If you are expecting a rags-to-riches love story, the latest theatrical offering from ABS-CBN Films' Black Sheep, “Third World Romance”, isn’t for you.
Starring real-life couple Carlo Aquino and Charlie Dizon, the film focuses on the characters Alvin and Bree as they try to make ends meet as supermarket workers while developing their relationship.
It isn’t trying to make a heavy political statement, but it wants to tell us when this film takes place which puts into context the setting. With posters of local politicians placed on walls and T-shirts, and Bree airing her frustrations over how the government handled the COVID-19 pandemic, this clearly occurs during the 2022 post-elections when businesses were slowly opening up again.
There is also a mention of the country’s economy booming post-COVID, a contrast to earlier scenes where Bree is struggling to find a job. It’s these little scenarios emphasizing the time period that makes the story easily identifiable today.
Ideologically, Alvin and Bree think differently despite coming from a working-class background. Bree is an idealist who won’t hesitate to call out unfair workplace practices. Alvin is more of an assimilator who is just grateful to have a job. In the third act, however, these characters have a bit of a switch-up in their mindsets. This puts them into a conflict that will test their relationship.
What sold this pairing is how "Third World Romance" realistically portrays their struggles and how both characters try to help each other despite having few resources. In a way, many viewers can identify themselves with the couple. It helps that the chemistry between Aquino and Dizon was already strong just by seeing them two together.
It’s no surprise that Aquino killed his role as Alvin. He has starred in many romantic films that his face should have been way too familiar for viewers, yet he showed a different facet in this roe. You don’t see an actor trying to play a poor worker, but you see an actual person.
For Dizon, who has won a Metro Manila Film Festival Best Actress award for her outstanding performance in 2020’s “Fangirl”, it’s impressive to see her potential as one of the next big actresses of this generation get stronger. She really sells that authenticity. She is not Dizon here
She is Bree who might be a person you encounter in real life or even had the privilege of calling a friend.
This isn’t necessarily the fault of the film but there is a bit of irony that one focusing on a working-class couple may not find its target audience in the cinema given how ticket prices are getting a bit pricey. Let’s say Alvin and Bree are real people, would they be able to see this in cinemas with their own hard-earned money? Probably not, unless they find a copy of it on a streaming service or somewhere else.
This is not a rags-to-riches story because it would put a disservice not only to the development of the characters, but also to the real people who may identify with their predicaments
"Third World Romance" has a fairy-tale ending but the leads' economic status is status quo in a way that feels realistic and assuring, even if they still have a couple of things to go through together. It’s probably the best to tell this story of a relatable working-class couple. Three and a half stars out of five.