Playful Irreverence In I LOVE YOU, I HATE YOU

I Love You, I Hate You

Mel Chionglo's I Love You, I Hate You (Regal Films) has tons of humor. The caustic swaps, the funny characterizations, the clever plottings so that the conditioned response for a supposedly romantic drama shifts irrevocably to playful irreverence. The humor chisels the message so that it comes shining while doing its duty of alleviating an otherwise gloomy impression. Not only does it come through humorously but also simply. Chionglo's camera sweeps avidly and flawlessly with the jet style rhythm of the two protagonists. In his hands, the incessant quarrels of Ditas (Maricel Soriano) and Bitoy (William Martinez) seem like vengeful lovemaking. The long shots are more developed here, above all, the cinematography further complimented Chionglo's keen cinematic eye. Due credit must be given to Toto Belano and  Jose Javier Reyes' well-written screenplay that avoids mawkishness and has well-defined and relatable characters. Not only is I Love You, I Hate You entertaining, it is also intelligent. When Ditas and Bitoy meet, they fall for each other ever so slowly. This is done in the most credible and endearing manner. In spite of Ditas' attraction to Julian (Ronnie Ricketts) in the end, their love inspires each other and redeems them both.

To not watch I Love You, I Hate You is to miss one of the most hilarious comedic performances in recent memory. As Ditas, a girl hopelessly in love, Maricel Soriano is stout-hearted, endearing and charming. For someone with such a fragile frame, Soriano understands how to use her body to imbue her character with the idiosyncrasies needed to make us empathize with her. She also gets the speech pattern of the babaeng bakla down pat. In that scene where she talks to Miles (Miles Obra) about her new boyfriend, she brings the house down with the side-splitting delivery of her lines. William Martinez likewise proves that he is one young actor to reckon with. His sensitivity as a performer has heightened like a Geiger counter. He can bristle with fire and intensity in his confrontation scenes with Soriano but he can also be truly comical. Martinez is certainly one actor of whom it cannot be said he always plays himself. Ronnie Ricketts on the other hand is completely off his attack. He plays for glamour without comic reserve. In I Love You, I Hate You, Chionglo proves he is a filmmaker who has the skill set needed to translate those palpable emotions onto the screen without resorting to the easier path of maudlin the way most love stories do.

Directed By Mel Chionglo
Screenplay: Toto Belano And Jose Javier Reyes
Cinematography: Pedro Manding, Jr.
Original Music: Jun Latonio
Production Design: Benjie de Guzman
Editing Rogelio Salvador
A Regal Films Presentation
Release Date: December 3, 1982