In all of the participating movies of Pista Ng Pelikulang Pilipino, 100 Tula Para Kay Stellais what intrigued me the most. It was clearly romance, a guy who writes poems for the girl he likes, plus, I saw the trailer more frequently than the others. Naturally, I wanted it to be one of the movies that I’d see on the first day. But then I realized I shouldn’t have expected that much—I was a bit disappointed.
What is it about?
Fidel is a stutterer, and he could only speak straight if he’d limit his sentences into three words if he’s reading what he’s saying or he sings. Freshies’ Night wasn’t going too well for him, and when he was about to go home, Stella found him and she saved the day. Since then, Fidel places Stella in that special part of his heart and started writing poems for her.
What I think about it
When I read romance books or see romance films, it’s usually the female lead character who’s having a hard time in the beginning. Then here comes the knight in shining armor (usually the male lead), ready to save the day. In this movie, it’s the other way around, which I liked. Stella became a good friend when Fidel was having a hard time adjusting to school. She didn’t even mind that he was a stutterer. But of course, as the story progresses, I saw the story for what it was—the typical helpless female lead character in need of a knight in shining armor which is supposedly the male lead.
The conflict seemed too light—Stella’s grungy personality wasn’t properly justified. Let me give you a bit of Stella’s background: she likes music, and it was her ultimate dream to become a performer, but she was taking up a totally irrelevant course in college. When her parents died due to a car crash, her older sisters sacrificed their love for music in order to support her (“…because that’s what’s practical,” Stella says). It wasn’t clear if her sisters opposed her in making music as her career, though one of them pushes her to take her studies seriously. This made Stella feel like no one was there to support her, and she appeared to be in search of love and acceptance. She earned the reputation of having too many boyfriends in high school, and in college, she only went out with guys who could potentially help her achieve her dream. For me, that’s actually being a self-centered, self-entitled, spoiled brat (as my BFF Nicole and I agreed to put it).
On the other hand, I saw progress in Fidel’s character. He was flawed in so many ways, he was even a wimp for declaring his undying devotion towards Stella (but the idea of poems were ♥♥♥). But he didn’t allow his weakness to affect the other aspects of his life, especially in academics. He was this typical good boy who has the most things that every girl’s been looking for in a boyfriend but too unfortunate to be shunned (well, okay there’s Danica, so).
100 Tula Para Kay Stella could have been a remarkable movie only if Stella’s background was murkier to justify her teenage angst. The ending also felt like it was too abrupt—not that I am not a fan of sad endings but I know there could have been a better ending.
With these remarks being said, I still encourage you to watch the film. Maybe you could have another point of view when you see this, or you might be able to appreciate it more than I did.
xo