What If Plot Summary
What if it is the latest Filipino romance film on Netflix. JM de Guzman and Alessandra de Rossi play the lead roles, while it’s directed by Mike G. Rivera.
The show tells the story of Jecs and Billie, who have just tied the knot. We meet them on their way to their honeymoon. The couple is excited to travel to an island and look forward to creating happy, unforgettable moments together.
Do the couple make it to the island?
Yes, they do. Jecs has a few videos to take before they get on the boat, and Billie is understanding. As soon as Jecs wrap up his video, they get to the island and are welcomed by an elderly couple who are the caretakers. The couple start their honeymoon on an excited note, but soon, trouble arises in paradise.
What do the couple fight about?
The main fight stems from whether the pair want to have kids. Billie has been vocal about her desire not to have kids. Before they married, she confided in Jecs that she suffers from premature ovarian failure. Getting pregnant and maintaining it to full term will be hard for her. However, Jecs thinks she is giving up on having kids and is not willing to try to get treatment.
Jecs argues that she can get treatment, and they can keep trying for a baby. He suggests hormonal therapy or IVF. These treatments are not exactly a walk in the park, and Billie is not ready to financially or emotionally invest in them.
It is frustrating that Jecs is suddenly so adamant about getting treatment after they’ve just got married. Before this, he had said their love was enough, and he knew Billie’s stance on having kids. His mom doesn’t help the situation either, as she keeps asking for grandkids, suggesting herbal medicine and calling Billie barren. Billie feels offended as she watches Jecs talk with his mom, and he fails to defend her on multiple occasions. He only promises to talk to his mom and doesn’t understand why Billie is angry with him.
All these things lead to Billie feeling wronged, as having kids is not something she can physically do. She didn’t choose this path; it was chosen for her, and she is hurt by Jecs’ indifferent attitude when he talks to his nosy mom.
What is Jecs keeping a secret about?
The couple also fight about Jecs’ social media addiction. Throughout their honeymoon, Jecs seems to care more about keeping his online schedule than being present. Billie is understanding at first, but her patience thins as they get into more heated conversations. She is especially insecure about one of Jecs’ followers, who seems overly interested in him. It turns out the lady had a thing with Jecs’ in the past. To make matters worse, the lady in question is already hinting at their past on social media.
What annoys Billie the most is that she had asked him several times, but Jecs denied it. He made her seem like she is being jealous and illogical. He even claimed the lady, Sunshine, was using his name for clout. He swore his innocence, shouted at Billie and said it was all in her head. Only after he gets drunk one night does the truth slip out.
What else troubles the couple?
Billie is stressed out about her relationship with her abusive dad. Her dad is a famous musician who enjoys demeaning her. As a child, he constantly beat her and was inconsiderate of her feelings. As an adult, he uses the apartment he got for her as some kind of proof she is dependent on him. He is also against her marriage and fails to attend the wedding. He now keeps trying to call Billie, but she is adamant she is done with him. She has already moved out of the condo he got her and wants to prove she is independent.
Billie’s traumatic experience as a kid is one of the reasons she is scared of having children herself. She worries she won’t be a good parent, nor will she be loving and nurturing. Her constant fights over this matter with Jecs only add to her fear. The arguments make her see a new side to Jecs, and this shakes everything she thought she knew about him being calm when angry.
How does What If end?
After fighting for days, their big argument comes to a head after Jecs gets drunk and confesses he received fellatio from Sunshine. He heads home to sleep and misses a few calls from his mom. Billie packs up and leaves the following day. She gets on a boat and is well on her way when she receives a call from a friend informing her of the death of Jecs’ mom. As a result, she heads back to be with him.
Jecs wakes up and finds lots of messages from his sister. He calls her and learns of his mom’s passing. As he is about to leave, Billie returns and comforts him. They agree to put the past behind them and go back home.
Even though they agree to get back together, we can’t help but notice they still didn’t talk about their fundamental issues. They have huge differences; sooner or later, they will return to square one.
Realistically, their future seems bleak; making this relationship work will take a lot of work. Each of them has various issues they need to face before fully committing to each other. Billie needs to work through her past trauma and get her confidence back. Jecs has to work through the grief of losing his mom and whether he is sure he will be okay not having kids with Billie. But by the end of the film, nothing is resolved which is rather frustrating.
Read More: What If Movie Review