Barcelona: A Love Untold Plot Summary
Barcelona: A Love Untold tells the beautiful love story between Ely and Mia. The two meet in Barcelona and become close while individually struggling with some things from their past.
As they start to get closer and begin liking each other, they face different challenges that make it seem like their love is impossible. Will they overcome these obstacles? Can love be enough to redeem someone? Let’s take a closer look at the movie and find out.
Why did Ely travel to Barcelona?
Ely travelled to Barcelona to fulfil the wish of his childhood love, Celine. Celine wanted him to study architecture in Barcelona because it is the capital of architecture.
Who is Celine & what happened to Her?
Celine was Ely’s first love. She died in an accident one fateful night. Ely and Celine were in a fight at the time of her death. Ely wanted to pursue animation, while Celine wanted him to continue his architecture studies. Ely was scared that they were on the verge of a breakup that night, so he refused to meet her. Unfortunately, Celine had an accident and died. Ely has been living with the ‘what-ifs’ and ‘what-should-have-been’ and wants to atone.
Why did Mia come to Barcelona?
Mia came to Barcelona because she was running away from her mistake back home in the Philippines. She was caught in a cheating scandal at school and ultimately expelled. Her dad didn’t take the news well and used some choice words against her. The troubled relationship with her father was one of the biggest factors that led Mia to Barcelona. She wanted to prove to everyone that she is more than a mistake and that she can stand on her own two feet.
This is not as easy as she had thought. She finds herself alone in Barcelona, with no work or language skills to survive. She refuses to go back home and be called a failure again, so she opts to stick it out. Mia comes from a rich background and has difficulty adjusting and trying to make an honest living.
How do Mia & Ely meet?
They meet randomly by chance at the train station. At first, Ely mistakes her for Celine because they look so much alike. He then saves her from a man who wanted to take advantage of her. Ely brings her home as she is too wasted. She ends up leaving her diary and passport at his place.
Once Ely’s cousin Tonying reads Mia’s diary, they worry she is about to commit suicide. Ely finds her again and brings her to live in the house he shares with his aunt and cousin.
As expected, they don’t initially get along as they are two different people and have extremely different backgrounds. He keeps helping Mia get jobs, but she ends up being fired because she is new to this kind of life. Soon enough, she gets a hang of things and they start becoming closer.
What is holding Ely back from being with Mia?
Ely is still haunted by what happened to Celine. Her family is still helping him and his family. Ely feels indebted not only to Celine but her family. Ely doesn’t come from a rich background. Even in Barcelona, he works while studying to help his father take care of his younger siblings. Ever since his mom left them for another man, Ely and his dad have been forced to hustle harder to pay their bills.
Because of this, Ely is scared to admit that he has fallen for Mia. She may look like Celine but she is not Celine, and he is also unsure if he is only projecting his feelings for Celine to her.
What happens between Mia and Ely?
Mia gets tired of seeing Ely go through so much sadness after being abandoned by his mom and losing Celine. She tries to help Ely patch things up with his mom, which backfires. Ely gets pissed and asks her to stop interfering in his life. He says some hurtful things about how he is still in love with Celine. Mia realises that he will always compare her to Celine and decides it is time to leave.
For a while, Ely spends time looking for her, worried that she might hurt herself. Mia considers committing suicide but, thankfully, sees that is not an option. She decides to go back and end it properly with Ely before returning to the Philippines.
What happens to Mia after her return?
Mia is welcomed warmly back home. Her dad is no longer angry at her and sees that Mia tried to improve herself. He may not have approved her odd jobs, but he is proud that she worked on paving her own way. He apologizes for being too hard on her and makes her promise not to run away again.
What happens between Ely and his mom?
After Mia leaves, Ely takes time to reflect on what she told him the night of their fight. Mia had asked him if there will ever be room for people who are still alive and want to love him. His aunt, Insiang, also drives this point home. Ely realises that he can’t keep holding on to the pain and trauma of the past. Life goes on and he ought to start living his life as well. He forgives his mom and shares the animation video he made for her. His mom is happy to be back in her son’s life and is looking forward to fixing their relationship.
Do Mia and Ely make up?
After settling things with his mom, Ely returns to the Philippines and explains himself to Celine’s parents and his dad. They are happy for him and wish him the best in his life. They only wanted him to be happy and are thankful that he treated their daughter well. Ely also stops by Celine’s grave and thanks her before saying goodbye to their past.
With all these settled, Ely heads over to find Mia, who is working as a short film writer. He apologizes and confesses he loves her for who she is. Mia is glad that he was able to sort his feelings out and come to her. They tearfully embrace each other as onlookers cheer them on.
Two years later, they return to Barcelona and Ely proposes. Of course, a giddy Mia says yes and we can assume they live happily ever after.
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