actually: each film created an avenue for Kathryn and Daniel to showcase their growth as actors, and for that CBY and SDTG is better compared to apples and oranges than to each other.

Now, the characters of both Jackie and Kiko are not new, the exploration of their characters are refreshing however.

Jackie’s layers were told the same way the Nolan brothers chose to unravel The Joker in The Dark Knight: we first see a broken, self-destructive character; one almost screaming to be heard, understood, arguably, to be rescued. Jackie’s pain was revealed narratively, we never saw it; we only saw the haunted version which was the result of her past. A past that paved the way for layers to be added one upon another.

Kiko’s character was upon us – we entered his world, similar to how we entered the world of Katniss in The Hunger Games. We knew what he was at face value, but we also knew as viewers there was something else under that gregarious and seeemingly put together young man; everything in his environment demands that to be true.

Jackie and Kiko, as they initially stated, are broken and in their brokenness they heal each other.

The former needed to zoom out, the latter to zoom in.

Jackie needed to see outside of herself in order to forgive and appreciate love; Kiko was so bottled in, so used to playing roles, that he couldn’t see past them; he was so used to giving love, but never one worthy of receiving it.

ROLES, LAYERS & HEALING: SECOND & THIRD ACTS

Despite the family mellow drama and the plot devices that are her mother, his father & brother, Jackie and Kiko’s journey to healing was a satisfying one.

This was the most character-driven resolution of any KathNiel project to date.

What I loved about the closing arcs of the story is that, both lead characters needed to accept themselves, as much as they can at that age & in those circumstances, before they allowed themselves to be with each other.

That’s maturity right there.

That’s character growth.

That’s what was missing from the others before this.

And for that Crazy Beautiful You stands to be that one film which finally paved the way for KathNiel to have character-driven rather than plot-driven stories, or at least in the final two acts.

AT THEIR FINEST

There is nothing to be said that hasn’t been said before, or so I thought.

Kath and DJ delivered performances befitting their stature.

This movie further proves how powerful onscreen chemistry is. There were three sequences that stood out for me: the first when we saw them peeling away those layers, when they finally stopped playing their assumed roles and was them, Jackie and Kiko, at the core of who they really are; the second, a quiet exchange of what made them who they are now; and, the last, one of the most sensual – yet innocent – exploration of young love, a staring contest, a teasing question, and KathNiel. Just them. That was all that was needed. 

Kath is as brilliant as ever. She gave vulnerability and strength to Jackie, without a fault. DJ is magnificent in this film. His growth from Joaquin to Ryan to Kenji to Kenneth and now to Kiko is something great to watch.

A WELL-CRAFTED MOVIE

They never claimed this movie to be anything but what it is, and for the genre it is categorised in, Crazy Beautiful You is one of the best.

It might have succumbed to what was expected of a film as such, but they were able to focus on resolutions via character growth rather than plot devices.

That undeniable nostalgia will kick in today. 

One that requires to think of the highlights - and lowlights - of the last 12 moons. 

2014 was a year of coming full circle, for this fandom in any case. 

I would be remiss if I say that it's been all good, because we all know it was not. 

Much have been said on their triumphs, and moreso for the failures. 

Battle lines were drawn and sides were picked. 

By the by, that's reality. 

Ultimately for me it goes down to two things: I am not privy to what's really happening so I'm cautious of what to say, if I say anything at all; secondly, and the more important part, it doesn't matter what happens in their personal lives, that shouldn't have any merit on why I am a fan -- at the end of the day, it's their bodies of work I am more concerned about. 

I have never felt comfortable with how he was crucified by the general populace, if only for the fact that I have heard much worse.  

But more than that, I stand by what I have said that it's the expectations everyone had of him - of them - that were proven wrong, and people don't like to be proven wrong hence the backlash.

It's a good thing that perfect picture of him - and of their relationship - was broken. It's bloody hard living up to that in the first place. 

And now that he's been deemed flawed, he can breathe more easily, I reckon anyway. 

She on the other hand is still seen as this perfect little creature - we all know she's not. I pray that any blunder on her part don't happen the same way his did, she might be vilified as well.

