4 Things We Learned from Watching UPSTREAM’s A Girl and A Guy

At first glance, it’s easy to mistake A Girl and A Guy as a typical coming-of-age romance film sprinkled with a few risque scenes for good measure. But digging deeper into UPSTREAM’s first original film in partnership with GMovies, important stories about relationships, career, growing up, and navigating life in the middle of a pandemic were also told. Young people (and even those young at heart) can take away plenty of realizations and insights about themselves and their relationships from the film and here are just four of them:

Live at your own pace

As Raf said, “Life is not a race, but a maze.” Oftentimes, the discontent that most people feel about their lives is a result of comparing themselves to others. Just like Fiona, most of us tend to base our success with what our peers have achieved and then feel like we’re not doing enough when we realize we are not at par with what they have.

This kind of mindset is counterproductive and will only lead to insecurities you never knew you had. Instead of dwelling on other’s lives, know who you really are and remind yourself that each one of us has our own pace and timing in life – you just have to continue working hard and growing to be one step closer to your goals.

Make mistakes (and learn from them)

Young people are afraid to make mistakes due to fear of disappointing their parents and worse, themselves. However, we often forget that mistakes usually happen when one chooses to grow and go beyond their comfort zone by meeting new people, pursuing their hearts’ desires, and embracing change. So make mistakes, but remember to always learn from them and use these experiences to build a better you.

Online friends can be for keeps

In the era of social media and dating apps, meeting new people has become as easy as clicking “send” or swiping right. With the pandemic limiting us from interacting with our friends, these platforms have made it convenient to make new ones virtually.

This leads people to think that relationships and friendships formed online are just fleeting and will not withstand time and distance. While that may be true for some cases, there are also many internet friendships that transcends IRL (in real life), so don’t be afraid to make friends online. Just like in any relationship, communication is always the key for lasting connections.

You are what you love, not who loves you

Being young and falling in love is a beautiful thing, but heartbreaks can also be equally messy, especially in this generation. A Girl and A Guy reminds its viewers how their failed relationships do not define them in any way as a lover, and more importantly, as a person. No matter how many exes you have (or lack thereof), it shouldn’t say anything about how you should be viewed by others and how you view yourself.

Society has the tendency to dictate young people how and who to love based on its norms and standards. This film tells us to F with it and love whichever way and whoever person you want to.