Romantic Filipino Movies

Romantic Filipino movies are usually corny, sappy, with some slapstick added to it. It usually involves some kind of breakup, parental disapproval, societal status differences, or separation due to moving abroad for work or immigration (the last part I know I cannot identify with because I’m sure I didn’t leave anyone behind). Heavy drama interspersed with humor now adapted to modern life is a common formula for the script. Parts of it may be so syrupy sweet that you can pour it on your pancakes. Of course it would be incomplete without an equally sappy soundtrack of Filipino and English songs. I don’t watch it often and I could probably count within the ten fingers of my two hands how many I’ve watched since I moved here in the U.S. That’s because I don’t have cable TV so I don’t get TFC (The Filipino Channel). So it was a surprise that while watching a Filipino movie today, it elicited the same emotional responses that it did when I was growing up in the Philippines. I won’t get into details on what those emotional responses were, damn it! Hahaha! It took me on a sentimental journey where you tend to empathize/sympathize with the characters like only a Filipino could probably feel. If you didn’t grow up watching movies like these, you would probably feel that the characters, script, music, and the movie as a whole is laughable. Most movies made in the Philippines are still rough around the edges in terms of cinematography and transitions from one scene to the next. But I can understand that it’s built for a specialized audience. It has been almost 30 years since I left that country but while watching this movie, I’m finding out that a piece of my heart still remains a Flip.