Summary
For the hopeless romantics, Netflix’s My Amanda will be appealing as it explores the space in between the possibilities. For the more cynical, the film will frustrate.
This review of the Netflix film My Amanda does not contain spoilers.
One of the striking messages that shines through My Amanda is this idea that being in love does not mean having those feelings leads to physical attachments. Love can be complicated, existing over years of friendship, but somehow remaining platonic. This romance film presents two best friends (Amanda and TJ) who are flagrantly made for each other, yet for whatever reason, it’s never led to the path of a relationship.
The Netflix film follows their friendship as they bond with each other at different stages of their adult lives. They chill with ease, they flirt, and continuously find time for each other. My Amanda cleverly has both characters acting differently; Amanda shows love for her best friend using actions and words, while TJ shows fewer signs, and uses humor to get through moments of “what if?” However, TJ narrates the film, and he describes his love for Amanda throughout.
The performances from both lead actors (Alessandra de Rossi and Piolo Pascual) are brilliant; they truly convince the audience that their characters are two bubbling best friends that are moments away from securing a future. As the audience, it’s difficult to not feel frustrated. You desperately want both characters to “find a way”.
But despite the performances, it is a middling story. There’s nothing entirely groundbreaking in its approach apart from the case study centering it. My Amanda is a fond reminder of our inability to not see what’s in front of us. I’ve certainly been in a situation myself where I had a platonic friendship with someone who I had madly fallen in love with, only to learn she was in love with me as well at the wrong time. Life has a funny old way of presenting situations to people, and My Amanda is a reminder of that.
For the hopeless romantics, Netflix’s My Amanda will be appealing as it explores the space in between the possibilities. For the more cynical, the film will frustrate. Either way, it’s worth the watch for performances and the dialogue that it brings.
