Honestly, it’s been over a decade, and we are still talking about Hache and Babi. It’s wild. If you grew up in the 2010s—especially in Spain or Italy—you know that Three Meters Above the Sky (or Tres metros sobre el cielo) wasn’t just a movie. It was a cultural reset for the teen romance genre.
It’s easy to dismiss it now as just another "bad boy meets good girl" trope. But that’s reductive. Federico Moccia, the Italian author who wrote the original novel Tre metri sopra il cielo, tapped into a very specific, visceral kind of adrenaline that most YA stories miss. It’s messy. It’s loud. It’s frequently problematic. And yet, people are still searching for news on a third installment or rewatching it on Netflix every single weekend.
The Mario Casas Effect and the 2010 Phenomenon
When the Spanish adaptation dropped in 2010, directed by Fernando González Molina, nobody predicted it would become the highest-grossing Spanish film of that year. Mario Casas became an overnight icon. He played Hugo "Hache" Olivera with this simmering, borderline violent intensity that defined a generation of cinematic "troubled" leads.
Babi, played by María Valverde, was the perfect foil. The chemistry wasn’t just "acting." The two leads actually dated for years in real life, which only added to the legend of the film. You can’t fake that kind of tension. The movie basically follows Hache, a street racer with a chip on his shoulder, as he drags Babi out of her upper-class comfort zone and into a world of illegal motorcycle races and abandoned factories.
It’s romanticized rebellion.
But look closer. The film deals with some pretty heavy themes: domestic trauma, the grief of losing a best friend (RIP Pollo), and the realization that first love is often a destructive force rather than a stabilizing one. It didn't have a happy ending in the traditional sense. That’s why it stuck. It hurt.
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Why We Keep Coming Back to the "3MSC" Universe
There is a specific nostalgia attached to Three Meters Above the Sky. For many, it represents the peak of European teen cinema before everything became sanitized for global streaming audiences.
Federico Moccia’s books actually have a fascinating history. He couldn’t find a publisher at first. He had to self-publish the original Italian version in 1992. It became a cult hit through word of mouth, with photocopies of the book being passed around schools in Rome. Think about that. Before TikTok or Instagram, this story went viral via photocopiers. That is staying power.
The Sequel: I Want You (Tengo ganas de ti)
The story didn't end with Babi and Hache's breakup. The sequel introduced Gin (Clara Lago), a character who was arguably much better for Hache than Babi ever was. Gin was independent, tough, and didn't require Hache to "save" her in the same way.
The sequel changed the tone. It shifted from "first love obsession" to "how do you move on when you're still haunted by the past?" It’s a more mature film, though it lacks some of the lightning-in-a-bottle energy of the first one. Fans remain divided. Some are Team Babi; others realize Hache and Babi were a train wreck waiting to happen.
The Problematic Side: Viewing the Film in 2026
We have to be real here. If Three Meters Above the Sky were released for the first time today, the discourse would be a nightmare. Hache’s behavior—the kidnapping "prank," the physical aggression, the stalking—is textbook toxic. In 2010, we called it "passionate." In 2026, we call it a red flag.
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However, ignoring the film's impact because of these elements is a mistake. It serves as a time capsule. It reflects a specific era of storytelling where "toxic" and "romantic" were often synonymous in pop culture (looking at you, Twilight and After).
- The Soundtrack: Let's talk about "A raggruppar le stelle." The music in the Spanish version was also top-tier, featuring Alphaville's "Forever Young" in a way that ruined the song for everyone emotionally for at least three years.
- The Locations: Barcelona looks stunning in this film. The hills, the beaches, the nightlife—it made the city a character in its own right.
- The Ending: The final monologue about "never being in that same place again" is genuinely one of the most honest depictions of growing up ever put on film. You can never go back to being three meters above the sky. Once that moment is gone, it’s gone.
Will There Ever Be a Third Movie?
This is the million-euro question. Moccia wrote a third book called Tres veces tú (Three Times You). It’s set years later. Hache and Babi are adults. Life has happened. There have been rumors for years that Mario Casas and María Valverde would reunite to finish the trilogy.
The Netflix series Summertime (an Italian reimagining) tried to capture the same magic, but it felt different. It was brighter, softer, and more "Gen Z." It didn't have the grit. For the hardcore fans, it’s the original Spanish duo or nothing.
Casas has even teased it on social media over the years. He knows that Hache is the role that defined him. Even as he’s moved on to win Goya awards and do gritty thrillers, the shadow of that leather jacket is always there.
Impact on the Romance Genre
The influence of Three Meters Above the Sky is everywhere. You see it in the After franchise, in Through My Window (A través de mi ventana), and basically every "bad boy" Wattpad story that made it to the big screen.
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It set the visual language for modern European romance:
- High-contrast cinematography.
- Emotional, swelling indie-pop or ballad soundtracks.
- A focus on class divide as the primary obstacle.
- An ending that prioritizes emotional "truth" over a "happily ever after."
It’s a formula that works because it leans into the intensity of being seventeen. When you are that age, every argument feels like the end of the world and every kiss feels like it could stop time. This film captured that hyper-reality perfectly.
Navigating the Legacy
If you're looking to dive back into this world or experience it for the first time, don't just stop at the movie. The cultural footprint is deeper than a 120-minute runtime.
Practical Steps for the 3MSC Fan:
- Read the original Moccia novels: The Italian setting in the books offers a different vibe than the Barcelona setting of the Spanish films. The internal monologues give Hache (Step, in the book) much more depth.
- Watch the 2004 Italian film: Before Mario Casas, there was Riccardo Scamarcio. It's a different take—less polished, more "street"—but it's the foundation of the whole craze.
- Listen to the soundtrack: Search for the "3MSC" playlists on Spotify. It’s a masterclass in early 2010s emotional manipulation through music.
- Visit the filming locations: If you’re ever in Barcelona, you can actually visit many of the spots, including the bunkers at El Carmel where some of the most iconic views of the city were filmed.
The reality of Three Meters Above the Sky is that it’s a story about the impossibility of holding onto a moment. It’s about the fact that we change, and the people we love change, and sometimes the most beautiful thing you can do is let go and realize you'll never be that high up again. It’s bittersweet. It’s annoying. It’s basically exactly what being a teenager feels like.
Regardless of whether we get a third movie or not, Hache and Babi are cemented in film history. They represent a specific kind of fever dream that only happens once. You can’t recreate it, and maybe that’s for the best.
Next Steps:
To fully understand the evolution of this story, watch the 2010 film followed by the 2012 sequel Tengo ganas de ti. Pay close attention to the shift in Hache's body language; Mario Casas' performance evolves from raw aggression to a quieter, more burdened form of maturity that serves as a perfect bridge to the final book's themes.