Falling in Love Like in Movies is a movie that feels almost too personal to explain. When we think about love, everyone has their own take on it, right? And that’s exactly the case for Bagus and Hana, the main characters. They’ve got completely different views on love. Bagus is a screenwriter with a serious crush on Hana. He’s all about writing his love story from his point of view. But Hana’s dealing with some heavy personal stuff. She’s recently lost her husband and thinks she’ll never fall in love again. She’s closed off to the idea of giving love another shot. And you know what? That’s totally normal! But Bagus—he’s not having it. He’s ignoring her feelings and trying to convince her to move on like it’s a piece of cake. But let’s be real: love’s anything but simple, right? Love’s messy, it’s complicated, and sometimes it hurts like hell. This movie digs deep into their lives, their conversations, their arguments, and even their budding romance. You’ll feel like you’re right there with them, going through all the ups and downs that they are facing. And hey, if you’re a fan of movies like Before Sunrise or 500 Days of Summer, you’ll definitely get those vibes from this one too. But trust me, this movie’s got its own special magic. So get ready for a wild ride through the crazy world of love, with a backstage pass to the film industry drama!
Spoilers Ahead
How Did Bagus Convince The Producer?
At the beginning of the movie, we meet Bagus, the scriptwriter, when he goes to talk to his producer. Bagus is tired of writing scripts for remakes and adaptations or dramatic soap operas. He’s got a new idea: writing his own love story. But the producer isn’t initially sold on the concept. He thinks maybe a teenage romance or an action film would be better, and he’s wondering if a romance about a 40-year-old couple would appeal to the public. Plus, when Bagus mentions shooting the film in black and white, the producer can’t wrap his head around it. Love is colorful, right? Black and white would seem dull. The producer worries it might turn out an art film, which isn’t a money-maker at the box office. But Bagus reassures him that it’s a commercial film, which eases the producer’s concerns. Bagus starts describing the opening scene, where he meets Hana in a supermarket after a long time. Hana was his high school crush, and seeing her years later, after her husband’s death, seems like the perfect opportunity for Bagus to take another chance at falling in love. But, being all about making money, the producer suggests shooting the scene in a more extravagant location with famous actors. Bagus, however, believes in the simplicity and relatability of the story and feels there’s no need to show a bigger-than-life experience. He wants the film to focus on the depth of the characters rather than on marketing strategies. As Bagus reminisces about his first interaction with Hana, he senses sorrow in her. Maybe she has not moved on yet? Despite her liking his previous work and their discussion about love at different stages of life, Hana disagrees with Bagus about love happening at their age. She feels love is more for the younger years, where you can make mistakes and learn from them without the weight of compromises and conflicts that come with age. Now, in real life or in a movie, would you sympathize with Bagus, who’s trying to bring positivity into Hana’s life, or would you see him as a creep forcing his feelings on a widow who’s not ready to move on? Personally, I’d go with the latter. Ultimately, when the producer hears the story, he agrees to let Bagus write the script for the film. Bagus is thrilled for the chance to take a risk—both on cinema and love!
Why Did Hana Stop Talking To Bagus?
The producer thinks the movie should have tense moments every three minutes because audiences love that, and it would draw a huge crowd. But Bagus isn’t concerned about that; he’s focused on building a genuine relationship with Hana. So, he comes up with a plan. He tells Hana that he’s going to make a film about a florist, and since she’s a florist herself, it’s convincing that he needs to do research and spend time with her. Hana, who only sees him as a friend, doesn’t have a problem with it. They enjoy spending time together and sharing their inner feelings. Hana opens up about not feeling the need to move on and how she sleeps on the couch and struggles to sleep in the bed alone because her husband’s side feels empty. When the producer heard the description of the scene, he thought it would be better to make it longer with more dramatic effect, so audiences could feel the sadness. He also thought adding the right soundtrack would make it even more powerful because audiences like feeling emotions deeply when they watch movies. They planned to have a famous director direct the film, but he rejected it due to his busy schedule. So, the producer tells Bagus to direct the film himself, as he has a personal connection to it. Bagus told Hana some exciting news that made her really happy, especially the idea of making the film in black and white. It’s funny because the film is all about flowers, and usually, flowers are colourful. So, having a black and white film about flowers is kind of ironic, right? But I think it’s also metaphorical. Because I think people who seem happy on the outside can often feel lonely, just like Hana. Besides sharing personal feelings, Hana also learns about the industry, like how films are divided into eight parts called sequences. While discussing this, Hana asks him to use her as an example to learn about the protagonist’s false belief being broken in sequence four. But little did she know she was about to get her heart broken. Bagus tells her that her trauma is making her believe she’ll never fall in love again, but she will eventually once she moves past it. But the word “trauma” itself feels derogatory to Hana. Does Bagus truly understand her grief or pain at all? If he had, then he would not have called her experience trauma! And she doesn’t understand why he’s so fixated on the idea that she must fall in love again. Hurt by his words, she walks away and eventually stops talking to him.
