Undergrads

🧠Summary of the Plot

“Undergrads” (2024), still a work in progress by director Sigrid Polon, is a Filipino coming-of-age film based on a drama by Vivamax. The film undertakes the subjects of youth, friendship, and coming into one’s own. It features friends Aly (Rica Gonzales) and Sofia (Athena Red), and the consequences of one transformative night on their self-identity and on their friendship.

Aly is more reserved and self-absorbed, while Sofia is more extroverted, bold, and free-spirited. The conflict in the story begins when Sofia asks Aly to come with her to a party for her dance troupe. Things become heated when Aly becomes emotionally unsettled for the rest of the night watching Sofia flirt with and fully engage with several people. To make matters worse, Aly’s discomfort is elevated by the presence of Mario (Van Allen Ong), a college guy who takes an interest in her. This makes her question the norm of her identity, boundaries, and where her heart truly lies.

Aly loses herself in confusion between where emerging feelings of desire and her budding womanhood couple with her aversion to change. What fully encapsulates the film is the ambiguous and gentle exploration of longing and self-discovery paired with clashes between deep-seated fears and the reality of first loves- an experience which more often than not is universally alien and yet heartbreakingly simple.

🎭 Characters and Performances

Aly portrayed by Rica Gonzales

Gonzales’s expression and emotional range as Aly dealing with identity and desire as well as feelings for her best friend are captivating. The film’s emotional themes are rooted in her expressive silences and tentative fragility.

Sofia portrayed by Athena Red

Athena Red’s portrayal of the extroverted and alluring Sofia combines striking physicality with the type of charm that makes her hard to look away from. She serves as the emotional focal point of the dynamism that fuels Aly’s conflict of self and provides heat and obliviousness in troves.

Mario portrayed by Van Allen Ong

Mario is a gentle supporting character that is a bit bland. He is the “expected” romantic option and serves as a foil to Aly’s character as she becomes more and more reframed from heteronormative norms.

🎥 Themes and Emotional Arc

Desire and Identity

Aly’s development and the plot are not bound to any fixed structure. The film examines the emotional complexities that come with same-sex attraction and the silent transformation of friendships that often comes with it.

Unspoken Love and Suppression

There is a strong psychological undertow of felt but unuttered emotion as Aly fears that to utter a word of her feelings for Sofia is to doom herself to a reality where everything positive is undone.

Growth Through Discomfort

Aly’s discomforting realizations as a result of Sofia’s actions are an array of painful and liberating revelations. The film takes a quiet gaze into the hurt and liberation that comes with emotional transparency.

Style and Atmosphere

About 65 minutes long, Undergrads is no different from Vivamax’s signature fusion of sensuality and self-reflection. The film’s visuals feature soft, intimate lighting and close-up shots that build tension during character interactions, often during still moments. The cinematography enhances the mood, particularly during parties and private moments where emotions run high.

Dialogue is kept to a minimum. The film prioritizes atmosphere over exposition. Expect the inclusion of erotic sequences, but in this context, they serve to highlight emotions rather than purely to provoke, at least in intent.

Reception and Criticism

The film has received mixed to negative criticism. Reviewers have described the film as thematically rich but emotionally hollow.

Some audience members applauded the romantic pairing of Rica Gonzales and Athena Red, while others found the plot shallow and the pacing too fast.

The erotic elements that have become synonymous with the Vivamax label are often gratuitous and overshadow a film’s meaningful moments, ultimately lessening its potential.

For Viewers Who Might Appreciate It

Filipino soft LGBTQ+ coming-of-age stories.

Quiet but emotionally nuanced tales of friendship developing into romance.

Narratives driven by character and chemistry as well as aesthetic, emotionally restrained mood pieces.

⚠️ What to Keep in Mind

The story sometimes feels shallow due to a lack of robust character arcs. It also feels lacking in narrative structure.

For certain audiences, erotic scenes are so frequent that they hijack the storytelling.

Emotional turns are understated, so no need to anticipate bold statements or outcomes.

✅ Verdict

Undergrads (2024) attempts to be a visually gentle, emotionally ambiguous film that explores the delicate shift from friendship into love. It aims to navigate the awkward and often bewildering journey of self-discovery in the early stages of adulthood, but it often fails to land its emotional punches. It’s still more of an erotic sketch than a fully fleshed-out drama, even if there are strong performances from the leads and a rich atmosphere. Viewers who are yearning for silence filled with stolen glances and unexpressed longing will find just enough… but not more.