The hype recently reverted back for "Para sa Broken Hearted" (For the Broken Hearted) this April 2020 since it got aired on Netflix a few weeks ago. I had the chance to watch again before my Netflix membership expired (My aunt won't renew and pay for it ugh). I've read the book back in 2014 and I've watched the movie the first time it got released back in 2017 (I was even wearing my "PSBH" shirt from Kuya Marcelo's merch when I watched it because I was such a fan of him back then). I saw on Twitter a lot of people taking notice of the film even more now that it was released on Netflix. And while I'm happy that other people enjoyed the movie, I can't help but voice out how I really feel about the movie in contrast with the book.
As a book, "Para sa Broken Hearted" was one of my first few reads that were in my native language which is Filipino. I never got used to reading Filipino because most of the stuff I found before were either corny or it just didn't match my taste. Cliches are everywhere, especially for Filipino rom-com novels. You would have probably advised me to try other genres but hey, I was 14 years old back then so my first intuition would be lighter genres.
Despite all those cliche Filipino rom-com novels though, this one book in particular stood out because of its storytelling and close-to-life scenarios. I can't completely say that the book was true-to-life in all its sense, through and through, because there were some parts that you would question if it were actually true. I mean, obviously, it's fiction... But you have to make the readers feel as if the story was real. I also found some awkward moments because the perspective jumped from reality to imagination to reality to imagination and so on. It was okay for me at the time during 2014 but reading it again, it didn't seem as fitting after all. However, the portrayal of heartbreak and trying to move on felt real for me.
I loved how Jackie changed from the first novel, "Para sa Hopeless Romantic". The tone of her voice and the writing in her perspective really felt like a sudden shift from her bubbly self on the first novel. It's nice to have a fresh, realistic portrayal of someone who is going through a heartbreak without having to romanticize the feeling. It was just... it. Not as complicated, a lot of silent cries and it mostly pops out of nowhere, wherever you may be... Other than that, most of the hurt is internal and emotional. I also felt like Jackie's mom was too youthful? Or maybe because I don't have that kind of close gap with my parents that I didn't experience the kind of mother Jackie had (No regrets because I love my mom for reals).
I personally didn't like Kath's story when I first read the book in 2014 because it was that part of the book that jumped from imagination to reality and vice versa. I felt lost soooo many times that I had to reread and keep track if Kath referred to her imagination or dreams rather than what was actually happening. There were times when I got this silent shock whenever she mentions a knight in shining armor and a princess waiting to be rescued... and a lot of mention about rain. I know Kuya Marcelo meant to throw in some symbolisms and possibly, a fresh take into the topic through those parts but it didn't seem as necessary when you reread and think about it. (However, it made sense to the movie's advantage for visuals but it still felt off for me)
What I loved about the book was Shalee's story with Alex. I've always been such a sucker for tragic love stories. This one in particular got me because of Shalee's character. She continued on living her life without any regrets because she knew she wasn't going to last for so long. She took a leap of faith and fell in love with Alex. Alex, all the while, did the same. It was also a huge character development for Alex. He was the invisible shy type that nobody ever talks to. Until one day, love made him bloom. Yes, I loved the cliche of it. It was an acceptable cliche when I first read it.
With the movie, however, a lot of lapses were made. Obviously, they cut most of the book out. They always do that. The only things I enjoyed were the stop-motion photograph montage of Alex and Shalee, Jackie and Kath's conversations at the bus terminal and Shalee's tape recording reveal. I definitely didn't like Jackie's happy kilig moments montage from the very beginning of the movie. I know it was supposed to show how exaggerating it is when Jackie fell in love but it could have been shown in another way. I didn't like the way RJ was portrayed in the film as well. It just didn't feel right. There was always something off. What wasn't off with the movie was the soundtrack. I downloaded the soundtrack even before the movie was released and repeated it over and over. My personal favorites were "Ang Awit Natin" by Janine Tenoso, "Bukas Makalawa" by Sam Concepcion and "Midnight Sky" by UNIQUE. The OST was well-thought of and was definitely in sync with the vibe of the book (I'm a bit sad that "Broken" by Keiko Necesario, which was the official song for the book, didn't make the cut for the movie soundtrack). From all the stories, as per the perspective through the eyes of the movie, I still found Alex and Shalee's story the one closest to my heart. What greater heartbreak could there be than to have the one person that taught you how to love to be taken away from you?
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