Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.5

Metro Manila Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 19, 2014

Winner of Best British Independent Film and Best Director Awards at the British Independent Film Awards, Sean Ellis' "Metro Manila" (2013) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Chocolate Frog Films/Independent Film Company. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film and standard making of featurette with comments from cast and crew members. In Tagalog, with imposed English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

In a new place

The film begins in Banaue Province, Philippines, where poor farmer Oscar Ramirez (Jake Macapagal, At the Touch of a Butterfly) and his wife, Mai (Althea Vega), decide to move to Metro Manila. They hope to find work there and begin a new life.

Soon after Oscar, Mai and their two children arrive in the overcrowded city they discover that life there can be even harsher than in the countryside. The family then loses all of their savings after a scammer introduces them to a ‘friendly landlord’ who allows them to lease one of his vacant apartments, which turns out to be public property used by the local authorities for low-income residents. Without money for food and a place to live, Oscar and his family end up in the dangerous slums of Metro Manila.

Eventually, Oscar lucks out and gets a job as a truck driver for an armored truck company. The pay is decent but the job is one of the riskiest in Metro Manila. Oscar also becomes good friends with his partner Ong (John Arcilla, The Bourne Legacy), who teaches him how to enjoy what the city has to offer and encourages him to take advantage of opportunities that could make his life easier. When one such opportunity presents itself, Oscar is faced with a difficult dilemma.

Meanwhile, Oscar’s wife lands a job in a busy nightclub, where she is asked to entertain horny bachelors and encourage them to drink as much as possible. To keep her job, Mai must sell at least twenty drinks per night.

The structure and atmosphere of Sean Elis’ film Metro Manila are similar to those of Alejandro González Inarritu’s Oscar winning film Babel. For example, the narrative is broken into multiple episodes which frequently follow the progression of seemingly random events that affect the lives of the main protagonist in different ways. Some of the events are later on rearranged and new flashbacks are used to fill new gaps that effectively redirect the film.

A sense of danger is always present but the film remains oddly relaxed. There are sequences in which people are suddenly shot and killed, but the executions are observed with a relaxed attitude which suggests that in Metro Manila they are a fact of daily life. Also, there are different exchanges that are incredibly disturbing -- such as the one where Mai’s new boss informs her that she has clients who would be interested in her daughter -- but are treated as if they are entirely normal. All of this makes the film fascinating to behold but at the same time deeply unsettling.

Ellis’ camera movement and use of light are impressive. The film frequently has the rawness of a standard documentary, but there are unique close-ups of faces, objects and buildings as well as unedited night lights and shadows that make long sequences look unusually elegant.

The film is complimented by a truly spectacular atmospheric score courtesy of Robin Foster. The closing song, "Life and Death", performed by Foster, Dave Pen and Emiliana Torrini, is sensational.

In 2013, Metro Manila was selected to represent the United Kingdom in the foreign language category of the 86th Academy Awards.

Director Ellis has already sold the remake rights to Metro Manila to Twentieth Century Fox.

Metro Manila Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Sean Ellis' Metro Manila arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Chocolate Frog Films/Independent Film Company.

Shot with a Canon 5D digital camera, Metro Manila has the appropriate clean and smooth look. Generally speaking, image depth is very pleasing, but there are areas of the film where minor fluctuations exist. For example, some of the nighttime panoramic shots appear slightly softer and with toned down contrast levels, but these are clearly source limitations (see screencapture #13). Close-ups typically look excellent even when light is restricted. Colors are soft but stable, always looking natural. Compression and encoding are very good, but there are two sequences where some extremely light artifacts are visible. Nevertheless, when projected the film looks wonderful. Lastly, there are no stability issues to report in this review. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

Metro Manila Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: Tagalog DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Tagalog LPCM 2.0. For the record, Chocolate Frog Films/Independent Film Company have provided imposed English (very light yellow) subtitles for the main feature. (The subtitles cannot be turned off from the main menu or via the remote control).

There is an obvious gap in quality between the two lossless tracks. The 5.1 track has a wider range of nuanced dynamics and makes it easier to identify various random sounds and noises. The 5.1 track also serves better the film's terrific ambient soundtrack. The dialog is very crisp and clean, though due to the manner in which the film was shot -- the camera frequently moves in overcrowded areas -- some minor dynamic fluctuations exist when street noise and chatter become prominent. The English translation is excellent.

Metro Manila Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original trailer for Metro Manila. Music only. (2 min).

• Behind the Scenes Featurette - executive producer Celine Lopez, producer Mathilde Charpentier, co-writer Frank E. Flowers, explain how Metro Manila came to exist and discuss its production history. Actors JM Rodriguez, Jake Macapagal, John Arcilla, and Althea Vega also discuss the characters their play in the film and what it was like to work with director Sean Ellis. In English, not subtitled. (27 min).

Metro Manila Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Sean Ellis' Metro Manila is an unsettling yet deeply poetic film about an honest man determined to help his family survive in a place where life seems incredibly cheap. It is tremendously well directed and performed and it is complimented by a spectacular soundtrack that makes it truly impossible to forget. Kudos to Chocolate Frog Films/Independent Film Company for bringing Metro Manila to Blu-ray. Experiencing the film on any other format would have been a major disappointment. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.