Imagine the backlash if she does one thing outside that perfect image everyone has of her. Goodness. 

Therein lies the problem in this fandom (based on what I've seen and heard and read): it's so hard for the majority to separate the image seen through magnified, processed rose-coloured glasses to them as people. 

I don't know them as people, I only know them via the blurred images of what's presented to me as a consumer, and that is not real. 

That's a brand. 

They are brandnames.

By the by, I don't think people fully grasp this concept at the present time. 

The long and winding purpose of this post is that 2014 paved the way for us to see them as people -- people who really make mistakes, people who can forgive, people who can learn to move on, and choose to move on. 

As brandnames, they grew up a little and seemingly will mature more in 2015. 

As a supporter, regardless of what happens in their personal lives, I would like to see the KathNiel magic onscreen, as an artform, because that's reason why I am here -- to consume artforms, not to judge them as people. 

In an isolated but well populated island, there reigned a well-loved king and queen. They were what some might call a perfect couple.

They were far from it of course, but their sovereign would heed no warning and continued to put them in that pedestal, of them being perfect.

Peace ruled over this land, once in a while a threat would loom in the horizon, but the people so loved their king and queen so much, everyone rallied in front them, even when the threats were unfounded.

They were that passionate about defending their perfect rulers.

Then came the unholy news that sent shock waves across the land – the very same ideal that everyone believed in were shattered.

They were not so perfect after all.

The kingdom and  everyone in it was left in tears for their perfect king had hurt their beloved queen.

Some rallied to the streets, ones who fought to defend their king now demanded he step down;  some stayed in their homes silently crying for the pain of reality, of an illusion being pulled from under their very land; some wanted the king to explain before them the reason for a very private affair.

The queen claimed silence as her weapon amidst the fury of the hatred and confusion being thrown at her king.

For two long days and two sleepless nights, they kingdom lay awake waiting for a crack from the silence, more from him than her, for she is the aggrieved party; he the vilified one, he who hurt their beloved queen.

As the dawn of the third day was able to break, the queen finally took her stand, and she chose to stand by him. Sympathy and words of comfort were said for the queen since she forgave what seemed to be an unforgivable act.

She was betrayed, or so her sovereign believed; behind those castle doors was a king in tatters, lost, in pain, and wandering.

He also has no where else to go.

He was crucified and adjudged guilty by the very same people who vowed to protect him, and her, from those who aimed ruin at them.

He too was hurting, but being a man, the fault lay at his door – rightfully so – but he too was human, and he was could have been given a little empathy, if not sympathy, from those he ruled over.

But the world is deemed to judge a man at fault, the woman a victim.

And this is not to claim that it is not so.

But all this time, everyone in that kingdom were standing outside the walls of that castle, and no one knew of what was happening.

Words were said, actions were made, the very same which cannot be taken back; hearts were broken, and trust will need to be regained, if at all.

Now a kingdom lay in wait – will they ever recover from the reality of knowing that those they held at the pedestal of perfection, those words they held on for dear life, the couple who stood on that balcony beaming with true love – and a promise of forever – were just that, promises. Will everything ever become real again?

The challenge for each of those in the kingdom is to wait if they will ever believe in the promise of forever, and of true love prevailing above all else.

As I stand atop a castle wall, I am left to question the very foundation which the ground of this kingdom was founded upon.

Those who can never trust their king is free to leave – I want to believe most are willing to stay.

You still miss the five nights of watching two childhood friends find each other. 

You still remember the way you felt when they met again, this time as people with biases of each other. 

You still want to embrace the young man whose world was all four walls and empty closets. 

You still want to pinch her cheeks for being a bubble of happiness. 

You still hope for your own vial of magic dust. 

You still long for that moment when they will finally fall in love. 

You still remember that laughter bought on by practiced "Hello's" before answering a call you won't ever admit you were waiting for. 

You still are in awe of how they were able to take you back (or make you feel like you're them) to your first brushes with love during their early stages of courtship. 

You still are pissed off by those who tried to come between them, friends and foes alike. 

You still become a puddle of goo whenever you remember how they professed their feelings for each other, despite the harshness of reality, or the reaction of those who mattered to them most. 

