Starring real life couple Charlie Dizon and Carlo Aquino, “Third World Romance” is a film that actually focuses more on the first two words of the title, in a rather refreshing approach that moves quite away from the done-to-death romantic comedy recipe and has recently found its way to Netflix.
The initial scenes of Britney and Alvin meeting in the midst of a crowd lining up for pandemic relief and the latter chasing the van essentially to swindle as much food as possible to bring to the table she shares with her debt-ridden mother, both introduces the two main protagonists and sets the tone for the rest of the movie. Alvin takes a liking to Britney, and is set on helping her get on her feet, soon even finding her a job in the supermarket where he works as a bagger. Unfortunately for them, his boss is a conniving miser while the issues Britney faces with her mother keep piling up, eventually bringing a strain in her relationship with Alvin, even after his family offers to help her financially.
Although the ‘will-they-won't they' part and the finale are not exactly unprecedented, Balt”Woazar includes a number of elements in his movie that truly make it stand out. From the way the poor survive in the country, essentially having to cheat their way in the outskirts of the system, to the concept of the ‘no permanent address' people, to the way individuals like the manager exploit people's need to gain for themselves, the director presents a rather bleak but also realistic perspective of life in the Philippines, with the title echoing quite intense in that regard. The strain parents occasionally put on their children is also highlighted through Britney's story, although Baltazar also takes care of showing the other side through Alvin's one. Furthermore, through the latter, he also makes a comment about the LGBT life within families, in one of the most pleasant aspects of the whole film, that also promotes how understanding in cases like this can actually lead to happiness.
The questions through the aforementioned are also quite interesting, with Baltazar actually giving answers to all of them. Can love bloom in such a setting, can youths survive the system and their parents' mistakes, is ambition a necessity for happiness in this day and age, and even more specifically for the movie, does Britney actually love Alvin or does she simply exploit his love? At the same time, it is also worth noting that the director makes a point of not accusing directly any individual in the film, as even the ‘villain' is eventually portrayed as a victim of his circumstances, in one of the most satisfying scenes in the movie, that also promotes the value of speaking up, even if in a somewhat romanticized version.
The production values of the movie are also on a very high level. Kara Moreno's cinematography captures the various, ‘poor' settings the movie takes place in with realism, although the coloring (and the cheerfulness of the protagonists) does not allow the story to fall into melodramatic paths. Furthermore, some images, as in the case of the ones within Alvin's house and the ones where the two stand on the roof are quite impressive to watch. Marya Ignacio's editing results in a relatively fast pace that suits the overall aesthetics of the movie, although the ending could have been a bit tighter.
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Carlo Aquino as Alvin and Charlie Dizon as Britney exhibit a wonderful chemistry throughout the movie, while the role reversal that takes place close to the end is also quite appealing to watch, particularly due to the latter's performance. Ana Abad-Santos as Britney's mother is also a pleasure to watch, particularly in the moments she is scared and when she is drunk. Archi Adamos as the ‘villain' is quite convincing, with the aforementioned scene being the highlight of his performance.
“Third World Romance” is a very interesting movie that manages to make its comments realistically, not through the family/social (melo) drama but through the romantic comedy, in an approach that is as entertaining as it is reinvigorating for the genre.
