The movie takes place in Manilla - the capital of the Philippines and one of the biggest cities in Far East Asia. Unlike the limited knowledge about the city, as I know it today in 2023, the movie shows the darker side of the city, filled with corruption, injustice, and corporate greed. It felt that around every corner there lays an issue with transparency, scams are present on a corporate level and those with high amounts of social capital are taking control over others - in other words, only those who partake in the system that feeds on previously mentioned corruption, injustice and greed are able to prosper. When thrown into such a hopeless situation, one would surely struggle with his morals, and as we've seen in the movie, even the strong with clear visions of what they want to accomplish, whether it is to take care of their family or find a loved one in a big city, are not safe from becoming victims of the system. What's even more heartbreaking is when you become a victim by becoming one with the system or losing your morals because of the system: as seen by the protagonist of the movie, the system and its cycle of hatred dragged him in and made him a tool that continued the cycle at the end of the movie.
This movie was a bit difficult to watch but not because it's sluggishly slow like one of Kubrick's pieces or not matching my taste at all - this movie was difficult to watch because it encapsulates vividly pleasing imagery with a slow plot that simultaneously makes you feel like you're at a bus stop just waiting for the bus and like you're listening to one of your favorite songs. Yes, a long wait for the bus is the best example I came up with as it is something I have to deal with a few times per week but I learned to appreciate that wait time with music, literature, or a downloaded episode of one of my favorite shows to keep me pre-occupied and the feeling I get during that period of time of enjoying something in quick bursts is the closest thing this movie as a whole makes me feel. Does that translate to this movie being bad? I don't think so, just because I'm used to more condensed cinema and appreciation through a different emotional spectrum, this movie gave me a different medium to experience myself in relation to cinema. This movie was difficult to watch because it's not the kind of thing I'm used to and the personal connotations that come from these kinds of movies are usually negative, so this kind of experience was like a hurricane in my mind that simultaneously attempted to enjoy the movie and tried to remind me why I don't like this kind of cinema. In the end, the part that attempted to make me enjoy the movie won and although some parts felt too slow, I genuinely enjoyed the movie.
This movie was a bit difficult to watch but not because it's sluggishly slow like one of Kubrick's pieces or not matching my taste at all - this movie was difficult to watch because it encapsulates vividly pleasing imagery with a slow plot that simultaneously makes you feel like you're at a bus stop just waiting for the bus and like you're listening to one of your favorite songs. Yes, a long wait for the bus is the best example I came up with as it is something I have to deal with a few times per week but I learned to appreciate that wait time with music, literature, or a downloaded episode of one of my favorite shows to keep me pre-occupied and the feeling I get during that period of time of enjoying something in quick bursts is the closest thing this movie as a whole makes me feel. Does that translate to this movie being bad? I don't think so, just because I'm used to more condensed cinema and appreciation through a different emotional spectrum, this movie gave me a different medium to experience myself in relation to cinema. This movie was difficult to watch because it's not the kind of thing I'm used to and the personal connotations that come from these kinds of movies are usually negative, so this kind of experience was like a hurricane in my mind that simultaneously attempted to enjoy the movie and tried to remind me why I don't like this kind of cinema. In the end, the part that attempted to make me enjoy the movie won and although some parts felt too slow, I genuinely enjoyed the movie.