It would be easy to categorize JP Habac’s coming-of-age film “I’m Drunk, I Love You” (“IDILY”) as a romantic comedy, a sort of music-infused “That Thing Called Tadhana” for the collegiate set.
Carson (Maja Salvador) and Dio (Paulo Avelino) have been best friends all throughout their seven years in college. She has been in love with him for the same duration. He, however, is not.
When Dio invites her—and another friend Jason Ty (Dominic Roco)—to a booze-filled trip to a music festival in La Union days before their graduation, Carson agrees and finally decides it to admit that she’s been carrying a torch for him all these years.
Although the movie hooks its audience with the time-tested, hugot-filled story about unrequited love, “IDILY” is also a reflection on youthful idyll and growing up. Romance is not the be-all and end-all of this film—life, with all its uncertainties and it being constantly in flux, is.
Here are some of the life lessons we’ve learned from “IDILY.”
Live at your own pace. In one of the most poignant scenes in “IDILY,” film major Dio wrestles with his deep-seated insecurities and frustrations about his ambitions. He contrasts himself with classmates who have made a name for themselves early in their careers, their films garnering acclaim in festivals. It’s such a visceral moment, the anguish and disappointment evident in Avelino’s face as he verbalizes Dio’s fears.
It’s such a universal feeling, too. We’ve all been in Dio’s shoes at some point in our lives, comparing ourselves to our more accomplished peers. We’ve struggled with the reality that we seem to have been left behind. But the fact is, life isn’t a race. Competition can be healthy, yes, but too much can slowly eat away at our self-esteem. Each of us has to live our life at our own pace. But at the same time, we must never lose our grit and determination to achieve our goals.
Do a “time check” every once in a while. Living life one day at a time is good advice, but we must also remember the wisdom of always-referred -to-by-his-complete-name Jason Ty: “Time check!”
In “IDILY,” Jason Ty uses this phrase to remind Carson that the window for her confession shortens as her and Dio’s graduation approaches. She’s been in love with her best friend for seven years, and if she wants closure, to finally move on, she needs to ’fess up now.
It’s a reality check, a mental note that life waits for no one. At some point, choices have to be made, decisions must be acted upon. Yes, we have to live at our own pace, but remember the operative word here is “live,” not exist. Like it or not, “Yolo” has its merits.
Treasure your youth, but accept that adulthood is inevitable. More than anything, “IDILY” is a love letter to youth, that time in our lives when we can be foolish, reckless, drunk and carefree. The impromptu road trip itself is a symbol for this. Carson and Dio see it as their last hurrah before moving forward to a different phase in their lives. Dio has applied for law school. Carson, on the other hand, is more pragmatic as she decides to join the workforce.
The movie manages to capture this bittersweet time. And we really have to commend Salvador for her acting chops. There is a scene near the end where we see Carson finally accepting that a part of her life has come to close. It’s heartbreaking because it feels so real, and we can’t help but mourn along with her.
College life is at an end, and adulthood is right around the corner.