'Ikaw Pa Rin Ang Pipiliin Ko' REVIEW: This is a problem
Ikaw Pa Rin Ang Pipiliin Ko REVIEW: This is a problem
Julia Barretto and Aga Muhlach in Ikaw Pa Rin Ang Pipiliin Ko. Taken from the official trailer.
Ikaw Pa Rin Ang Pipiliin Ko, a Viva film written and directed by Denise O’Hara, premiered in theaters around the Philippines last Wednesday, February 7. Since then, there has been a lot of online debate on whether the relationship between its lead characters, musical conductor Michael (Aga Muhlach) and choir member Jas (Julia Barreto), is an example of grooming.
While people justify this relationship dynamic by saying that both characters were consenting adults, there is still an evident power imbalance between them, similar to that of a teacher and their student, even if the student were to have been of legal age. The fact that in one of their first interactions, Jas feels the need to refer to Michael as “sir,” and Michael acts as her mentor for the majority of the film, shows that Michael is in a more superior position than her. Moreover, regardless of power imbalance, we shouldn’t be celebrating young female actors having to be casted as love interests of male actors who are old enough to be their fathers just to boost their careers. Barreto is 26, Muhlach is 54, and the latter is well past his prime. This is not what we celebrate when actors take on “more mature roles.”
In terms of their love for music, the pair just seemed incredibly distant from what passion is supposed to look like. We hear a lot of orchestra jargon being thrown around and heavy autotuning, somewhat like the writer didn’t put in much effort in researching about the topic at hand and there weren’t enough rehearsals to make the actors fit their roles. After all, this story is about music, and music might have been the only likable thing about this film.
Ultimately, the story centers on Jas, an aspiring musician who decides to pursue her dreams by joining a prestigious choir, only to find herself falling for their conductor Michael. While it does give us a strong professional relationship vs. personal relationship conflict, what makes it so questionable in the end is how it’s resolved, and how the film acts like there is absolutely nothing wrong with how it’s resolved.
What Viva Films does get right though, however, is their choice of musical scorer. Pepe Manikan made his mainstream debut scoring this film with an original composition. You can hear his skill and passion for music throughout the film, which is exactly what we needed in a film centered on music. It would’ve been nice to have this quality and passion manifest in other aspects of the film beyond its score.
