Review: Metro Manila

You may not have heard of Metro Manila - I went to the Little in Bath which shows 'under the radar' films such as this. I say under the radar - it did recently win an Audience Award for World Cinema at the Sundance Film Festival, so it has been recognised within the industry, and I could definitely see why it has been awarded this accolade.

Directed and written by Sean Ellis, an Oscar nominee himself, and starring Jake Macapagal, Althea Vega, and John Arcilla, Metro Manila is the story (given in native Filipino and subtitled) of Oscar and Mai Ramirez (played by Macapagal and Vega respectively) and their two daughters. They are farmers who can no longer afford to work in the paddy fields of the Philippines and so decide to up sticks and move to Manila in search of work.

Having never been myself I cannot really judge whether or not the representation of it is right or wrong, however Ellis' view is stereotypically bustling and portrayed as a hectic and confusing buzz. The hazy sweeping views of Manila at dusk with car headlights and brakelights are clichéd but do add to the rich texture of the imagery. While we are on the subject of cinematography I personally would like some of the close ups to be a little less tight (so a wider angle with the face taking up less of the screen) but hey, I'm kooky like that.

The main criticism I would have is that the story is slightly predictable. When the twist comes and a certain character shows their true colours, it is more a confirmation of what we suspected than a sudden upheaval of everything we once knew. So the story itself is nothing special. The way that story is told though is well crafted. We see from the point of view of Oscar (and to a lesser extent Mai - perhaps her story could have been better developed) this new world that has been thrust upon them all and we see how they try to cope with it.

Macapagal gives a very strong performance in the lead, portraying the honest soul of Oscar. He shows us the sense of desperation that his character holds for his family's wellbeing, yet also portrays well the character's sense of right and wrong. For me Vega's Mai is a bit bland, a bit vanilla rather than Manila (come on, you knew I was going to make some kind of pun with that) and I'd like to see her more passionate about their situation. John Arcilla is brilliant as Oscar's best friend and colleague Ong, becoming the central pillar around which the film is built.

So, a good film overall! Not spectacular, but a compelling story and a few cloudy eyed moments. Seek it out if you can - you may need to try local independent cinemas in your area, but hey, that's no bad thing now is it! Until next time.