Maybe Tomorrow

Maybe Tomorrow is a very millennial movie. Its characters are young, media savvy individuals willing to sexually experiment. Its aesthetic also feels Instagram-ready. Please understand neither of these things are a negative. I’m a millennial and this movie spoke to me.

The lead character of Maybe Tomorrow is Alex. Alex is a lesbian living in Manila. She’s also a pretty obvious director self-insert character. Alex is trying to make it in TV but though her pitches are rejected for being “too edgy” as they feature lesbianism or a woman approaching men first in a romance. While Alex has an on-again off-again girlfriend named Kate, she harbours a crush for her straight friend, Jess. When Jess finds out Alex is a lesbian, she starts questioning the nature of their relationship. Eventually, Alex and the previously (and perhaps currently) heterosexual Jess begin a relationship. But this is difficult because of the fact that they are young, Jess’s sexuality is uncertain and their ability to be open in their relationship is challenged by the fact that Jess is an up and coming TV actress.

The core relationship between Alex and Jess is really well done, especially as it came to the end. Yeah, spoiler alert: Alex and Jess don’t end the movie as a couple. But that was the right decision. The breakup scene absolutely hurts but it feels realistic and justified. Alex says that society isn’t ready for them and that’s probably true. What’s also true is that these young women maybe aren’t ready for this relationship either. The movie ends on an ambiguous but hopeful note of Alex and Jess maybe forging a friendship after the breakup. Of course, it’s awkward but it’s clear that these characters remain important to one another. And if you want to imagine that maybe in the future when they are more emotionally mature individuals, they could try again, that’s a totally valid interpretation.

Writer/director Samantha Lee shows a lot of talent and passion in Maybe Tomorrow. The pacing is good, the characters are realistic and there is an emotional connection. Maybe Tomorrow brims with youthful energy and fresh ideas. Even though the budget for this is not high, Lee is a director who easily rises above these monetary constraints. Maybe Tomorrow has a great, tight script and is also nice to look at. She’s used every cent of budget and every minute of screen time wisely. She’s absolutely a talent to watch.

The major negative in Maybe Tomorrow is the sound and editing. The sound doesn’t match the visuals for how nice it is. And while the visuals are nice on their own, sometimes the editing makes the cuts between scenes very choppy and abrupt.

Sound and editing are small issues, though. I can absolutely overlook them as overall, Maybe Tomorrow is a solid movie from a filmmaker who shows a lot of talent. This is a film with energy, characters that feel real and a knack for very pretty-looking scenes. It’s one to check out and Samantha Lee is a filmmaker to keep your eye on.

Overall rating: 7.1/10

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