Dalla mia finestra: Al di là del mare

If you like films such as After, and Culpa Mia (My Fault) or the first film for this sequel you will love this! I understand it's not for those who don't love the intense romances as it does belong to a very specific genre of fairly simple and repeated plots that many have grown to love.

This is the first film from this 'watt pad' conversion genre that has put me through an emotional rollercoaster in such a way, whilst being unpredictable and far more realistic than most. Even with all these additional factors it maintained romantic, thrilling and of course, entertaining.

So if you loved the first film, I highly recommend the sequel. Cannot wait for the next one to come out!

I absolutely loved Through my Window (A través de mi ventana), so I was super excited to watch the second film based on the book series by Ariana Godoy. I knew it would be a little problematic in that part of what made the first film so good was the great hate to love romance. Here in book/film #2 the couple is together just separated by distance, with Ares studying medicine at a school in Stockholm and Raquel studying literature at home in Barcelona. The conflict came in the form of Ares being adrift, questioning why he is studying medicine at all and really just missing Raquel. Raquel is also spending far too much time on her phone with Ares, but she does have an opportunity to send her manuscript to a publisher. (I really liked that it ended up being Yoshi's legacy.) Ares comes home for a break and whisks Raquel off for a seaside get reacquainted vacation...but his two brothers (Apollo and Artemis) end up crashing the vacation with their various friends.

I didn't enjoy this film nearly as much as the first film...it suffered from the midst of the story as it ends not where fans will want it to end...feeling undone, or as the narrator says broken. I did enjoy some of the sun, sand and sex that I would want in a summer film, but personally I can't wait for the third and final film. Is this a recommendation...yes, I still love the characters of Raquel and Ares and as a romantic, I still find myself rooting for them. I also think you need to see this in order to watch the third film. I wouldn't recommend this as a stand alone film however, you definitely need the context of the first film...even though that could be watched as a stand alone film. I find myself upset with Artemis and wanting to beat him with my shoe, and I am actually feeling sorry for Apollo as he seems to be a good kid...Raquel's friend Daniella probably needs to be hit a few times with a shoe for the way she treats him.

The writers of the sequel did a great job in terms of pushing the story of Raquel and Ares forward and focused on dramatic character development. The great thing about this movie is that the sequel is not a replica/repeat of the first movie. It grows beyond the first one, moving out of teenage puppy love into adulthood

The first movie is a teen rom-com while the second movie expands into what it means to be a grown-up, the weight of your actions and dire consequences of making wrong decisions as an adult. The movie deals with growth post the couple's "honeymoon phase" where things are no longer rosy. With adulthood comes struggles, growth for each of the characters and the lessons they learn from their mistakes

The best part of the sequel is the storyline of Ares. He is the one who endures the most change, faces struggles and holds the most responsibility. He is no longer the alpha male in his protected high school environment but ventures out to the next phase in his life where stakes are higher. The movie ends with a renewed dedication to his cause (saving lives) and determination to make a difference. We also see his love for Raquel deepening in the second movie. He truly loves her in a mature manner. He is no longer a teenager but is transitioning to a mature intelligent responsible alpha adult. The actor Julio Peña who plays Ares did a greath job in this sequel showing Ares struggles and eventual maturity

I also love the movie pace. The challenges and problems are built in an ascending crescendo with each problem in Raquel and Ares relationship piling up on top of the previous, culminating in a disastrous event

This sequel is well-thought out in terms of characters, relationships and dramatic development, significantly much better than the sequels of other sagas (which are largely repetition of their first movie)

If you thought it couldn't get worse than the first movie, you're in for a ride. This sequel tries to justify its existence with a lot of forced conflict, but it just comes across as uninteresting and downright pointless. The dialogue is, once again, awfully written and conversations throughout almost every scene feel extremely unnatural. A lot of the scenes are just very awkward and some are even slightly creepy. The movie tries way too hard to be erotic and that's where I'm lost on the presumed demographic for this movie. It's way too childish, even for teenagers, but it's also very sexual. However it may be, it is just, objectively, very poorly executed.

Through my window - a Spanish romantic teen drama based on a book with the same title, hit Netflix like a storm last year, as another Kissing Booth wanna be. Now it tries to flare up the flame by bringing a sequel.

The story continues where it was left by Ares studying in Stockholm while Raquel stayed behind with all their friends and family. It is a big adjustment for both of them. Can their relationship survive the test?

I must say that the beautiful beaches of Costa Brava made me feel like I was too on a holiday, and the drama between the friends gave just enough entertainment to keep on watching. But do they must force these makeshift problems and hilarious intimate scenes on the viewers?

The story line doesn't feel realistic and by the end of the movie it stretches too far into trying to be serious and dramatic with a tragic ending.

I must say I liked the first movie better, because it didn't want to be anything else than it is, while the second one was just trying too hard.

Fans will be happy to know that a third part of the trilogy Through My Window: Looking at You should arrive in 2024.