Rome and Juliet

Rome and Juliet (2006) 

            Rome and Juliet has all the elements of a typical love story.It starts with a Girl and a Guy in a long and secure relationship. Girl meets Someone New. They immediately click and form a deep friendship. They discover that they like the same things. They even feel that they’ve known each other for a long time. They spend a lot of time together, and unknowingly, they fall for each other. Guy becomes wary and suspects Girl but his doubts remain unfounded. By this point, the sexual tension between Girl and Someone New is so obvious to everyone but themselves. One day, Someone New’s Old Flame returns. Girl gets consumed by jealousy over Old Flame and acts bitchy. A shouting match ensues between Girl and Someone New that climaxes in an accidental kiss. Ultimately, they realize that they are made for each other and they go for it. Boy catches them taking a shower together. Expectedly, there are complications along the way but in the end they get to live happily ever after.

            Basically, this sums up the plot but Connie Macatuno’s movie debut is loads more than a cliché. And of course, Someone New is a woman. 

           Juliet (Andrea del Rosario) is a soft spoken, gentle natured, skirt-clad preschool teacher from the barrios. Her father suffered from stroke and she being the eldest assumed the role of being the provider for the family. She and her Councilor boyfriend Marc (Rafael Rosel) has been together for 3 years. She is the role model of her students and the envy of her co-teachers. See, she is your contemporary Maria Clara, except that she is not. She does things that will make the Catholic Church cringe – sex before marriage and The Pills (shudder). Meanwhile, Rome is the epitome of the modern Pinay – lives alone, runs her own business and after a fiancé running away from her 3 years ago, treats men as disposable commodities in her life. Both are looking for “The One”. Marc proposes to Juliet. Juliet finds Rome in asks her to plan her wedding. Discoveries, trouble, more discoveries and transformations follow. (by Eleyn Pumares)