The Love Child is one of many poignant films that talk about children on the spectrum. This is a Filipino film about a couple dealing with their child who’s been diagnosed with autism and how they manage their daily finances and life post the diagnosis. There have been many films on the subject of dealing with children with disabilities this year including Out of My Mind, which was a story of a young girl dealing with muscular dystrophy and how her family and school help her.
Spoilers Ahead
Why were Paolo and Ayla stressing out?
The Love Child began with Paolo and Ayla learning of their son, Kali, being diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. The couple were not married but both were deeply committed to each other and the kid they were raising together. It was believed that they met during their days in college and the pregnancy happened around that time.
Paolo was in film school while Ayla was studying to be a lawyer. Both had had to abandon their career goals for the sake of their child and focus on raising him. Ayla was working for a social media marketing agency while Paolo had taken up a movie editing job. However, the couple realized they would need more income since Kali’s diagnosis. They had to move him to another school and hire a special pediatrician. To be able to afford these changes, they would have to move to a house that belonged to a family member so they could save on rent. They were on a tight budget but were content with life and never regretted any decision. Since Paolo was an aspiring filmmaker, he considered his and Ayla’s love story and life until now to be like a romantic comedy. He would keep referring to many clichés seen in romantic comedy films, and that would make Ayla smile.
Did Paolo and Ayla transfer Kali to a new school?
Paolo and Ayla admitted Kali to a school for children with special needs, but that did not last long. They learned Kali was being bullied by senior kids and decided to change schools. The next school was ideal for Kali, but the admission fee threw them off, and as a result, they had to start a coffee cart business, hoping that would bring extra income to the house.
What was the parents’ biggest obstacle?
Paolo and Ayla were having a hard time juggling jobs and taking care of Kali. Ayla implying that she and Paolo had not been physically intimate for a long time and that she craved it. Their finances were dwindling, since a teacher had asked either of the parents to be with Kali during his school hours. This was odd since this school was for children with special needs, and the teachers were trained to deal with all kinds of difficulties.
Paolo and Ayla had no choice but to hire a nanny to take Kali to shadow him at school and get him back home. This added to their financial burdens. On the other hand, Paolo was offered a job by his father in Australia, but he declined it multiple times since he couldn’t think of leaving his family. Ayla also met another special needs child’s mother at the school, who thankfully was rich enough to spend money on her daughter’s speech and occupational therapist. Ayla began to contemplate whether her decision to put her law studies on hold was right or not. If she was a lawyer, she would have earned enough to pay for her son’s treatments. Since Kali had not begun to speak, that was a concern to the parents as well.
Why did Ayla have a meltdown?
Ayla was struggling to keep her main job because of the stress of the coffee shop business and taking care of Kali. Even though Paolo was being a great partner, she was overwhelmed and was on the brink of losing her job as well. One night, Kali had a high fever, and the parents had to move him to a hospital. Paolo and Ayla were again overwhelmed by the dengue tests and the bills and were running out of money. Paolo was repeatedly being offered a job in Australia by his father, but he was still in two minds about it. Paolo came back to the hospital to find out Kali had been discharged, and he questioned Ayla about this move on reaching home. An emotional Ayla said she got some money from her mother, which would help them sustain themselves for some time, including paying the hospital bills. Paolo was angry as her mother had not acknowledged their relationship or the child. She’d never offered to help Ayla and Paolo with raising Kali, and that was the reason he wanted his wife to return the money.
Ayla had a meltdown over the fact that they were desperately in need of money but Paolo was willing to put his ego over the need of the hour. She also began to wonder if they should have been emotional and not practical about their decision to continue with the pregnancy, since most of her friends had been financially sound. Ayla had run into her friends, and she was clearly envious of the life they were leading without worrying about their partner or child. She implied that all of her friends were financially independent and had chosen to be practical about life. She is not happy with the fact that their relationship is cliched just like Paolo stated, and that made her sad. Ayla also began to question herself and the decisions she had made since the time she discovered her pregnancy. Paolo, instead of berating her, understood her state of mind and let her rant just to get it out of her system.
What was the conversation between Paolo and Ayla?
A few days after Ayla’s meltdown, they met several parents and guardians of the children with special needs in Kali’s school for a Christmas-related event. A grandparent began to talk to the couple about her daughter and son-in-law, who were working in two different countries just to be able to afford the healthcare for their son, who was also mentally challenged. The elderly lady shared these details since she understood the stress Paolo and Ayla were under, and there’s a chance this anecdote might push them to work abroad for Kali’s sake.
The elderly lady added that parents were superheroes nevertheless, but two people choosing to raise a child with special needs were the strongest superheroes, and as a result, they often had to make unpleasant decisions. These decisions might benefit the child in the long run, and hence Ayla and Paolo were considering the idea of maybe moving to another country. This idea could not have occurred at a better time as Paolo might consider moving to Australia. The school was unable to find Kali for the next act of the play. That sent Paolo and Ayla into panic mode. Ayla soon began to spiral as she started questioning if she was a good mother. This is the guilt many mothers go through, and they begin to question the societal norms that force them to think a certain way just because they have children. The agony of losing Kali made her question every decision she had ever made, and Ayla was back to talking about the topics she was stuck on on the night of her meltdown. She had not forgotten that night, and hence Paolo was trying to be positive.Â
Paolo interrupted Ayla and confessed to having loved the role of fatherhood he’d taken up ever since Paolo learned of the pregnancy. He looks forward to leading a slow life with Kali since that would allow both father and son to have more time together. It was fulfilling for him to watch Kali wanting his parents around most of the time. Paolo may not have had a good childhood, and as a result, he may want to be there for Kali instead of having negative thoughts about the whole process of raising him. It felt like the makers were trying to paint Ayla as a bad mother and Paolo as a perfect father, as there were no scenes that tried to convey the fact that Ayla’s state of mind was justified.
Does Paolo leave for Australia?
Kali was found in the school compound, and the parents returned in no time. Paolo was trying to be strict with Kali for running away, but at that moment he uttered his first word, ‘papa.’ This excited the couple, since their son had said his first words at the age of four, and that was a milestone in their relationship. However, the entire film felt partial towards Paolo and the work he put into raising the child, and Ayla was portrayed as the mother involved in multiple jobs for the extra money. However, Paolo and Ayla were elated about this latest development, and this helped Paolo make the right decision for Kaili. He decided to take up the job in Australia. This proved that he was influenced by the elderly lady’s story and decided to reunite with his estranged father by taking up the job. He probably wanted to do this for Ayla and Kali. It also sends a message that ultimately fathers are supposed to go out and bring in money for the family, as the makers could have very well chosen for Ayla to go abroad instead. Since she was the mother, she was supposed to stay back, raise Kali, and wait for Paolo’s money to come in so they could pay for their son’s healthcare. This was bizarre as it put Ayla’s plan to be a lawyer on the back foot, and that seemed insensitive.
The Love Child ended with Paolo heading to the airport with Ayla and Kali and talking about the cliched airport scene from every romantic comedy film. Talking about this subject was their love language. Paolo had to make this move for the sake of his family even though he was not keen to move far from his family. Paolo loved Ayla and Kali, and he would do anything for them. As Paolo was about to enter the airport for checking in, he noticed his girlfriend was wearing torn sneakers. He returned for a brief moment to measure the sizes of Ayla and Kali. This was to imply that he would return with brand new shoes from Australia just for the two of them. This was Paolo’s way of showing his love.
