Third World Romance is what it says in the tin– it’s a love story that blooms in the rundown side of the capital of a developing country. The plot is familiar, especially for people familiar with Filipino rom coms, but writer-director Dwein Baltazar approaches this with a grounded approach. With fancy dinner dates substituted with shared packed rice meals and emotional apologies interrupted by their shifts in the grocery, Bree and Alvin carve out a love that still feels passionate, perhaps made even more so, as they navigate a city where they are disenfranchised. Charlie Dizon and Carlo Aquino’s excellent performances keep their characters’ struggles real, but also make their love feel joyful in spite of that.

Plenty of Filipino films depict their characters’ economic struggles, but writer-director Dwein Baltazar does it in a way that feels natural, organic, and not just a detail placed to manufacture drama. Part of it is through her settings. The selection of her locations are impeccable choices. They look, feel, and are actually lived-in places that people in Metro Manila can recognize, as part of the everyday commuting route. Despite the disorganized and makeshift aura these places have, these familiar, rundown places look beautiful through in-location lighting and careful framing. In many ways, Third World Romance’s third world setting is a character in its own right, as Bree and Alvin interact with it, are limited by it, but actively choose to stay in the city. It makes the film feel grounded in a way not many others are, while making the love story even more romantic as they deal with realistic struggles.