ANG BABAENG ALLERGIC SA WI-FI (2018) Review
Directed by Jun Robles Lana
Writer and director Jun Robles Lana gives bestselling novelist Nicholas Sparks a good run for his money in his latest passion project Ang Babaeng Allergic sa Wi-Fi.
The film sees Norma (Ramirez) as your typical teenage girl in a relationship with one of the popular guys in school, Leo (Paterson). But everything changes when Norma finds out she’s hypersensitve to electromagnetic waves or in layman’s term, allergic to wi-fi. While her boyfriend Leo is busy with school works, Norma has to leave the city and stay with her grandmother who lives in an area far from electromagnetic signals. Leo’s brother Aries (Blake) who has secret feelings for Norma, catches the responsibilities of his brother as Norma’s boyfriend and takes care of her. The two began to get close to each other more and more each day which makes their friendship more and more complicated as well.
There have been numerous unrequited love stories told but lately, only a few tried to offer more than just “kilig” and relatable characters. Ang Babaeng Allergic sa Wi-Fi goes back to the basics of the real essence of friendship, or of how a good friendship builds a better foundation of love. That’s the reason why the film actually works not just as a tale of young love, it builds its story on the friendship of Norma and Aries and the people around them which makes everything look and feel more natural and not forced.
Director Jun Robles Lana made sure the film is also colorful and easy on the eyes to express the youthful glow of the story and the characters. It’s fun, sweet and heartwarming – Ang Babaeng Allergic sa Wi-Fi is the perfect romance film for millennials. It’s entertaining and its themes can affect all ages.
The film wants us to enjoy the little things around us and enjoy the company of people that are there for us. We tend to be distracted from all the technology present today but human actions that are done willingly are the sincerest form of caring and sometimes, loving. And we have to look beneath the surface to know who truly cares for us before it’s too late.
4 OUT OF 5 STARS
“Ang Babaeng Allergic sa Wi-Fi” opens in cinemas August 15, 2018 from The IdeaFirst Company, OctoberTrain Films and Cignal Entertainment. An official entry to the Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino 2018. Rated PG by the MTRCB.