Metro Manila (2013)

I would say Metro Manila absolutely deserves the many rewards it got. From this film, I had a different perspective on life in Philippine. I like this movie because it is really close to real life and the real world. Family, money, and crime are the main themes in this film, and I can easily find them in the United States also. However, I do not know much about slums in any country; therefore, this film introduced the life of people living in slums for me. In addition, the role of laws and police in Metro Manila seems to be different than what I have learned in my life. I though the police and laws can regulate people well in everywhere, but it seems to be different in Philippine. If I was in this situation, standing in the main characters' shoes, I believe I would not be as brave as them.

I liked the parts of the film that show the raw imagery and graphic content of the evil and good of humans throughout the whole world. Moreover, like the scene of the woman just looking down at her phone and a second later she is being kidnapped within 50 feet away of the Ramirez family and disappearing within seconds. The definite elements of the film that indicate that the film is not American is that the film is filmed with a more realistic and unedited camera with a raw kind of vivid imagery in which HD is not needed and it makes you feel emotionally and intact in the film, as if you were there first hand experiencing it and walking throughout the whole movie with the characters themselves. Another indicator of it not being an American film is that there was n o flashiness or capitalistic kind of aspect to the film, no flashy cars, no mansions, no perfectly cut grass etc. The only part of the film that I did not understand was the clocking out of the armored truck drivers for each other and if there were any precautions for them potentially getting in trouble with their boss "laughing Buddha". What elements in the film indicate that the film is not American? The Global perspective elements that i saw in this film, was that status and social class still played a big factor and role in a urban city like Metro Manila. Ong, Oscar's partner, says to Oscar that if the boss were to know that Oscar is living in the slums, he would be fired immediately. If I were to put myself into Mai's shoes i would have not taken my children to a bar or club, because the dangers of kidnapping and or human trafficking of her children would have been very high in an Urban city and she did not have an eye on them for any time. Consequently, I would not change the ending at all to be honest because i think it is a perfect fit for the movie.I believe that the USA could be relevant to the culture that Sean Ellis portrays Metro manila because since the the birth of America everyone comes to America for the American dream and some people don't find work in America and become unemployed or in a financial disaster in which leads to poverty. Hence, in Metro Manila, Oscar Ramirez and his family give up living in the Banaue Province because of the possibility of starvation and poverty and move to Metro manila in order to escape that and find a new opportunity with their new hopes, but just like many immigrants who came to America with hope of escaping famine, wars, and or poverty, the Ramirez family find themselves living in poverty anyways and housing in the slums. The role of women in this film is portrayed in a sexual and demeaning kind of way in which you see in the the opening scene of the entrance of Metro Manila city with a woman on a billboard that is about half the size of a skyscraper, half nude. This shows that the value of women is second hand to men and they are not treated with the amount of respect that a man of her equal would be treated. They are also not held to the code of conduct such as men, for example, the bar manager "Charlie", tells Mai (Oscar Ramirez's wife) that she is not earning enough money in the bar and that her nine year old daughter will have to start working too. There was no respect or humane value shown in Charlie's morale.

I liked the film Metro Manila. It showed the power struggle of being desperate for money. Money is needed for many things. For example, Oscar and his wife, Mai, needed it for health care, food, housing, and providing for their family. These are some very significant things that are important for survival. Throughout this film, it showed Oscar being tested to his limits to provide and protect his family. It showed how far a man can go for his family. Corruption was also a big part of this movie. This was shown through the people living in the city and the city itself. It shows the amount of poverty in the Philippines and the struggle it can be to find jobs. The characters played their roles very well. It was like we were watching a documentary more than a movie because you could connect with the characters through their struggles.

Metro Manila was, out of the foreign films that I've watched, a solid favorite of mine. The plot is rather interesting, as it follows the story of Oscar, a rice farmer; Mai, his wife; and their two daughters who move from Banaue Province to Metro Manila in search of a better life. However, upon moving, they realize that the city, which is crawling with crime and corruption, is much worse than they thought. Oscar is offered a job, and the family is offered shelter in a low-income apartment building; however, his job is incredibly dangerous and requires him to put his life on the line, and they find out they were swindled as the police evict the family for swatting. This situation and many others contributed to a feeling of always being on the edge of your seat, and normally, I don't really enjoy action movies, but I loved this movie. I would give it 4 out of 5 stars.