the review on philippines news channel abs-cbn found reviewer andrew paredes "gratified" that in the movies, "lgbtq people feel less and less apologetic about existing". he appreciated the way lee manages to include worlds inside worlds in this apparently limited setting of small-town school, but also found some of the character development hard to swallow. matthew escosia, in his review of the philippines premiere of "billie and emma", liked the sweetness with which the central characters' developing relationship was treated, and found the film charismatic; he did not like the resolution for one of the characters. preview magazine listed five reasons to see billie and emma, among them that the film is more than an lgbt coming-of-age story, but also deals with other teenage issues such as unwanted pregnancy and personal agency; the reviewer found the film lighthearted, and lauded it for casting lesbian actors in the lesbian roles.