Love & loneliness in Dubai

Milan must be the most comprehensive movie about the plight of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW). With this Olivia Lamasan film tackling all the problems of our contract workers abroad, there really is nothing left for other movies with this kind of theme to say.

But Star Cinema, which also produced Milan, still bravely forged on with Dubai and came up with a film with the same subject matter – OFWs.

The team behind this project, however, wisely turns Dubai into a melodrama and succeeds in its intention.

Directed by Rory Quintos, Dubai is about two orphaned brothers played in the story by Aga Muhlach and John Lloyd Cruz. To get them out of grinding poverty, Aga goes to Dubai as an OFW and John Lloyd follows after nine years. The brothers renew their closeness in Dubai, but principles in life and a girl – Claudine Barretto (also playing an OFW) – come between them and these cause a lot friction in their lives.

Dubai works well as a melodrama because all the ingredients are there: the hard life, the loneliness and homesickness and a love triangle. The only factor missing there is a villain. In this case, the villain is the circumstance they get trapped in – the misfortune of falling in love with the same woman.

The drama in Dubai perhaps also becomes more effective because the conflict is between two grown men and it is really more touching to see men cry than women who are allowed by conventions to do that freely. And then it also helps that the dramatic moments between the two brothers (and even with Claudine) are well-tempered.

Of course, like in all Rory Quintos movies, the characters have to be overly bubbly and could never talk in hushed down voices (except for Michael de Mesa as the gay adviser who – in sharp contrast – speaks in monotone).

In the opening scene, for instance, I don’t understand why Aga is made to act hopelessly effervescent – like he had too much coffee that morning – when he is just talking on the phone. Fortunately, Aga is a fine actor (had always been good) and is able to get away with it. But then, there is still the blaring music that gets in the way – like it was put there to make sure the audience is awake all throughout the film.

Actually, Rory doesn’t need to resort to those wake-up tactics because she has enough interesting scenes in this film to keep the audience glued to the screen. I like, for example, that entire episode where Claudine no longer acts surprised that she had been acting as friend and tourist guide to Aga’s brother, John Lloyd (they meet by chance).

And then, Rory also has vibrant enough actors who shine on screen with their fine performances. In the case of Aga, well, he is Aga Muhlach and he just breezes through his scenes (whether dramatic or light) effortlessly. You can also tell in this movie that he is really a good actor because he is able to differentiate his character from the one he played in Sana Maulit Muli, which somehow is similar to the role he portrays here in Dubai. (In both Sana Maulit Muli and Dubai, he plays a migrant forced to do backbreaking work abroad.)

But too bad for Claudine, although she still delivers an inspired performance in this film, Dubai is really the story of the two brothers. She is therefore unable to match her memorable and award-winning dramatic moments in Milan. Here in Dubai, she is only asked to give so much and in all fairness to her, she gives it with all her heart. I’m therefore still giving her performance in this film a thumbs-up.

I’m a little bit disappointed with John Lloyd in Dubai, because I expected so much from this young actor after having been so impressed with him last year in Lauren Dyogi’s Now That I Have You. No, he doesn’t really give a bad performance here in Dubai. In fact, it is to his credit that he doesn’t allow himself to be eaten up alive by a veteran in the field like Aga Muhlach in their many confrontational scenes. The only problem with John Lloyd is that he has become so self-conscious as a performer. The good thing about this is that this flaw can easily be corrected because the basic acting talent is already there – in him. All that is needed is a little fine-tuning and he should be on his way to becoming one of cinema’s great leading men.

A joy to watch is comedienne Pokwang, who plays Claudine’s housemate. In the Sandara Park-Hero Angeles movie Bcuz of U last year, she was so funny in all her scenes and here in Dubai, she delivers some of the best lines to the delight of the audience.

Moviegoers, I’m sure, will have a relaxing time watching Dubai because – in spite of the dramatic moments involving the lead characters – the OFW issues tackled here are not as heavy as those presented in Milan. Every so often, the viewers will also find pleasure seeing all those tourists’ attractions in Dubai.

The OFW problems, of course, are not forgotten. The plight of the overseas contract workers is also presented, but in monologue form that – frankly – was a bit too long.

But I guess the situation of our OFWs should be hammered into the head of every Filipino – especially those among us who have made milking cows out of those poor contract workers abroad. And I’m glad that even if there was already a Milan, Star Cinema still made Dubai as another tribute to our beloved OFWs, our true heroes in these trying times.