Herylle Ivee G.

Gloria CL 105 - J June 14, 2023

2019 – 05055 Final Project

An Inconvenient Love:
A Discussion on Rom-Com Films as a Social Commentary

Romance and comedy are two of the most popular genres in the Philippines. The
popularity of these genres is evident in how the majority of the highest-grossing local films in the
country are either romance or comedy, or a combination of both — romantic comedy (Anarcon,
2019 & Ching, 2023). Romantic comedy, most commonly referred to as rom-com, is a genre that
blends the elements of romance and comedy to provide audiences with storylines that are both
light-hearted and heartwarming. Though romantic comedies as a whole are quite popular, one of
the primary factors that can be credited for the unwavering popularity of locally produced
romantic comedies in the Philippines over the course of many years is the prevalence of the
culture of love teams.

It has been observed that the most successful or highest-grossing romantic comedy films
in the Philippines, are most often than not, starred by popular and well-loved pairings, or what
Filipinos commonly call, love teams. Love teams have been a staple in the Philippine
entertainment industry since decades ago. It is a phenomenon or a culture in the country that
started as early as the 1920s (Belleza, 2017). That being said, as popular love teams already have
a huge fan base eagerly anticipating any projects the love team would do together — like that of
movies, it is already given that these projects are set to have an audience which consists of the
fan base and even the casual viewers or followers.

Having said that, a lot of producers have discovered a steady market in the production of
romantic comedies, particularly if it is going to be starred by the most successful love teams in
the country. Since its inception, Star Cinema, the film production arm of ABS-CBN as well as
one of the largest film production studios in the country, has been at the forefront of the industry
when it comes to the creation of successful romantic comedy blockbusters. Romantic comedy
films produced by Star Cinema which starred the country’s leading love teams such as
KathNiel’s — Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla, The Hows of Us (2018), and LizQuen’s —
Liza Soberano and Enrique Gil, My Ex and Whys (2017), made about ₱800 million and ₱400
million respectively (Ching, 2023) — proving the marketability, and in extension, the reach, of
romantic comedy films.

In relation to that, Star Cinema who had just celebrated their thirtieth year in the industry
recently produced another romantic comedy film in 2022 entitled An Inconvenient Love. This
film also marked the production studio’s return to the big screen (Alcantara, 2022). This film was
starred by one of the most popular love teams these days, DonBelle. DonBelle is the ship name
or the love team name of ABS-CBN artists, Donny Pangilinan and Belle Mariano. Just like the
previous romantic comedy films produced by Star Cinema, An Inconvenient Love was also
received well, earning around ₱15 million just days after it was released (ABS-CBN News,
2022). The film was also able to enter Netflix Global Top 10, and also became the top trending
movie on Netflix Philippines days after it was released in the said streaming platform early this
year (ABS-CBN News, 2023 & Antonio, 2023).

An Inconvenient Love is a film that centers on Ayef and Manny who entered a
contractual relationship to avoid the “inconvenience” they believe love brings. Ayef is a
graduating college student working part-time in a convenience store and dreams of becoming a
renowned animator in Singapore. Manny, on the other hand, is a son of a wealthy businessman
and currently runs a plant shop in an effort to forge a path that is uniquely his own. Real-life
societal problems were tackled in various ways throughout the film. Some of these problems
were the struggle for workers' rights, the stigma against individuals with developmental
disabilities, the crisis in the transportation system, and the lack of possibilities for people to
pursue careers in the country.

In light of the aforementioned, the purpose of this paper is to have a discussion on

romantic comedy films as a form of social commentary, with An Inconvenient Love serving as
the primary film to be discussed. Although the media in and of itself already have a wide reach,
as previously discussed, taking into consideration how romantic comedy films are watched by
thousands or millions of Filipinos — especially the general public, one can see how these films
hold a great potential to be an avenue to raise social awareness. Though it can be argued that
romantic comedies are supposed or expected to be light-hearted or have a feel-good narrative, it
is also not impossible for such films to incorporate or explore significant societal concerns.

The story of the romantic comedy film An Inconvenient Love, like the stories of other
romantic comedies, is built with elements that one would say are cliché. Some examples of the
cliché tropes that were present in the movie include the two protagonists having a "meet-cute",
the protagonists coming from two different backgrounds, and the presence of quirky best friends
who served as comedy relief. The use of such tropes in the film had made the film predictable,
the same way it does in the majority of romantic comedy films.

Moving on, as was mentioned earlier, the primary reason why this particular film was
selected as the film to be discussed was due to the fact that it was able to address significant,
timely, and relevant issues in the society — in the country. That said, since most, if not all, of the
protagonists' difficulties stemmed from real-world situations, this makes the film relatable to the
Filipino audience. However, despite the fact that the film was able to shed light on some of the
current problems the society is facing, it was not able to tackle these problems any further, hence
some of the issues remained unresolved at the end of the film. This can be explained on how
romantic comedies are typically intended to be a source of lighthearted entertainment and serve
as a reprieve from the stresses of everyday life. Which is why some might perceive that the
incorporation of the social issues in the film could run counter to the purpose of romantic
comedies as a whole.

