Leading Pinoy restaurant chain Mang Inasal has recently produced a thought-provoking, bittersweet digital short film that has now been getting rounds online. Helmed by ace director Dan Villegas, the digital film stars versatile actors and onscreen partners Carlo Aquino and Angelica Panganiban, collectively known and made famous for the portmanteau, “CarGel.”

Panganiban and Aquino star as lovers in this recently-released digital short film.

Recently, shippers and ’90s fans of the reel-turned-real life partners have been getting a dose of the return of the pair’s onscreen chemistry with a film released in 2018, Exes Baggage and a television pairing in the series, Playhouse. This beloved onscreen partnership continues as the three-minute digital short, Mang Inasal and its creative agency DDB Philippines captured a very contemporary view on romance and relationships – in a way that only Villegas and “CarGel” can deliver spot on.

Dubbed #SolbAngBuhay, the video ushers viewers to the affectionate relationship between the characters–both are happy and fulfilled by being together and are completely “solb” (fully satisfied) with the life they share.

The first half of the video showcases the engaging chemistry of the couple–playfully washing the dishes, texting sweet messages to each other, and sharing their love for Mang Inasal Chicken Inasal. Their characters express what they think about each other, and how one cannot live without the other.

Screenshot via Mang Inasal YouTube Page

The popular song, “Sana,” of folk artist, I Belong to the Zoo, complements the digital film’s romantic narrative, especially as the couple is shown parting ways, in tears. This is then followed by a montage of the characters doing their favorite things by themselves. The twist at the end lays the truth that the two are no longer together.

But even with a tinge of sadness, the couple still carries on and manages to be happy–on their own.

This is where Mang Inasal gives a self-assuring message that “one can still be happy regardless of one’s relationship status.” In reality, relationships end even between two people who seem to be perfect for each other. And when it does, the important thing is to know that life does not end there. People will eventually be okay, and that it is okay to be single–that it is okay to love yourself.

The closing line goes: “Kahit single, in a relationship, or it’s complicated, solb pa rin ang buhay ‘di ba? (Whether you’re single, in a relationship, or ‘it’s complicated, you can still enjoy life to the fullest).”

“The film feels very real, as everyone does experience heartbreak once in a while. It’s our post-Valentine treat to our customers and CarGel fans, where we want to show the other side of love, where you don’t have to be in a relationship with anybody to be happy. We want to tell everyone that there is such a thing called ‘self-love,’ and this is the most potent of all kinds of love. It inspires one to discover happiness within, against trying to find it in someone else,” shared Mang Inasal Marketing Director Michael Dumaual.

Watch the CarGel #SolbAngBuhay short film on Mang Inasal Philippines here:

https://www.facebook.com/MangInasalPhilippines/videos/399087840895638/

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