“Un/Happy for You” is a Philippine romantic drama released in 2024, directed by Petersen Vargas, with Joshua Garcia and Julia Barretto in the leading roles. This marks their reunion after four years since they last acted together in “Block Z”.
There be spoilers, sweetie
The story follows the life of struggling, but determined, chef Juancho Trinidad (Joshua Garcia) who happens to run into his old girlfriend Zy Angeles (Julia Barretto) when she comes back to their small town for a work project. Considering the way their relationship ended, things are bound to get messy because Juancho isn’t happy about their breakup and wants to get back at Zy’s impending wedding no matter what. The two lovers cannot help but wonder what might have been…if only they had not parted ways, and this twist reveals newfound emotions in them and a fresh take on love, and second chances.
The cast and crew are professional people
- Director: Petersen Vargas
- Writers: Kookai Labayen, Crystal San Miguel, Jen Chuaunsu, Simon Lloyd Arciaga
- Main Cast: Joshua Garcia as Juancho Trinidad Julia Barretto as Zy Angeles Nonie Buencamino as Jun Ketchup Eusebio as Bok John Lapus as JP Kaila Estrada as Aiah Aljon Mendoza as Jon Bong Gonzales as Lei Angeles Ana Abad Santos as Anne Meann Espinosa as Lala Bianca De Vera as Tin Victor Silayan as Matt
Such Original
The period action drama “Un/Happy for You”, which came out on 14 August 2024, was once again well received by audiences at the premiere.
Once more critics have focused on Garcia and Barretto who displayed onscreen, both a strong vulnerability and a strong resilience. They also have admired the film’s narrative for not falling into classical rom-com formulas.
Box Office Performance
The film was successful commercially, earning over ₱450 million in ticket sales around the globe. It did ₱20.5 million in opening day gross and this set a new record for any local film grossing on their opening day in 2024. The first week saw the film gross ₱253 million domestically in box office collections.
Availability
Currently you can find the film “Un/Happy for You” on streaming platform Netflix as of November 2024,
Cultural Significance
One of the themes characteristic for the film “Un/Happy For You” is the presence of post break up behavior and the problems of returning into relationships, which allows it to stand out from other films in the Philippines. The film’s reception by audiences demonstrates their interest in love stories, but those with emotional and developmental aspects, rather than just rosy and traditional romances.