Why Did Bagus Stop Directing The Movie?
As Hana stops talking to Bagus, he feels incredibly sad and empty. Despite needing to finish his first draft within a week, he tries to distract himself from thoughts of Hana by immersing himself in writing. He neglects proper rest and sustains himself with only instant noodles, eventually falling ill and needing hospitalization. Thankfully, he managed to complete the first draft. However, the money-making director arrives, expressing concern for Bagus’ health and bringing him clothes along with the laptop, insisting that he start on the second draft immediately. It’s a bizarre mix of caring and demanding, for sure! Then, Hana pays Bagus a visit at home after a long time, only to discover that he’s written their personal conversations and moments into a movie script, intending to make a film out of it. Imagine the shock of realizing a friend’s apparent care was all part of a selfish project! She feels that Bagus dismisses her feelings about her late husband, labeling them as grief, not love. I think it’s too cruel, to be honest, to belittle someone’s feelings like this. Bagus tries to justify his actions by claiming he loves her and wants her to move on for her own good, but Hana sees through it. She realizes that Bagus only cares about his work and himself, using her emotions to further his career. This revelation deeply hurts Hana, causing her real trauma, and she leaves. Initially, Bagus doesn’t understand why she’s reacting this way, as he genuinely believes he wants her to be happy and in love with him. However, as he begins directing the film, he realizes what a terrible mistake he’s made. He’s been selfishly chasing after Hana when all she wants is to cherish the happy memories of her late husband. Bagus was never a part of that, and he comes to understand that. He decides to postpone the shoot, arguing with the producer and revising parts of the script. Perhaps he’ll even consider making a sequel—a film that’s yet to be built.
Alright, so at the end of the movie, when Hana’s about to leave town, Bagus makes this bold move and goes straight to her. He pours his heart out, asking for forgiveness and revealing why he wanted the film to be in black and white. As it turns out, it was all about showcasing Hana’s journey through her grief and pain. He lays it all out there, admitting that Hana means more to him than the movie ever could. And you know what? Hana starts to see that too. She realizes that even though Bagus might’ve messed up, his heart was always in the right place. It’s a total heart-melting moment, and they end up sharing a kiss. Really, it was the perfect Falling in Love Like in Movies ending. After this moment, we see how the whole vibe of the movie changes as the black-and-white scenes come into full color. It’s like a metaphor for their relationship—complicated but still vibrant and alive. In the end, Hana drops some wisdom that hits home for a lot of us. She talks about the fear of being too happy, especially as a widow, and the judgment that comes with it. But despite all that, she’s making progress. She’s finding her own way to cope and move forward, trying to sleep in the bed next to where her husband used to sleep instead of on the couch. And Bagus? He’s come a long way, too. At first, he was trying to control Hana’s emotions, but now he gets it. He tells her she doesn’t have to “move on” from her feelings, but rather move with them, carry them in her heart, and just go with the flow. It’s a big shift for him, showing how much he’s grown and how well he understands Hana now. Perhaps this time around, Bagus will make the movie with a lot more clarity, understanding the complexity of their emotions by being together without belittling each other’s feelings.