Despite this, incorporating social issues in romantic comedy films is not something
filmmakers do not ever do. Romantic comedies can offer a deeper layer of meaning to their
audiences and encourage thought by infusing social issues into their stories, all while still giving
the audience with the typical components of romance and comedy that they have come to
anticipate. In line with the aforementioned, it is necessary to establish that films in general, of
different genres, are already being used as social commentary as films play a role in imparting or
sharing ideals to the viewers. In a study conducted by Kubrak (2020), it has been identified that
there are changes in the viewers’ attitudes after watching a film about certain topics. This same
premise could apply to how romantic comedy films have the ability to influence audience’s
perception of romance through the ideals presented in the films (Moore, 2021).
 Having said that, one example of a social problem that can be tackled through the
medium of romantic comedies is diversity. In a study that was carried out by Griffin (2020), it
was said that there is a lack of diversity in romantic comedies, which may have been the result of
racial discrimination in the entertainment industry. There were very few portrayals of members
of underrepresented groups in romantic comedies, both in terms of the cast and the plot, and the
ones that were included can be construed as a type of tokenization if there were any at all.
Therefore, the social problem at hand, which is diversity, might be addressed by developing
romantic comedy films that carefully integrate diversity throughout the film's cast and story.
Thus, as an outcome of this action, not only will there be more audiences who will feel
represented, but also diversity will be promoted or brought to light by its inclusion in romantic
comedy films.

Moving on, as stated, An Inconvenient Love was able to intertwine some current societal
issues in the country with the film’s storyline, and one of which is the struggle for workers’
rights. This social issue was the very first issue addressed in the film as the film starts with a
scene of workers protesting against the injustices done by the corporation they are working for.
Starting the film with this scene was indeed impactful as it is not usually a scene viewers of
romantic comedies would expect to watch. Moreover, it is also important to notice how the pleas
that were expressed in the film by the workers were no different to the pleas workers have in
real-life. It is especially a scene that is becoming more familiar these days especially with how
the peaceful protest was met with the unreasonable violence by the police force. Aside from the
protest scene, this social issue was also addressed in other parts of the film, just like how the
CEO of the corporation, Manny’s father, was dismissing the workers’ pleas and labeling them as
lazy, and how the waitress and Ayef responded to the statement. That said, in this particular
scene, the viewers were presented with how some, if not majority, of the large corporations in
and out of the country treat the workers — unfairly and with no respect. The waitress’ line —
“Bakit hindi ako umaasenso kahit masipag ako?” as well as Ayef’s line in this scene — “Kahit
anong sipag mo dito (Philippines), wala” showed a glimpse of how living in this country is. In
incorporating this social problem with these scenes in the film, the general Filipino audience
would be exposed to the unfortunately common injustices large corporations commit to regular
employees.
 In relation to the aforementioned issue, the problem about the state force’s red-tagging
was also brought to light when the policemen were chasing Manny who came to the protest in
support of the workers and he was called a communist by the police just because he was in the
rally. Manny’s response to this statement was a line that has become very familiar over the past
few years — “Ang komunista at aktibista, magkaiba po iyon.” Rallying or protesting these days
are often seen by some people in a negative way because just like what was shown in the film,
most are being dubbed as communists, when in fact, they are just activists activating for causes
to make life and living in the country better for everyone. Which is why the line Manny said was
very familiar as a lot of activists have been saying this to make their points across. Red-tagging
has been a serious issue that a lot of Filipinos have and are experiencing, especially in recent
years where many activists have been killed after being red-tagged by the state force
(Thongyoojaroen, 2023).

The transportation crisis in the Philippines, which has an effect on the lives of Filipino
commuters as well as drivers, was another relevant social issue that was touched on briefly in the
movie. Every day, commuters in the Philippines, especially students and workers, are drained by
the transit crisis that has left them spending hours on the road before they reach their
destinations. This crisis forced people to get up at the crack of dawn in order to ensure that they
would not be late to work or school, and it also caused people to arrive home late since the traffic
is so bad and there are not enough rides available (Dela Peña, 2022).

Moreover, the film was also able to briefly tackle about violence against women. In the
film, one of Ayef’s friend and coworker is said to have been beaten by her boyfriend as she was
seen with a bruise on her arm. Despite the fact that the film ended with the friend and her
boyfriend breaking up, it still manages to depict the unfortunate situation in which some women
are unable to report experiencing abuse despite knowing that they can do so since there is a law
that is meant to protect them, the Anti-Violence Against Women and their Children Act of 2004.

Another social problem that was brought to life in the film was the lack of career
opportunities in the Philippines which led many Filipinos to work overseas as it is widely
believed that working overseas presents better opportunities. In relation to that, the film was also
able to demonstrate that the stigma and the stereotypes that people have regarding having a
career in the arts are still prevalent in today's society. One of the scenes in the film that showed
this is how Ayef’s mother believes that she would not have a future with animation as there is no
money in animation. And as unfortunate as it may be, one can tell that this scene is so grounded
in reality because a lot of aspiring artists in the country are constantly being discouraged by a
society that believes art degrees are not practical (Nakadai, 2016).

