I’MPERFECT (2025) Review
Directed by Sigrid Andrea Bernardo
What if you’re in your late 30s, meeting what you feel is the love of your life, and you’re ready to be in a relationship, or even get married finally? It doesn’t sound that complicated, right? But what if both of you are diagnosed with Down Syndrome? That complicates things. Sigrid Andrea Bernardo’s latest film, ‘I’mPerfect’, is such a feel-good film. The film gets its charm grom its story and characters, who are portrayed by people with Down Syndrome and are also first time actors as well.
For some, including me, the film may come as a surprise because not everyone has extensive experience with people who have Down syndrome. This may be because those individuals keep things to themselves, or perhaps due to the prejudice of others. However, the story opens its doors to strangers like us. ‘I’mPerfect’ is presented in a way that shows the reality of their struggles without making them seem like ‘less’ of a person.
Casting Kristel Go and Earl Amaba as Jessica and Jiro adds charm to the story. And at the same time, at the back of my head, I was thinking, with how they acted on screen, it must be difficult for them. But they are convincing enough to make me and the audience believe in their love story. Casting veteran and award-winning actors Lorna Tolentino, Sylvia Sanchez, Joey Marquez, Tonton Gutierrez and Janice de Belen as supporting actors completes the film’s picture of Filipino families who have kids in their first relationship. The chaotic worrying, the overadvising and the planning to break the relationship of their children.
I was smiling throughout the film. It’s like a first love or young love story kind of film. It’s cute, it’s charming and you get to feel like you’re young again, giggling with joy, while watching. Everything’s so pure from the perspective of Jessica and Jiro. It’s like an ideal kind of world where judgments don’t come, where everything is easier and where choices are accepted gracefully.
The film’s title is perfect for the story and characters it presents; it points out that no matter how imperfect the world may be, we are perfect in our own way. People with Down Syndrome may not get the same treatment as others, but I’mPerfect clearly presents how they navigate life as normally as everyone else does. But it also presents that even though they want to be treated normally, we already have a prejudice about what they are and what they can and cannot do.
The film also shows how growth can be for people with Down Syndrome. It may come late, but once they’re decided, they will pursue whatever personal growth they want to achieve. May it be independence, career, or relationship. It’s a heartwarming film that brings us back to what’s more important in life and how to fight for the people and the things that we love.
4 OUT OF 5 STARS
‘I’MPERFECT’ is now showing in cinemas nationwide from Nathan Studios. Rated G by the MTRCB.