I don’t really watch local films however, I was intrigued when a Japanese friend told me about this.

I gave it a try and I did not regret spending my dawn on this movie that was greatly done.

The story of Metro Manila revolves around the Rodriquez family. Seeking for a better future, Oscar Ramirez and his family decides to escape their impoverished lives in the Banaue province and risk their lives hoping for the best.

Manila wasn’t easy—things were too expensive and they were jobless hence being forced to live in the slums. They had to find a way to feed their children or they’ll crash to the traps of poverty. Fortunately, Oscar was able to get a job but that is just the start of the story.

Metro Manila was a great film. When you talk about cinematography and timing, these two elements were present making the film visually good. You could see the chaotic manila—traffic, pollution, homeless people, busy streets… everything. You would even notice that even the minor things, the things most would not pay attention to, were showed in the film making it very detailed.

The way the film was made was very poetic—Oscar doing narrations at certain scenes; the way flashbacks and imaginations were visualized, it was just beautiful. There was beauty in such chaos.

Metro Manila’s story is very real. Most of us do not know what is going on in the lives of random people we pass by but yes, things like those might have been happening to that street vendor, to the kid running on the street… it’s just so real which makes the story great. It is a lot better than the love stories we see on the cinemas… a whole lot better than other Filipino films.

You will love the twist of the film’s near end and I am not telling you. You have to watch it yourself.

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