You still want to have time stand still when he stood up in front of his contemporaries and chose her - she who was not his equal, she was want not supposed to be there - carrying her away from the unforgiving eyes of his world. 

You still are hoping for that whimsical, magical kiss under the moonlight, or inside the magic box. 

You still think of them in each other's arms each full moon. 

You still can shed tears at every pause, heartache, argument they ever had; your heart still breaks every time you remember how their love was the right one at the wrong time. 

You still hope that when he sees her, two years later, that he remembers; and you feel her pain when he doesn't. 

You still hate Book 2 with a passion, but you watched nonetheless because you know the hardwork your queen and king have put into making these episodes; and because, ultimately, you know it will be a happy ending. 

You still remember the way you screamed when he did finally remember, when all visage of a rose-coloured version of the young man you loved so much disappeared and a complete version of his former self come to being once again. 

You still feel your heart skip as he tried to correct his mother's mistakes, how he was willing to be there for her again, as always. 

You can still hear your happy tears when she finally stood up and completely fought for him, for them. No more dancing back and forth; the moment you wanted to throw a stool at your TV the moment they hugged because they were finally, officially a couple. 

You still wish for that kiss after the best proposal ever. 

And you still are wishing for a wedding to be had. 

And you still can't believe it's been a year since two fictional characters ruled your life from August 2013 to March 2014.

You still miss Chichay and Joaquin and everything that they were in the seven months they were alive in that small screen in your home. 

You still miss Got To Believe, because despite all the rants you had, it was able to, in spades, deliver a little speck of magic back in your life for 45 minutes five nights a week. 

Ultimately, you miss the scenes never shown after the curtain faded to black: a wedding, a kiss, family, kids. 

Christina Carlota Tampipi-Manansala. 

“There's nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be...” ~ John Lennon

By fangirl standards, to say that that last year has been surreal would be an understatement, eclipsed only by everything Harry Potter. 

I came into this with no plans at all - everything just happened with neither my willingness nor consent. 

The universe deemed my decision to be futile --- 

I could have stayed inside my room a few minutes longer; my brother and his girlfriend could have decided to watch "Must Be Love" on a different day; they could have watched it a few hours later or earlier; but no, the universe perfectly aligned each second for it to happen precisely the way it did. 

"Mata unang nagmamahal Ivan..." 

I could have heard any other line from the film and it honestly would have not mattered, but the Powers that Be decided that this be the line I heard; and the rest is stuff made of fangirl history. 

The exact month I accidentally discovered KathNiel was the same month that supposedly a Cathy Garcia-Molina - one of the few local directors whose work I so admire - TV series would have premiered entitled, "Got To Believe" headlined by the same pair who recently captured by attention.

Molina directing them: coincidence or the universe playing tricks on me?

That initial trailer of "Got To Believe" got me hooked. Mind you, if it were the full trailer which was released at the latter part of the press junkets, I wouldn't have watched the pilot, but that teaser trailer had a mysterious, almost fairytale-like quality in it that made me want to see more. 

It was magical, no pun intended.

The series made me love them. I have written quite a number of posts that will prove how much I was surprised by KathNiel's acting prowess. I knew of Kath because of Goin Bulilit and Super Inggo, but DJ was a total mystery to me.

By the by, at that point, I already had this space, and for some reason KathNiel fans seem to like I was writing or doing -- it boggled my mind, it still boggles my mind, actually.

I swore I'd be a SILENT FAN, very much so because of Harry Potter - I was, and still am, very active in that fandom.

Alas the universe, fate or destiny, whichever it maybe, had other plans for this fangirl.

 Twitter and my incessant need to make commentaries and reviews of "Got To Believe" somehow got the attention of some people -- I have gained friends as a result of trying to make sense of what my brain was trying to piece together. 

One fine day around November last year, a co-KathNiel fan - let's hide him by the name of Patrick Cope *wink* - asked me to join him for a supposed meeting with Star Cinema for Pagpag promo. 

Since I had nothing better to do, I accompanied him, stating very clearly that I will only accompany him and that I will not talk -- lo and behold, the universe played another cruel trick: Pat had no ID with him, he couldn't go to the SC office without one. 

