MNL 143: A love letter to independence

“MNL 143” is a film whose behind-the-scenes story would make a fine screenplay. Famously pulled from the Cinemalaya lineup over casting issues (having been written with the eventual leads in mind), director Emmerson Reyes and his team stuck to their guns, bit the bullet, and went out to make the film they wanted to make. The world premiere at the Edinburgh Film Festival was given an enthusiastic reception and hailed as an undeniable crowd-pleaser.

 

The film opens with looks at everyday life on the busy intersection of Buendia and Taft Ave., with time and care spent establishing the streets and byways through which the film will take place.  It is here that we are introduced to kindhearted FX driver Ramil. 

 

The title of the film notwithstanding, aside from the aforementioned, lovingly-shot opening sequences, there is very little of Manila in the actual film. The snatches of the city that we see after the opening sequence are incidental: this is Ramil’s story, after all, through and through.

 

Ramil is played by the smartly-cast Allan Paule, who successfully conveys to the audience the earnestness of his character; understated, with moments of humor, silently reacting to some of his more outlandish passengers, Paule is the emotional center of the film, appearing in nearly every scene, and it is a role he carries well. Every day for five years, Ramil has plied the Buendia-Fairview route in hopes of encountering Mila, the woman he left behind to make his fortune abroad. Hardly the most efficient way to search for someone – especially in Manila – but it is on the strength of Paule’s performance that we believe Ramil is the kind of guy who would actually try. 

 

The plot is straightforward, proceeding – much like Ramil’s fx – in fits and starts as it moves towards its inevitable conclusion. Sequences that succeed are those where Reyes allows the story to happen, largely through the inspired decision to depict most of the fx scenes via strategically-placed cameras mounted inside the vehicle. Through these locked vantage points, we are given a firsthand glimpse into Ramil’s world, one populated by a never-ending stream of colorful characters. All of them contribute to Ramil’s reality in their own unique ways, and all are familiar to experienced commuters. Highlights include a pious woman (complete with rosary in hand and a religion-laced potty mouth --the one about Satan’s genitalia is a keeper), a pair of student filmmakers (a merciless caricature of pretentious cinema that makes “Babae Sa Septic Tank”’s satirical take look tame), and a trio of gay passengers whose nonstop chatter creates moments of welcome comic relief.

 

Not as successful are the moments meant to specifically propel the plot forward, such as an awkward lunch scene with Ramil and two driver friends, where his older friend seems to have trouble remembering his companions’ names throughout the conversation, while the younger one is outright sitcom-ish in (over)establishing his manhood. Paule is the only one to escape that scene with anything resembling dignity. Also of note is a sequence where Ramil is reduced to tears upon hearing a love song played on the radio. Outright eschewing the subtlety that has driven the film thus far, Reyes goes for unabashed sentimentality; initially moving, it continues far longer than necessary to establish its point. 

 

Thankfully, our introduction to Mila is well-handled; the character played with the right amount of righteous indignation and wounded pride by Joy Viado, many years removed from the idealized image in the battered photo Ramil keeps with him. Unlike Ramil, who has spent years working towards building his savings and subsequently searching for her, Mila has moved on with her life, having long ago decided not to live in the past. There is no overt display of emotion or swelling score when the two reunite; from the second the two recognize each other, to the moment the characters converse, it is with the awkward grace of former sparring partners being forced to relearn the other’s moves. Paule and Viado are more than up to the task, playing off each other with the implied weight of years of unspoken conversations. 

 

The ending, as it often is in films of this type, is ambiguous, with the fate of the star-crossed lovers left up to the audience’s imagination.

 

As a film, “MNL 143” left this reviewer somewhat wanting, but it certainly has enough charm, wit and genuine laughs in its good parts to make up for the ones that don’t. Of greater significance is the cinematic milestone that Reyes has created here: as a statement of artistic drive and passion, “MNL 143” is an unqualified triumph. While the film may have its shortcomings, the mere fact that it exists in completed form stands as a bold testament to the power of independent filmmaking in the Philippines, and that is something that Reyes, his team, and anyone who ever wanted to make a movie in this country can rightfully be proud of.  

 

— TJD, GMA News  

Photos courtesy of Emmerson Reyes