By Maridol Ranoa-Bismark
She was visibly nervous as she shared the stage with co-star Kelvin Miranda and director Catherine `CC’ Camarillo at the premiere night of Chances Are, You and I at Megamall Cinema 8 .
But Kira Balinger need not have worried. As Gabriela `Gabi’ Sinag, the cheerful brain tumor patient who faces sickness head-on at the hospital where she is confined and volunteers to work in various capacities, she shifts from joy to sadness as if she is to the role born.
Her face, ringed with mirth, and her laughter is the perfect foil to fellow brain tumor patient Sol Sikat’s (Miranda’s), eternal frown and grumpy mien. But she’s not beyond shedding buckets of tears. She takes your heart away as she cries over a family secret and mourns over a past she can’t correct.
It also helps that the writer injects funny moments and witty lines that perk up the romantic comedy. An aha moment hits you, and you understand why the main characters are called Sol and Gabi (hint: there’s a pun in there). Another aha moment occurs when Sol lunges into quotable quotes that reflect the thoughts of an adolescent ridden with angst.
Gen Zs with rampaging emotions (there were many in the audience that night) can relate to this angst. So, too, can those stuck in dysfunctional families, especially those with no one to turn to.
After all, Chances Are is also about modern families coping with changes that threaten to tear everyone apart. And there are many of them these days. No wonder young people are like flotsam and jetsam – floating aimlessly in the sea.
The sea – a carpet of sparkling blue — plays a special role in the film. Besides its vast beauty, the sea provides an apt backdrop during crucial moments in Sol and Gabi’s life. A silent witness of all things life-changing, the sea seems to be saying — ahead. Laugh and cry. But whatever you do, go on, the way this vast expanse of blue goes on for miles and miles.
Chances Are is about letting life lead you wherever, taking risks, even if you don’t know what lies ahead. Yes, Sol and Gabi toss a coin at the drop of a hat to decide on something as petty as where to go next in their spur-of-the-moment Korean adventure. They stray, and send friends like Namu (portrayed by Korean YouTuber JinHo Bae) and elders, like Nurse Bell (played convincingly by Tart Carlos) into fits of panic. That’s because these Sol and Gabi are young. They don’t know any better. Or the poor kids lack guidance.
But like all young people, they grow up. They realize destiny is for them, not for a coin to decide. But the heart always wins, even if they open new chapters in their life. That’s when the magic starts, and life begins to unfold in all its glory.
(Chances Are, You and I is now showing in 138 cinemas nationwide).
