When we first meet Liz, she just recently lost her mother. So she reminiscent about the good times she had with her through figurines, frames, and vinyl. She eventually found it hard to let go of her mother’s belongings because of the memories. As time went by, these objects start to make her feel lonely. Single and unable to bear any children, she seems to be destined to be alone. Until Josh came into her life.
For Josh letting go is much easier. He believes that whatever we left behind someone will soon love it. Although he appears to be the opposite of Liz, they start a romantic relationship.
In a conservative country, topics such as the May-December love affair is frown upon and deprecated. The journey of Liz towards happiness is heavily affected by the huge age gap between her and Josh as their maturity and belief clash. All the more, her inability to conceive children does not just writhe her relationship with Josh it also attenuates her womanhood. “Belle Douleur” wants to challenge these norms by navigating through its simple premise. It wants to provoke the relationship tenets set upon by society and assess its logic. Do these conventions and perceptions truly matter? The answer is for you to find out.
There is also a lot to look forward to in this movie and one of it is Mylene Dizon’s performance. Her committed portrayal of a “daring” character is both efficacious and desirous. Additionally, Dizon's natural allure and strong persona helps her to better the characterization of Liz. Kit Thompson, on the other hand, is a little ostentatious and off with his acting, though he did just enough to be, at least, convincing. Moreover, supporting the main casts are Marlon Rivera and Jenny Jamora. They not just only add the much-needed charm and wit, they stole the show as Liz’s loyal best friends.
Based on the limited cast and audacious story, it’s easy to categorize “Belle Douleur” as an Indie movie. However, it surprisingly doesn’t have that indie feel at all. The movie feels like it’s properly handled and financed. It’s actually a well-made movie with a lot of attention focused on the mood and the cinematography. Altogether, “Belle Douleur” does not feel like it's a lazy film. The end product shows that Joji Alonso tried her best to not make this movie cheap.
Probably the downside of this movie is that it didn’t do much to differentiate itself from other movies that share the same setup. The screenplay is unoriginal. The script is shallow for my taste and a little mushy. There are also expected gratuitous intimate scenes scattered all over the movie, that didn’t serve the movie any purpose.
Also, some aspect of the story is a little concerning while other parts of it feels rushed and unfocused. There are hints of toxicity in Liz and Josh's relationship and there are plots that are just weird. For the record, the movie started out good but, for me, it failed to maintain the pace all throughout.
“Belle Douleur” has good intentions in telling its story, however, it can still be more than what it is.
2/5