So, I ended up being the only one to attend the meeting. Mind you, I was in a room full of strangers, strangers who happened to be admins of the current fan clubs for KathNiel. 

I legit wanted to run, or wanted the Earth to open under my feet and swallow me whole, whichever was first. My mind was going, "What the fuck am I doing here?" 

I decided to stay because hell I was already there. 

Whilst waiting for the meeting to start, someone from SC asked for us to sign an attendance sheet, and for us to indicate which KathNiel fanclub we were members of -- I had no fanclub membership, so I decided to just say, "I have no fanclub, but I have submitted a form to become a member of KathNiel KaDreamers World.." which was true (you see, in all the YT KathNiel clips I watched their banners prominently seen, so I wanted to join and silently be a member). 

And THAT is another story meant to be included in history books. 

It was a whirlwind from that point on -- that same Friday, I found myself on the set of "Got To Believe"; a little over two weeks since the SC meeting, I interviewed Kath for a KaDreamers Exclusive;  screaming with thousands of fans during the promotional junkets for Pagpag; I was on the GGV set for a KathNiel guesting; the Pagpag KaDreamers Blockscreenings... 

It was as if the fangirl gods have deemed, "WAH. ENJOY.." 

As surreal as that was, 2014 would prove itself to be much more unforgettable. 

No matter how active I am in any of the fandoms I am part of, I only have one rule: I REFUSE TO BE SEEN. 

Being invisible is very important to me, simply because of my reality. 

I don't think I would have been as active in this fandom had it not for the people I met along the way; and I have met some of the most wonderful friends because the universe destined it for me to step out of my room the moment that line - "Mata unang nagmamahal Ivan..." - was to be uttered by Kath. 

The last year has been a combination of unplanned instances that led me to appreciated everything about Kath and DJ. 

The last year has been a series of uncoordinated situations I found myself in that paved the way for me to meet new sets of people who are as passionate as I am. 

The last year has been one long journey of fangirl discovery, that I am also capable to setting all rules aside because I wanted to contribute to a little of Kath and DJ's happiness and success. 

The last year proved that second only to Leo & Kate, I have found another pair with undeniable onscreen chemistry that would just make you stare and appreciate more the craft of artistic make-believe. 

Simply because the hindrance between Basha & Popoy's lovestory is ultimately themselves - SDTG's conflict still hinged on external factors. 

Popoy and Basha's story was all about them as people: insecurities, needs, wants, goals and personal vision. 

SDTG, with both Kenji & Athena and Kenneth & Kelay, were driven by situations they found their selves in.

That said, it doesn't lessen how great the treatment was for SDTG, or how moving the characters are.

Starting Over Again also falls in the same category was SDTG - it was great story that still depended on a plot to be told, and the characters reacted to said plot device. 

That one line from the themesong, “… love is not a game that children play..” epitomises the entire movie.

Love. It’s not as simple as, “two parts hydrogen, one part oxygen equals water every single time.”

No two love stories are exactly the same, moreso the intricacies behind each one. “She’s Dating The Gangster” is ultimately a story of how love true challenges the foundation of which it is based on.

ATHENA & KENJI

I would never wish upon my enemy that kind of love story Athena and Kenji had.

Not because of how it ended, but because not everyone is created to withstand the struggle and sarcifices they had to go through.

Was it a great love? Yes, but not because of their feelings alone. It is a “one great love” because as much as those romantic feelings were real, they were mature enough to look beyond what’s happening between just the two of them.

They never allowed their feelings for each other to cloud their decisions.

Their decisions were profoundly unselfish.

You’d have to what for what Kenji, in the 2014 timeline, will say as to why those decisions were worth it, even if at the time they made them it would have meant becoming emotionally bereft.

KENNETH & KELAY

They were never in the book, so I had no expectations of them.

I really thought they will be the usual plot devices – pushing the narrative, but never becoming organic to the story.

But they glued everything together.

We discovered Kenji and Athena’s great love with them – they become us. When Kenneth quipped, “Ano bang nangyari sa kanila?” he was voicing the exact same question we were individually asking.