And the last of the social problems identified in the film is the stigma against individuals
with developmental disabilities. In the film, Dobs’, Manny’s brother, has ASD or Autism
spectrum disorder which is a developmental disability that affects how one would interact and
communicate with other people, and it also affects how they learn and behave (National Institute
of Mental Health, 2023). Manny, throughout the film, wants to enroll his brother to a college
however, their father was against it because of Dobs’ disability. One can also see how the father
clearly did not or did not make an effort to understand Dobs’ disability, which results in the
father belittling Dobs due to his disability and in extension preventing him from enjoying his
right to education.

The purpose of including the aforementioned societal issues in the film was to
demonstrate that despite the hardships that people encounter in their day-to-day lives, it is still
possible for romance to develop between two people. According to the film's director, Petersen
Vargas, he intended to develop characters who seemed like actual young people with real-world
aspirations and challenges (Enriquez, 2022). An Inconvenient Love was Vargas' first film for
Star Cinema, and when compared to his other works, it is clear that this film is quite different
from the films he had made in the past. An Inconvenient Love being a film about the love story
of a man and a woman, is already a different approach from what he was accustomed to, as it
was observed that his prior films generally tackle about the Filipino youth through a queer lens.
This could be attributed to how the film was handed to him as a full storyline, with the love team
already set as the leads (Enriquez, 2022). Aside from this film, Vargas has already incorporated
or explored social issues in his prior works. In one of his recent works, How to Die Young in
Manila, a layer of extrajudicial killings was incorporated, however due to the nature of the film
being dreamy and otherworldly, it may not pop out to the audience easily (CineSensual, 2021).
That said, one can say that though the film may not be the most politically outright, Vargas still
aims to give the audience a reflection of the problems the society is facing.
 In relation to that, one could argue that even though the social issues depicted in the film,
An Inconvenient Love, were not focused, and it was included in the movie mainly to establish
the love story of the film's protagonists, how Vargas presented them in the film were done with
an intent. Just like Vargas’ previous films, the political elements in the film were carefully
incorporated and blended with the aesthetic and main storyline of the film.

Moving on, to be an effective film for social awareness, one would think that the ideals
presented in the film should be a reflection of the creators’ or the producers’ ideals. And though
the ideals in the film align with Vargas’ — the director’s, how it matches ABS-CBN, a large
corporation’s, ideals is quite questionable — especially in relation to the issue about workers’
rights. Upon further research, it has been found that former employees of ABS-CBN said that
despite being non-regular employees, the work they did was like that of regular employees and
yet despite their hard work, they were not able to receive enough compensation and benefits.
Several cases were also filed against the network for its unfair labor practices (Ferreras, 2020). In
2020, the labor group, Partidong Manggagawa backed Senator Risa Hontiveros’ challenge for
the network to improve the working conditions and increase job security for its employees if
their franchise was renewed (Aquino, 2020). In fact, the labor cases or their failure to regularize
employees was one of the issues raised that led to the denial of ABS-CBN’s franchise bid
(Cervantes, 2020). As a response to this, the management of ABS-CBN pledged that they would
investigate the prospect of re-examining the employee benefits and the possibility of regularizing
more personnel if they were to be granted a new franchise (Esguerra, 2020). Since ABS-CBN’s
application for a new franchise was denied, and the network is currently only operating online,
there has been no news regarding whether the regularization of their employees went through or
if it did not since they were not granted a new franchise.

In light of everything that has been mentioned, it is possible that this has led some
viewers to feel skeptical about the intended objectives of the film in including discussion about
social issues in the film, particularly ones that are concerning the labor force, given the
aforementioned issue with ABS-CBN. However, despite all this, it cannot be denied that a
mainstream romantic comedy film produced by ABS-CBN's Star Cinema and starred by one of
the most famous love teams of the current generation will attract attention, and will reach a larger
audience, and therefore make more people aware of the social problems that were interwoven
into the film. While some viewers may be turned off by the movie's decision to incorporate
serious societal issues, there will also be others who would be positively impacted and be moved
to take action because of it.

More importantly, the fact that it is included in the film presents an ideal opportunity to
have discussions on the best ways to make use of mainstream media, such as movies and
television series, as a channel to develop social awareness among the general Filipino
population, which is especially crucial in light of the challenges that the nation is currently
facing. This is especially important in light of the fact that we have recently witnessed how many
forms of mainstream media, particularly film, have been utilized for propagandistic purposes.
That said, if romantic comedy films would be effectively layered with a discussion on the
pressing social issues of the country, in a way the general Filipino audience would not feel like
the issues are being shoved straight to their faces, there is a possibility that they would less likely
feel turned off; which in result, would then make them pay more attention to the film, and
positively digest the message and intention of the film, making them socially aware, or more
socially aware than they already are.
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