Under Parallel Skies held its red carpet premiere last night, April 16, at SM Megamall. From 28 Squared Studios, the cross-country film features Thai star Win Metawin and Kapamilya singer-actress Janella Salvador in the lead roles.

The movie is about Parin (played by Win) who travels from Thailand to Hong Kong to look for his mother who has abandoned their family without any clear reason. He’s seemingly distracted by alcohol though as he ends up dead drunk every night. This leaves hotel receptionist Iris (played by Janella) with the task of basically becoming a babysitter/mother figure who makes sure he’s tucked in bed at night and gets fed.

One thing about the movie, it’s best to watch it in cinemas in the company of fans. The cheering, shrieking, and sudden professions of love and adoration directed at the actors punctuating many scenes make watching the movie more fun and the enthusiasm is contagious. When PUSH asked about Win’s reaction to the audience screams each time his face flashed onscreen, he could only say, “I love it, I love it.”

With a relatively small cast, the setting of Hong Kong itself serves as a great “character” with the busy metro emphasizing the frenetic first part of the movie when Parin arrives in Hong Kong and the harried Iris is forced to babysit him through his drunken spells.

The laid-back island of Peng Chau frames the other half of the movie at a more relaxed pace as the main characters try to find their footing while pursuing their dreams and a relationship. The movie gives a glimpse of a side of Hong Kong that is rarely seen by tourists, far away from bustling crowds.

The story is told in four languages—Thai, Filipino, Cantonese, and English—which by itself is certainly ambitious. Since the story is a mix of cultures, it works with each giving a scene the right nuances to deliver the lines with humor or emotion.

The inner dialogue delivered in Thai was a great touch as it revealed the inner workings of Parin’s mind as he struggles with his feelings of abandonment and an unexpected growing attraction.

At first, it might seem that the movie is an acting piece just for Win. Plenty of close-up shots (not that anyone was complaining) while he displays a range of emotions catches your full attention, making you carefully watch as he goes through an inner turmoil that bubbles up and soon breaks the surface. With many heartrending encounters, one would easily think Under Parallel Skies is an acting vehicle just for Win.

But then Janella delivers some tearjerking scenes, showing subtle signs of heartbreak and an inner conflict that she struggles to keep down. She proves her worth switching from perky to introspective. She really comes into her own as an actress.

Under Parallel Skies would not have worked with any other actors. Win has the skill to take on his first English-language role while putting forth the right emotions his character needs. Janella has the right level of maturity to play Iris, an OFW who deals with being overworked and admittedly lonely in a place miles away from home.

The use of lighting seems to have also helped push the story along as well with one character bathed in light while the other is more in the shadows. Even the way their solo shots are framed—with Parin always at the center and Iris more to the left or the right—seem to foreshadow what is to come.

All these elements come together to make Under Parallel Skies an enjoyable film to watch. Just be ready to get into kilig mode when you see this Win Metawin-Janella Salvador starrer.