'Bar Boys: After School' is a powerful story about second chances

This article contains spoilers for “Bar Boys” and “Bar Boys: After School.”

The 2017 film “Bar Boys” inspired many to become lawyers. It’s a story about the law school experience: taking the entrance exam, doing recitations, joining a fraternity, navigating grades, preparing for the bar, and anxiously waiting for the results.

In its sequel, “Bar Boys: After School,” director Kip Oebanda shapes a more universally relatable story about second chances – and what it takes to make them happen.

The obvious thread to follow is the story of Josh Zuñiga (Kean Cipriano), who failed the law school entrance exam in the first film and pretended that law was not really what he wanted to do. In the second film, he is finally in law school, gracing the same halls that his friends did a decade ago.

But Josh is not simply following an old dream. He is rebuilding a life after showbiz, after he ended up in rehabilitation for drug use. He’s now on his fourth year in law, but his past still rears its ugly head sometimes: fans recognize him, but also mock him for being no longer famous.

Josh belongs in the night class with fellow irregulars: Arvin Asuncion (Will Ashley), Trisha Perez (Sassa Gurl), and CJ David (Therese Malvar). His friend, Torran Garcia (Rocco Nacino), becomes his teacher when Justice Hernandez (Odette Khan), their former professor, suddenly disappears without notice.

Josh has a strong support system with his old friends, the original Bar Boys. But they, too, are facing their own problems. Chris Carlsen (Enzo Pineda) just got divorced from Rachel (who was his girlfriend in the first film) and came home for a one-year leave. He is struggling to come into terms with their separation and being away from their three children.

Like in the first film, Torran has a great family life. His wife, Jasmine (Glaiza De Castro), is a singer-songwriter and they have a son. But he is becoming more dissatisfied with his work at a law firm, serving client interests instead of remaining faithful to the law.

Meanwhile, Erik Vicencio (Carlo Aquino) is getting drowned by the thankless task of defending farmers, workers, and other people who could barely afford legal fees. He takes on one of the cases of the still-missing Justice Hernandez and ends up almost getting shot. Instead, his client, the labor leader Bok (Benedix Ramos), dies. Throughout the film, he is haunted by the loss.

The heart of “Bar Boys: After School,” however, is Arvin, the working student dealt with bad cards all his life.

Will makes a strong case for Metro Manila Film Festival Best Supporting Actor for his performance as Arvin. Every time he appears on screen, he communicates the chronic exhaustion of someone chasing dreams while desperately trying to survive.

In the first “Bar Boys” film, Erik took the bar after his father died. He failed, but the sting of his failure was soothed right away by the revelation of what Torran and Chris did so he could pass Justice Hernandez’s class and graduate. At the end of the film, it was revealed that he passed on his second take. But with Arvin, it’s different.

Arvin, too, fails the bar, and it is gut-wrenching. The film lets us sit with him during the aftermath: watching his friends celebrate, breaking down at work, phone calls with his family. He almost gives up on trying again, but it takes a community coming together for one of their own to give him the opportunity for another shot. When he eventually passes, it’s a well-earned elation for the audience after crying over him for the better part of an hour.

Another crucial difference compared to the original film is the bigger space given to female voices. Justice Hernandez, when they finally locate her, becomes the voice of wisdom they desperately need as they face their individual struggles. Glaiza as Jasmine is a powerful reminder of a woman who did not lose her identity to marriage. Trisha and CJ are clear-eyed women who decided to pursue law not for its own sake, but for something bigger than themselves. Mae Perez (Klarisse de Guzman) opens her home to support not just her sister Trisha, but also Arvin and the rest of their study group.

In the end, “Bar Boys: After School” is a film that expands the world from the inner workings of law school to the place of law in society. The Bar Boys (and Girls) are no longer law students but not just lawyers: they are husbands, fathers, mentors, breadwinners, pioneers, justice seekers. It’s no longer just about friendship, but community. Whether in court or in life, they win some and they lose some, they succeed and they fail, and then, they try again. — LA, GMA Integrated News