It takes courage to go against your parents’ wishes and follow your dreams. But in doing that, you also have to become more brave and face the consequences of it. For Christine (Haven Everly), the consequences come by her running away from her restaurateur family to pursue her dream to become an actor on stage and screen in Los Angeles. With The Girl Who Left Home, writer-director Mallorie Ortega follows the already tried, tested, and recycled template while pushing for a new flavor in its exterior with little success.
Christine is on high as she is about to get the big break she has been waiting for since her arrival in Los Angeles. However, the news of her father passing away puts a damper in it. Christine returns back to her home, with constant flashes of her falling out with her father. She reaches out to her grieving mother Mary (Emy Coligado), with whom she has to mend fences not only for running away but also not keeping in touch with her. That becomes the least of her worry when she is hit with an unexpected eviction notice at their family restaurant whilst her agent in LA awaits her return. Now, Christine must choose to either save her family restaurant from getting shut down, or continuing to pursue her life’s dream.
The movie presents a minimalist visual aesthetic fulfilled by a looming and inescapable wave of depression. Christine sees changes all around her and not one of them is good. Yet, it takes a swift change when Christine takes the reign of the restaurant, which not only has lost its uniqueness of serving Filipino food but has also been reduced to serving buffet. With the ticking clock of eviction looming in her mind, Christine quickly turns things around with her culinary expertise and use of social media. Everything happens beat to beat as the audience can simply draw the story for themselves.
The weakest draw of the story comes when it tries to take a deep dive in its confrontation and emotional distress. Ortega gives Mary and Christine a change of scene from their grieving to hit the bar. For the first time, Christine sees her mother opening up and letting loose. They end the night by singing a song together in a drunken stupor. The momentary breakthrough is quickly over as the story returns to its roots with Mary dropping a bigger bomb on Christine, linking her career in LA with an unpleasant truth about her father and the reason behind the current state of their restaurant.
Ortega presents the Asian parents’ displeasure of their children following the arts and how they constantly poke their children by reeling them into emotional blackmail about their sacrifices. Christine’s moment of emotional distress is revealed through her ex-boyfriend John (Rafael Sebastian), who broke up with her after having an altercation because of her father’s constant disapproval of him. This brings us back to the flashback shown in pieces, the big moment which not only makes you break into fits of laughter, but also becomes the last straw that breaks your patience with the movie.
Everly tries her earnest to be Christine. Especially in dramatic situations where Christine has to let herself drenched in tears, but the lack of proper treatment behind her character’s backstory lets her performance go flat. Even the thick accents from Coligado and Paolo Montalblan who plays Christine’s uncle Tony feel forced. The supporting characters have no real reason to be there. More often than not, the film’s script and direction not only lets down its actors but also its audience.
The only part that can be taken away from The Girl Who Left Home are the musical numbers, which are catchy and used at crucial moments in the story. The predictability of a happy ending is no surprise to anyone but the overlong melodrama, quick and easy resolutions to conflicts bring the already underdeveloped story to its low point. The performances by the cast are not revolutionary, especially in the scenes where they have to show their characters’ emotional conflict. This is a story that should bring comfort to its viewers, but it more often follows a predictable and overdone structure.
