The latest in a slew of not-quite-romances by Black Sheep, Between Maybes is a peculiar entry in Jason Laxamana's body of work. Like his 2017 film Fallback, this film also explores a side of show business (though not as deeply) and like his other romantic films such as To Love Some Buddy (2018), the overall tone is light and surprisingly funny in its first third.
At the center of the film are Louie and Hazel (Gerard Anderson and Julia Barretto), who meet each other by chance in Saga, Japan. Hazel is an actress struggling to do something more, and Louie is a Filipino residing in Japan. Their characters are two sides of the same coin: Hazel yearns for independence from her overbearing family, but is only escaping the inevitable truth that other than acting, she can't do much else, and Louie is already independent, but yearns for the parental affection that he has been desperately searching for since his childhood.
An unlikely friendship blossoms, and there is the hint of romance, though it's a romance that feels tentative (this is not a bad thing). Hazel and Louie try to live in the space between what could be - but this feeling is short lived. Reality is always peeking around the corner, and while they help improve each other over the course of their stay, they are aware that this arrangement is fleeting.
There are some weird choices, especially in the first half. Anime-related storytelling devices pop up occasionally in the first third, bringing about a jarring, but temporary, shift in tone. But these same devices are used in the ending of the film to great effect, signifying a hopeful continuation of a not-quite-love story that can't really take off... for now.
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