Kenneth and Kelay were a marvel to watch. Creating these two characters and allowing us to see the Kenji & Athena story through them chipped away the massive emotional baggage the book had.

Plus, that undeniable tension between these two characters was so palpalble I wanted to go inside the film and push their lips together for that one fairy-tale kiss.

Alas, that was something I couldn’t do.

PAGE TO SCREEN

I have said this over and over and over again, I found the book forgettable. In fact, I never became attached to Kenji and Athena as book characters. I never saw the driving force that made them fall in love in the first place, so the notion that theirs is a great love story was lost to me.

I have to give so much credit to Carmi Raymundo for giving depth to both these characters. She re-created them in such a way that the pieces missing out from the book were, effortlessly, on the big screen.

The execution of the story, how the two worlds merged together, and how effectively they were able to convey that love is more a The Script album than it is a Disney movie, was done so well I wanted to cry my eyes out – oh wait, I did.

Some films make you cry because it’s plot-driven – you have no other road to walk on. They film was leading up to that moment: the tears.

Surprisingly, “She’s Dating The Gangster” is a film where crying is a given, but the reason why you will differs from one person to the next, simply because of the way the narrative, sketches and character voices were laid out.

Like Kenneth & Kelay, the crying was organic.

You just cry because it hits you: I had my version of “Kenji”. I was once an “Athena”. I had my own “1994 Albay” moment. All those feelings you’d felt when you loved, and ultimately lost that love, will come back. And for those who have never loved before, you’d cry because you will feel the struggle these characters, whom you suddenly care so much about, are experiencing.

At one point, you’d probably imagine what it would feel like to be them – and then that’s where you’d cry the most, because as we all individually imagine how it must be to be Kenji or Athena at THAT moment, we all realise that, “FUCK, I WOULDN’T HAVE SURVIVED THAT IF I WERE HIM/HER.”

That realisation is what separates a good film from a great one: that one small line that the audience unknowingly crosses. 

That’s when characters stay with us even after the film ends – that’s the moment when, like Jack & Rose before them, or Popoy & Basha, Kenji & Athena became more real than they should be for us as audience.

That’s where the resonance of film characters begin: when you unknowingly imagine yourself as them.

A WINNING TRIO: MOLINA. BERNARDO. PADILLA.

I have no words but, “BRAVO.”

To Direk Cathy, you nailed it, again. You have proven once again why you are at the pedestal.

To Kath, you are brilliant. You are made for the big screen. You are born to become a superstar, and the versatility you’ve shown in this film is a delight to the senses. You are a star like no other.

To DJ, you are a living testament of what hard work & dedication would result to. You are beyond amazing in this film. You were not DJ playing Kenji, YOU WERE KENJI, period.

THE KATHNIEL MAGIC: UNDENIABLE

Lastly, either as Kenji and Athena or as Kenneth and Kelay, KathNiel is A-FUCKING-MAZING to watch.

This is their film, from beginning to end. They are individually brilliant, but together they are just [NO WORDS HAVE BEEN COINED YET TO DESCRIBE WHAT KATHNIEL IS].

They just draw you in.

No matter how much you fight it, you cannot.

So haters, brace yourselves for more years of this undeniable KathNiel magic.

You can download it online. My suggestion is to download the portable version of PSCS6 so it won't eat your RAM. 

You can even search for it here in Tumblr. 

Hmm. 

That's a very sensitive subject, I'd rather reserve my opinions since I don't want to be in the middle of it. 

I want them to be given character-driven stories. 

The problem with our stories in general is that they’re plot-driven - we only allow our characters to react to these stimulus; in times, or most of the times, there is little to no character development. 

I would like for a KathNiel project to focus on innate and very personal problems, that the hindrance to their romance isn’t a situation, social class or family issues; I would love to see them play characters who are haunted with their ghosts and demons, and there’s a want to overcome these as individuals.

It would be nice to see them play characters who are strong-willed, on equal footing but flawed and with faults. No more of this princess syndrome or Mary Sue tropes. 

It's a character-driven story, and that's why I loved it. 

It was a very simple story, but because the writer and the director focused on the characters, it connected with a lot of people.