Bar Boys 2017

A quartet of friends—Christian, Erik Vivencio, Joshua Zuniga, and Torran Garcia—are legal management graduates who spend their evenings in an internet café playing League of Legends and later learn the results of their law school entrance examination. Of the four, only Erik Vivencio, Christian, and Torran pass; Joshua, not on the list, reveals that he never truly wanted to be a lawyer and instead dreams of modeling, explaining that his pursuit of law was largely to satisfy his parents.

The families react in different ways. Torran, from a middle-class background, invites neighbors to celebrate in a show of support and to help elevate the family name. Erik’s father, a retired cop now working as a security guard, hopes the law degree will lift them out of poverty, while his mother worries about tuition costs. Christian, from a wealthy family, could attend an Ivy League university abroad, but chooses to study law in the Philippines to stay close to his girlfriend, a decision his Filipino-American father does not know about.

The trio begins their law school journey and meets a young gay lawyer who teaches them the value of being precise in their answers, Atty. Victor Cruz. Torran begins a relationship with a popular, intelligent classmate and is invited to join an elite law school fraternity after an altercation with a rival member. He faces a moral dilemma when he witnesses fraternity abuse and must choose between reporting it or protecting his status. Meanwhile, Erik’s father suffers a stroke, forcing Erik to balance his studies with work and caregiving for his family.

After years of study, they reach their senior year. One challenging class is taught by the strict Deputy Dean, the retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Hernandez, who emphasizes the seriousness of studying law and shares a pro bono case involving land titles and generations of farmers oppressed for decades. Months before graduation, Hernandez reveals that the dean had asked her to choose between a curve and a cut-off for grading. She explains that she chose the curve, but warns that more students would be at risk of failing. She gives Christian the option to keep his perfect grade or lower it to help his classmates, including Erik, who could fail the class. This sparks an argument among the trio as Christian risks losing his honors title to help Erik. Torran and Christian, each in their own way, press Hernandez to show mercy. Moved by their persistence, she relents and selects a cut-off over the curve, allowing Erik to pass and qualify for graduation.

During the bar exams, Christian finds the test easy, while Torran struggles with labor law. Erik, grieving his father’s death, is uncertain about his answers. When the results arrive, Torran pretends to fail to tease his family, only to reveal that he passed, bringing them joy. It’s then revealed that Erik had failed, while Christian emerges as a top bar exam performer. Joshua reconnects with the trio when he sees Erik teasing Torran; Christian offers Erik a portion of Joshua’s income as an actor, but he declines, choosing to tell Joshua to keep the money as a condolence.

Erik later meets Hernandez to express his condolences. She supports his decision about potentially not retaking the bar, but encourages him to try again, acknowledging the influence of Christian and Torran in convincing her to believe in him. Years later, Joshua becomes a successful celebrity, while it is revealed that Erik ranks ninth in his second bar exam retake. Christian calls Joshua, who is preparing for a TV series, before heading to the courthouse library where he reunites with Torran and Erik. Torran and Christian reveal that they coached Erik for his bar exam retake, and the trio heads to the courtroom for their session as Erik and Torran represent two opposing parties.