Ordinaryong Pamilya [Review of Pamilya Ordinaryo]

Pamilya Ordinaryo is a film that tried to be edgy and rough at its presentation of the everyday realities that many Filipinos endure and encounter. Though I have to give props to the acting of the Leads and the Production Design of the film, for me it falls flat and fails to achieve that "edginess" it wanted. It felt melodramatic and at some point artificial due to loose script writing, confusing cinematography and sometimes bad directorial decisions. It's not a bad film, but it's not an excellent one either.

In its attempt to give the film "authenticity" by having crass and vulgar dialogue, it ended up feeling artificial rather than organic. "Pilit" minsan ang mura at ang mga interaksyon ng mga indibidwal sa Pelikula na ito. The characters became caricatures, or stereotypes of how we perceive certain people in society, and this kind of execution is dangerous because it treads on a fine line between exposing the realities of the poor masses and exploiting their social conditions to the point of prejudice and premature judgement.

One thing that I liked about the film though is how it presented the complications of the relationships of these individuals, that despite their "stereotypical" portrayal of street children, there is still a hint of authenticity and organic emotional attachment being developed among them. I particularly liked the scenes of Jane and Aries, they were amazing leads and their chemistry just pushes me to watch the film whenever I feel tired or lost within its cinematic blunders. My favorite and most memorable scene was when Jane was forcing Aries to take a picture with just the recently stolen phone. It was because of these intimate moments between them that made the film worth to take a look at more closely.

The Production Design of the Film is also something to take note of, it is amazing how the Designer blended all of its various and sometimes competing elements to make one, wholistic, cohesive and quite messy palette. The make-up and the various set designs placed within the film just made it feel more real despite some of its flaws.

In summary the film by itself is truly a marvel to behold. It depends upon the person on what kind of marvel that is. While I do not completely like this film, I still believe that it is far better compared to the usual films that we encounter. It has its good merits and I can see, at a certain extent, why it won in Cinemalaya and various awards. The ambition and spirit of the film is good, but the execution could've been better. I applaud its attempt to escape the genre of "poverty porn" (yes I saw that attempt) and avoid resorting to the usual cliches, but in the end it's just another dirty film on the streets recreating the "supposed" life of millions of our Filipino brethren. Whether it has achieved its goal, I would leave that question up to you, your tastes and your sensibilities.

For me...honestly? It could've been better. Though I applaud the effort.

Rating: 3.5/7