REVIEW | MNL 143 (2012)

The controversial indie MNL143, disqualified from Cinemalaya this year due to casting issues, has successfully seen light on its own; supported and fought for by art crusaders, and has now been showing locally and internationally, and even world premiered at the 66th Edinburgh Film Festival.

Emerson Reyes' film tells the story of lovelorn FX taxi driver Ramil (Alan Paule) who is driving around Manila in search of his lost love, Mila. The film captures the ordinary daily life of an FX driver, and we watch all sorts of passengers go in and out of his taxi.

The premise of the film is that we sympathize with the protagonist Ramil; his pain and loss, and his hopes of finding Mila before he returns abroad for work.  Will he ever see Mila again? That is Ramil's agony, our agony as audience. And while we suffer from Ramil's perspective, we find entertainment, humor, stress, and even learn life lessons from a plethora of passengers in his FX. 

However, in this film, I felt detached from Ramil and his drama and I was instead drawn to the passengers of the FX, the strangers that come and go, mainly because the shots were impressively realistic, like there's a hidden camera and you're not seeing actors but real passengers instead. You feel like a voyeur, with that delicious feeling that you can openly stare at people in public. There are one or two passengers who deliver their lines self-consciously, that obvious "acting" vibe, and would engage Ramil in conversations with some off dialogue and unnatural conversational responses. But most actors come off as real, and it helps that you're seeing fresh faces in a Pinoy film.

Although the passengers, speaking or non-speaking, are absorbing to watch because of their individuality, there is no story to them, of course. You just see various faces, personalities based on looks and language, and some tiny insight into their home life. Watching them onscreen is no different from your people-watching in public-- you only see the surface.  But the problem here is Ramil. You forget about him completely. Ramil lacks the personality and onscreen presence. The colorful passengers overpower him. He is probably the most boring protagonist in a movie that I have ever seen.

When Ramil finally sees Mila (Joy Viado) and they are left alone  in the FX, reunited after years and years of zero communication, there is no emotional chaos felt, even in silence. This is the moment that we've all been waiting for, where emotions should have been released like a tidal wave, openly or subtly, through the dynamics between Ramil and Mila, but this is the most boring part of the movie. Viado resonates with pain, confusion, and bitterness, but Paule is shockingly blah and his reaction is surprisingly unnatural, which triggers the question whether it's how the character is written or is it Paule's lack of acting abilities, and which results in an extremely anticlimactic feeling. 

Nevertheless, MNL 143 has an independent cinematic merit to it and can hold your attention until the end. The premise is clever, creative, and  fun, and it's delicious to see our daily commutes and observations on the big screen. Whether you're professional, a film student, a petty thief, or a mother, we are all trying to get through each day in the metropolis. It's generally fun to watch the FX passengers and the people in the street as if they're not being filmed, and there were funny moments indeed, but MNL 143 is merely that-- a picture of what we ordinarily witness in our daily grind in our beloved Manila. It does not offer anything deeper or different. If you missed the movie, you can just take an FX ride right now and experience the same thing.

Also starring Ramon Bautista and Gardo Versoza.

2.5 out of 5 stars