ReaderKenka
Let's be realistic.
Rosie Searle
It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.
Zandra
The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.
jedavis-46864
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.
lilopez
Metro Manila is about a family that struggles to survive and the sacrifices that have to be made. Overall I really enjoyed the film. While struggling with poverty, Metro Manila shows how a man and a woman provide for the family, and the kinds of jobs that are available. It is interesting to see how the roles of men and women are a little different in the Philippines, than they are in the United States. In the Philippines, the movie, depicts a woman's role as a homemaker that does not work, or there is little opportunity for work. Unlike in the United States, many women peruse a career/work or takes care of the house and has a full time job.I also enjoyed the ending. I did not expect the ending to be carried out the way it was, but I felt that it did the movie justice. I would not have changed it because the themes of family and sacrifice are tided together in such a way you can not help but feel moved
Pablo
I really enjoyed this movie. The plot was very suspenseful and the acting for the most part was a lot better than I expected considering the movies we saw in the first semester. Being bilingual, I was surprised to find out how similar Filipino/Tagalog was to Spanish. There were a fair amount of instances where I could sort of infer what they were saying without reading the subtitles. I found the main character to be a very likable person. It was also really cool to see how different urban life and people are compared to rural ones. When Oscar moved in from a farm to the city, you could tell he was very different from everyone else. He was generally a nicer, more considerate person. The way he is juxtaposed with his work partner, Ong, really brings out his differences. One case of this is when they just come out of the American's hotel room. Once they get back on the truck, Ong suggests they go back in and steal the money and the cocaine. Oscar naturally refuses and it is almost clear that this idea would ever come across his head. Another thing i really like about Oscar is that he does everything he can for his family, not himself. Like when he doesn't eat the meal that his partner bought for him, he saves it instead to feed his kids. And then obviously at the end of the movie, he actually dies to rescue his family from the slums, protecting their future.
JohnLamberio
I headed into this film with a glowing recommendation off a mate of mine. And it really delivers as story told where the viewer feels the crushingly powerless plight of the family, specifically the Husband. It also has a wider value in the commentary of urbanization of the modern world and the subsistence farmers being forced into leaving their livelihoods and traditions behind. It could double as a documentary!It begins with the rice farming family not being able to make ends meet with their harvest for the season. They are forced to leave their home and find a means of feeding their children due to substantially lower prices being paid for their crop.Upon arriving in Manila, a world away from their accustomed lifestyle, they are fish out of water. The hustle and bustle of city life makes any progress hard for them. Even when it seems progress is being made, corruption and greed stifle it.Both the husband and wife find ways of making money, although the husband is not fond of the wifes choice...he understands from the desperation that no job is too immoral.The films takes a couple of turns until its absolutely grandiose finale. And what an extraordinary end it has. I'm a heart of steel kinda guy, but this? This had me teary eyed and fully empathizing with the characters...Brilliantly done, and I highly recommend it. 9/10
