By Julian-Ray Fortaleza
It takes courage to put your heart on the screen like this. There are few filmmakers who have the chops to put their own struggles on screen, but Joella Cabalu showed the industry how it’s done. Philippine Asian News Today covered the movie’s world premiere on October 3rd at the 45th Annual Vancouver International Film Festival. The event started with Joella organizing an “Isang Bagsak” applause with the crowd.
It was a fitting way to begin a film that is, at its core, about community, family and the complicated ways we carry love with us.
First Comes Love: Nakabingwit is deeply personal without feeling self-indulgent. Cabalu opens the door to her own experiences and allows the audience to sit with her as she explores love, relationships and the expectations that come with them. There is an honesty to the film that is difficult to fake, and that honesty is what makes it so easy to connect with.
The film also feels distinctly Filipino Canadian. Rather than treating identity as a simple question of choosing one culture over another, Cabalu shows the push and pull that can come from living between worlds. Family expectations, romantic relationships and personal ambitions do not always fit neatly together, and the film embraces that messiness.
That is perhaps where Nakabingwit is at its strongest. It does not pretend that love is always simple.
There are moments that are funny, awkward and uncomfortable, but they are presented with enough warmth that they never feel cruel. Cabalu understands that some of the funniest parts of relationships come from the things we would rather not admit about ourselves. At the same time, the film never loses sight of the vulnerability underneath those moments.
The title itself speaks to that idea. Love can feel like something we pursue willingly, only to discover that we have become caught up in something much bigger than we expected.
What makes the film stand out is Cabalu’s willingness to leave some of the rough edges intact. This is not a polished Hollywood romance where every emotional beat lands exactly when it is supposed to. It feels lived-in. It feels like real people trying to figure things out while carrying the baggage of their families, their cultures and their past experiences.
That authenticity gives First Comes Love: Nakabingwit its charm.
The film is also a reminder of why festivals like VIFF matter. Vancouver has a large and diverse Filipino community, but seeing Filipino Canadian stories on a major festival screen still feels significant. These are stories that deserve to be told not simply because they represent a particular community, but because the experiences they explore are universal.
At its heart, First Comes Love: Nakabingwit is about the courage it takes to be honest about what we want from love and what we are willing to give up for it.
Cabalu has put a considerable piece of herself on the screen. Thankfully, audiences are given something meaningful in return.
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