Barcelona: A Love Unveiled

"Barcelona"'s Power Trio, Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla,
and Direk Olivia M. Lamasan. 

So almost everyone knows at this moment that Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla shared their first, real on-screen kiss on “Barcelona: A Love Untold”. That this Olivia M. Lamasan film brought us more matured KathNiel after 5 years of being a teen loveteam. But what does this film really offer to us?

“Barcelona”, in a gist, tells the story of two “escapists” (as I put it) who find themselves falling in love with each other amidst the beautiful, historic and romantic capital city of Spain. But Mia’s mistake in the past that pushed her to pursue a life overseas, and a great love Ely lost that triggered him to start a life away from home, are keeping the two from being together, especially on Ely’s part who is still in love with Celine, his ex-girlfriend. The movie poses the question (and challenge), will the two be able to break the wall, and let go of the past so they can start anew with each other?

The movie’s theme is nothing new, actually. We’ve seen a lot of these. But what sets “Barcelona” apart is the brilliant use of the city’s famed attraction, Sagrada Familia, as metaphor to the lead characters’ developing love story. The film also took advantage of Barcelona’s sights to make every scene more pleasing and refreshing to viewers.The film comprised of solid, compelling storyline and strong, relatable characters.  And the characters involved are young, so it’s an interesting, fresher perspective to look at. 

“Barcelona”, undoubtedly, joins Ms. Lamasan’s string of cinematic triumphs through the years which includes modern classics “Madrasta”, “Sana Maulit Muli”, “Milan” and “Starting Over Again”.  Her direction was neat and masterfully done; she brought out the best not just in her actors but everyone involved in the film. The lines she and Carmi Raymundo wrote were crisp and remarkable, yet were so grounded and believable. The line which particularly hit me, aside from the one shown on trailer, was that of during Ely and Mia’s confrontation in a restaurant, where Mia said, “anong lugar naming mga gustong magmahal sa ‘yo?” And the film’s pacing was just right; the story development, particularly the falling in love part, was not forced just for the sake of.

More than the maturity, Bernardo and Padilla proved their versatility and range in this movie. Bernardo, I must say, gave the best performance of her career in this one, as she went beyond her usual goody-two shoes, cutesy teenybopper characters in her previous projects. She has always been good, but as Bernardo challenged herself on this, she was successful in showing the world that she can go further and she is more than ready to tackle more complex characters. Padilla, after “Barcelona”, has secured himself of a certified leading man status in the film industry. That once Teen King, whose charm has launched thousands (or even millions) of swooning girls, is now one of the finest actors of his generation. And Padilla’s still young – there’s a longer way to go for him.

Interesting to note as well are Aiko Melendez’ and Joshua Garcia’s scene stealing, but placed and timed properly performances.

“Barcelona” is more than just a kilig offering – this is a love story viewers will remember in years. That even you are not a KathNiel fan, you will come out of the cinema bringing with you something you learned or realized from Ely and Mia’s plight. It talks of more than just moving on from the past and letting go of the pains. It is a film of forgiveness and hope: forgiving the ones who have wronged you, and more importantly yourself from carrying on with your excess baggage. And the hope the future promises once you give yourself that chance. 

So what's "Barcelona" all about? It's, for me, the unveiling of a great young love story once untold, set in a very sacred yet remarkable destination, of a more sensual, more daring yet more sensitive and edgier KathNiel we have seen grow and come to love these past 5 years.