Bittersweet expatriation
A straight-laced story narrated without pretensions, the Tagalog movie, Dubai, highlights the trials and tribulations and joys and dreams of the expatriate Filipino community in the Gulf
Self-imposed expatriation — especially when made to chase your dreams and source your livelihood — has the same resonance in every human heart. That is the core of Dubai, a Tagalog movie with English subtitles, which made its international premiere in Dubai.
If for a fault, the film succumbed to the accepted stereotypes that one associates with the Filipino community, there was no denying the togetherness it fostered at the local theatre which screened the film. Huge crowds turned in for the special shows, and their reaction to the film was spontaneous, often bathed in unbridled joy. Stars were greeted with thunderous claps, evocative moments with dense silence, jovial takes with roaring laughter and the more intimate scenes with catcalls.
Directed by veteran Rory Quintos, the film accomplishes what many Bollywood productions, which use Dubai as a base for shooting, have seldom tried. Dubai’s thematic core, narrative flow and character sketches are thoroughly ingrained in Dubai, the city. There is no taking out the city from the film or the film from the city — as is possible with virtually every Indian film made in Dubai.
Interestingly, while the film looks at capturing the landmarks of the city, it doesn’t stoop to the level of tourist documentaries either. Through most of its length, Dubai has the right props at the right places. There are a few notable exaggerations though: The relatively luxuriously lifestyle of the film’s protagonists, for one.
Essentially, Dubai is a feel-good film. It is also about the bonding of two brothers. And unlike the peripheral, cosmetic characters that women play in many Southeast Asian films, Dubai’s heroine, Faye (Claudine Barretto) lives through a terrible existential dilemma. She isn’t aware why she is in Dubai, on the first place, and whom or what she is running away from.
Her association with the two male leads — Aga Muhlach and John Lloyd Cruz (described as the next Aga Muhlach) — is constructed convincingly despite the hiccups you expect in a love triangle that involves two brothers.
Orphaned in childhood, Raffy (Aga) and Andrew (John) are in Dubai to accomplish their longtime dream of migrating to Canada. Little does Andrew know when he joins his brother how much the elder’s dreams have shifted, focused now on living the good life in Dubai.
Andrew is offended by the flirtatious and ever-so-helpful-to-strangers attitude of Raffy. And to boot, he hasn’t saved enough to make their move to Canada. The youngster feels that Raffy has trampled on his dreams.
An accidental meeting with Faye, who loves Raffy so dearly but yet can’t get a commitment from him, changes Andrew’s life. They have an intense affair, which puts all the three in a spot. The dilemma has no easy solutions: Raffy must help Andrew realise his dreams and also convince him of his affection; Faye must choose between the father of her child, and the man she truly loves, “the brother of her child’s father.”
While the story might appear wafer-thin, to the credit of script-writers Ricky Lee and Shaira Salvador, the narrative is commendably convincing. The emotional bonding between the two brothers as well as their affections for Faye are brilliantly etched.
But what stays on to you, much after the viewing, are passing observations peppered in the script, often made by supporting characters. Cookie (Pokwang, a former Abu Dhabi resident), Faye's friend, is one who leaves an impression, if not always for the right reasons. Despite being faced by one personal crisis after another, she sums up her philosophy in one line: “Life is beautiful and so are we.”
That effortless take on life characterises the joviality of the Filipino community, which is well captured by the film. The film also pegs on the “dream factor,” the one motivation that propels anyone to leave their homeland. It also celebrates the strong community bonding of Filipinos, and the dignity of labour they uphold. “Wherever you put him, he (a Filipino) is the best,” as Raffy puts it.
Aga Muhlach flits from one emotional moment to another effortlessly. The boyish charm of John Lloyd Cruz is a perfect foil to the serious, introspective self of Aga. Between them, Claudine holds well as a loveable, self-respecting Faye.
If Dubai fails to become a quasi-classic of its time, it is due to its rather contrived ending. The emotional quotient that the film painstakingly built is toppled by a series of clichéd coincidences — the truth about his brother being overheard by Andrew, the accident that eventually brings the two brothers together…
But there are many inspiring moments in the film: Raffy’s speech at his friend’s wedding, notwithstanding its extempore tone, drives home some hard facts: How the expatriates slog in a foreign land to send “electronic appliances” for those back home. And he concludes it on a touching note: “We are here for whom we love.”
That, as bottom lines go, crystallises the pains and joys of expatriates — be they Filipinos or Indians.
