'I’mPerfect': Bold & beautiful
Jiro, 29, and Jessica, 28, met in school. The smitten Jiro, on the first day of class, already knew it was Jessica that his heart so desired. He pursued her—following her to the coffeeshop where she held a parttime job, making her his date at a school activity. He showered her with love and told her of his innermost thoughts. In time, she responded with the same amount of love, respect and devotion.
They were happy. They were in love. And love was all that mattered for them.
The love they had for each other was so saccharine you would think the world was perfectly made for lovers like them. It was so tender you identified with them when love was the cure-all. It was so special that you would think falling in love did not bear hurts and pains.
Jiro and Jessica were special. They were bold and beautiful.
They were persons with Down syndrome.
Bravery takes centerstage in Nathan Studios’ I’mPerfect, a social drama on the lives of persons with Down syndrome. The movie won the best film plum at the 51st Metro Manila Film Festival—and rightfully so.
At the nucleus of the film’s bravery is a tender discussion on inclusivity. Persons with Down syndrome are at the front, center and back of the film. Never on the sidelines—because their stories also need to be heard and seen and felt. Never sidetracked—because their lives, like yours and mine, matter. Never sideswiped—because their joys and trials, hopes and dreams need to be discussed.
Where compassion is engendered, the human spirit becomes a spawning vessel of love, understanding, and acceptance. In the beautiful world of lovers Jiro and Jessica, played respectively with depth by Earl Amaba and Krystel Go (who bagged the best actress trophy at the MMFF—and made history in Philippine cinema as the first person with Down syndrome to win the award), exists the misconception and stigma about persons with the syndrome.
But Earl and Krystel were daring in the film and they dared show a love scene to the silent discomfort of some viewers at Power Plant cinema. For the first time, the moviegoing public saw an intimate scene between two persons with Down syndrome. But the ones who were initially uncomfortable with the delicateness of the said scene were also the same people who rose from their seats and gave the film thunderous applause as credits rolled.
Krystel has the innocence of an angel in the film. But she’s also not a pushover. When Jessica and Jiro experienced being marginalized in one scene, Jessica rose to her full height to correct the mistake done on them.
It’s very easy to be enamored with the character of Jessica because Krystel breathed life into it. Her performance was truly deserving of the best actress award at the film festival. Her performance was raw and real. She has the ability to seep into our consciousness and tell us straight: I’m no different from you.
Earl, on the other hand, is an immersed actor; he can hold his audience and make them comfortable or not at all with his actions. He displays empathy and this lends his acting style credibility. His voice has depth and nuance a future best actor possesses.
I’mPerfect was made by the same director who helmed Kita Kita (2017), reportedly the highest-grossing indie film: Sigrid Andrea Bernardo. Bernardo, a master storyteller, had a tight grip on the material that she also wrote. Her characterization of Jiro and Jessica is imbued with the purity of heart.
Bernardo is resolute in bringing to the fore the condition of persons with Down syndrome. Inasmuch as they are part of society, they were given a voice to be heard through I’mPerfect. As a result, the film became an eye-opener for those whose understanding of persons with Down syndrome is challenged.
I’mPerfect reassures viewers that kindness in words and thoughts is important whether one is a person with Down syndrome or not.
Why is it important to see I’mPerfect?
The groundbreaking film challenges the stigma surrounding Down syndrome. By having persons with Down syndrome leading the casting ensemble, I’mPerfect provides a silhouette of honesty in promoting inclusivity. From the borders of honesty emerges a heartfelt and thought-provoking soul of the film: that persons with Down syndrome are no different from you and me.
It’s a romance and it is important for us to understand that persons with Down syndrome also fall in love—and fall in love head over heels. So in love that Jiro can take the role of a husband ready to provide for his wife. But Jiro’s mom (played with aplomb by Lorna Tolentino) views her son’s decision to take care of a woman with a grain of salt, if not at all pure misgivings.
Lorna Tolentino, Sylvia Sanchez (as the mother of Jessica), and Janice de Belen (as the retired nanny of Jiro) all gave their generous supporting performances in the film. They were the triumvirate serving as conduits in understanding the world of persons with Down syndrome.
I’mPerfect questions the overbearing love parents have for their children with Down syndrome. It also discusses when respect and trust should be accorded them—when it is time to let them be and not treat them with kiddie gloves, when it is the moment not to intrude and to allow them to decide for themselves.
The film shows that there’s a thin line that separates awareness from being jaded. But the authentic and raw storytelling of I’mPerfect thaws the misconception. In its wake flows a powerful story that every human being’s life is sacred and significant. That the right to exercising independence is not the monopoly of the people outside the spectrum of Down syndrome. Even the persons with Down syndrome should enjoy the freedom of embracing life fully—away from the prying eyes of people, unperturbed by the senseless and injurious judgment.