Editor's note: This article contains spoilers.
When we first heard about Un/Happy For You's plot, we were intrigued. More than its storyline portrayed in their official teasers and trailer, its lead stars were enough to catch our attention. For the first time since their breakup, real-life exes Julia Barretto and Joshua Garcia top-billed their comeback movie, which tells the story of an ex-couple navigating through their breakup and possibly their second chance at romance.
Maybe it was fate, maybe it was just a coincidence, but the story began with Zy (portrayed by Julia) and Juancho (played by Joshua) reconnecting two years after their breakup. Zy works as a food writer, while Juancho is a Bicolano chef. While it was purely for work when their paths crossed again, chances drove them to face unhealed wounds from their past relationship.
Un/Happy For You offered scenes that tugged at the hearts of many—including me (who's honestly tearing up as I write this, lol). Watching Un/Happy For You felt like facing reality for me—a mid-20s woman going through the most heartbreaking yet most mature breakup of my life. And I have to say: I am Zy. Allow me to spill my guts and my realest feelings about the movie.
5 Quotes From Un/Happy For You That Got Me Reliving My IRL Breakup
1. "Napagod ako sa kakabuhat sayo. Nung nalulunod ka, ayokong malunod kasama mo. Juancho, believe me I tried. God knows sinubukan kong tulungan ka sa hanggang kaya ko. But I can only do so much."
When you're in a relationship, especially a long-term one, everybody's bound to have set some expectations, not just for your partner, but also for yourself. Love, after all, is a give-and-take setup. It's what Zy tried to make Juancho understand. But it just didn't work out at the time as Juancho was spiraling down, getting lost in his problems, almost forgetting about Zy.
It was just like that for me. It became tiring because of the constant disappointments and letdowns. Don't get me wrong, though: Tao lang din naman ako. I can only give so much. I knew my partner was feeling lost and overwhelmed with his own problems piling up, but I often ask myself, "Am I wrong for leaving him at his lowest?" But deep down, I know I did my best to be there and support him. I tried. And I know that I deserve the love that I give.
2. "Umabot sa hindi ko alam kung paano ka tutulungan. Kasi hindi ko alam kung kailan ka babangon, kung kailan mo tutulungan yung sarili mo."
This, again, checks everything I've realized as I reached the tipping point in my relationship. There were several scenes when it was shown how dejected Juancho was during their relationship, forgetting his responsibilities—even up till the simplest thing he can do, which is to take care of himself.
I think we all have to remember that there's only one person who can help us with our problems: ourselves. In my relationship, I learned that no matter how much you try to help someone, if they won't make an effort to help themselves, nothing's going to change.
3. "I was willing to give up everything for you, Juancho."
Zy did everything she could. We know no one asked her to but she gave up a scholarship abroad to be with Juancho and to support Juancho's startup business. She was Juancho's biggest supporter in all the ways she could think of. She risked her happiness and her ambitions all for Juancho, and that's because Zy wanted Juancho's happiness and success more than anything.
But sometimes, while we think we know what we want, we're really still figuring out what we need. Like Zy, I also risked my happiness. I focused on my partner's happiness. I barely shared my problems with him because I didn't want to add to his stress. I wanted to appear strong for him so he could believe things would get better soon, even though deep inside I felt ignored, hurt, and overwhelmed by my own personal problems. I thought it was what he needed, so I did it that way.
4. "Hindi lang ako naging girlfriend mo, naging nanay mo rin ako. I have to be the adult one in the relationship because you were acting like a child. Tiniis ko 'yon. Tiniis ko 'yon dahil nangako tayo na bubuo tayo ng buhay na magkasama."
I loved my ex and I'd be lying if I said I don't care about him anymore. We had *our lives* planned out. We had big dreams together. But during our relationship, it often felt like I was the only one navigating the relationship. I'd find myself repeatedly reminding him to do the simplest things—being consistent with one thing, checking if the doors were locked, paying bills, and so on. It's like I needed to list down everything, even how he should treat me. It was exhausting to handle all the little things alone. I felt like I was doing more than just being a partner. I love him but I felt scared for my own future.
5. "Ang bigat na ako lang 'yung bumubuhat satin. Ang bigat na ako lang yung lumalaban. Kaya pati ako, bumabagsak na. Nauubos na."
I felt how alone Zy was. Our relationship had ups and downs. I value our happy memories so much. It was a lot and I'm grateful for each moment spent. But do you know that feeling when you feel so lonely even when someone is right beside you? I felt that for a very long time. I used to think being alone was already the worst, but it turns out, feeling alone while someone's with you was even worse. It was exhausting. When he said he loved me, I held onto his words. But unlike Juancho, there was no chasing, there were no questions asked when I left him.
For me, Zy was strong enough to end the relationship for them to grow as individuals, even if it meant doing it separately. So, to end this *very* emotional write-up, watching Un/happy For You made me realize that prioritizing yourself and saying, "Ako naman muna" isn't a bad thing. It is not selfish. It hurts to hold on—but it's even worse to lose one's self.
Even though our relationship right now isn't the way I'd hoped—happy, long-lasting, thriving, mature—letting him go was the best decision I could make right now for him and for me.
No one knows what the future holds. What I know right now is it hurts to let go of someone you built your life with, someone you expected to be with you through ups and downs. But sometimes, breakups are needed for us to grow in life.
But after all, I want to believe, people can still change, right? I guess, time will only tell. For now, I hope every Juancho and Zy out there can have their own happy endings in all the ways they can imagine. (BRB, crying FR.)
