By Heinrich Domingo

Love chooses no gender. It does not discriminate. It does not give a rule for loving. What it does is it allows people to fall for each other no matter what race, social class, or gender they belong to. Set in the country’s most progressive learning institution, the University of the Philippines, Cups Ka Ba? discusses the conservative view of many Filipinos regarding love. It employs comedy in telling that cupids do not select the people to whom they shall shoot the romantic arrow.

The god of love (Cupid) is bored with her usual routine. She attempts to leave her post and tells Zeus that she no longer wants the typical couples she pairs together. As she aimlessly threw the romantic arrows, she discovered that they pierced through pair of people with the same sex. She initially repulses on this idea but later on realizes that love can happen between any people.

This short film tells the director’s personal journey towards shifting his paradigm about homosexual relationships. It looks into how common Filipinos fail to accept that love can happen to whatever gender orientation a person has.  The honest look into these biases provides a light and likeable approach on the film. Despite the visual editing flaws, this short film is commendable for bringing a good subject to the fore.

Directed by: Juan Carlo Tarobal
UP Diliman