Third World Romance Heartfelt Realities

In a world where love, struggle, and perseverance are overly romanticized, Third World Romance wraps you with its endearing love story and a backdrop of everyday, blue collar, Filipino culture and lives without attempting to romanticized it. Don’t worry, you do not need to have a PhD in culture studies to enjoy this film or even understand tagalog. You can really watch it as is with subtitle.Directed by Dwein Ruedas Baltaazar with the cast of Carlo Aquino playing as Alvin who grew up in a modern family setting and works as a “bagger” at a supermarket & Charlie Dizon as Britney or Bree , a mid 20 something who tries to find a job so that she could bring her mom back home to the Philippine. This romantic, drama film is also attempting to carry some messages but one that I would highlight is “pinakaimportante, pinakasimple pero mahirap, ‘yong maging masaya”which means, “𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙪𝙡𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙮.

While at first I was not convinced because of the first scene where both of them coincidentally meet each other during rain and I had no idea what was going on. However, after putting it off a few days, I eventually brace myself watching it. Compared to Thai film, I know little about the Philippine film industry other than they like remaking K-dramas and over the top drama. This one proved otherwise and serves as a gateway for me to check out more films made by Filipino directors.

The movie tells the story of Britney or Bree (Charlie Dizon) and Alvin (Carlo aquino) who first stumbled upon each other during a queue of government aid. They both ended up stealing the package because Bree thinks that everyone deserves it as they all pay taxes through either buying from a mall or eating at jollibee. It is set briefly post-pandemic and tells a struggle not only between Bree and Alvin but also the people around them. Bree’s mother worked overseas but since Covid, she lost her job and it is her ultimate goal to bring her back home instead of being stuck overseas. While the employment opening remains low, the meeting with Alvin opens up an opportunity. Alvin who currently works as a bagger,someone who bags groceries at the supermarket eventually helped Bree get a job at the supermarket. As their relationship grew closer, there was conflict looming between them that could challenge their relationship.

There is a certain vibe of this film that makes it like 100 days of Summer except, it was in a reversed role and with a completely different ending. Just like in 100 days of summer where a simple thing was romantic, this film features similar scenes where everyday life can be romantic and meaningful. Despite not having a lot of money,Alvin goes out his way to have a dinner date with Bree in front of samgyup place. The catch? Alvin brings his lunch boxes and sits with Bree in front of the all-you-can-eat grill.

The screen writing is what I love the most about the film as well as the actors that makes it natural when delivering the lines. The chemistry between the two as well as the modern family setting was quite the highlight of this film. The struggles of the characters were quite relatable even as a foreign audience watching the movie. This perhaps what makes it stand out,a relatable story that is not so out-of-touch with reality of everyday life and especially in a post-covid society.

While the backdrop is Filipino culture, as a foreign audience the movie feels universally relatable. They also added a modern family dynamic into it without feeling like it was forced and it adds an interesting element into it. The romance was there but it was not cheesy-kind of romance, it was the same feeling that could be evoked through watching Begin Again which was starred by Keira Knightely. If you are a fan of that movie, this film is also for you.

As I don’t have much knowledge of the culture itself but from my interaction with Filipino, this film has the essence of the positive aspects of it. From tight-knit family, helping each other, and the willingness to fight their daily struggle and life challenges, it was all there.More importantly, It was the spirit of Bree, played by Carlie Dizon, a 25 something who was outspoken and portraying a typical zillennial that was captivating. While a character such as Alvin played by Charlie Aquino is too good to be true, one can only hope such an MPD(manic pixie dream) boy would really exist. Perhaps, I might not understand many nuances such as waiting for a jeepney and getting into it during rush hours, or prayer at the supermarket at 7 AM. Regardless of those, it was an interesting film peeking into regular Filipino life. Still, I can really relate to one scene when Bree was eating instant noodles silently weeping. What makes it quite funny is that his neighbor was singing karaoke in the background.

I personally have not watched many Filipino series and films but from netflix and viu that I ever checked out, usually romance would be a very typical or almost similar K-drama plot. Some even remake from it but this one, is an experience itself and extremely recommended. I don’t understand why it’s rated 5 out of 10. I know it’s not a superhero or blockbuster movie but despite different cultures and languages, the meaning can be received universally and it is pretty relatable for regular people’s lives.