One of my guilty entertainment pleasures is watching Philippine teleseryes on the IWantTFC app with English subtitles. Some amazing ones I’ve watched include “Wildflower”, “Viral Scandal” and “Nang Ngumiti ang Langit”. There are many others that are quite entertaining as well. Filipino teleseryes are like American miniseries, they are complete stories as opposed to episodic, so you get an opportunity to really immerse yourself in the story. The production quality and performances are excellent. The Philippines still runs a studio system in terms of actors and actresses being under contract to one network, in this case ABS-CBN. Though the studio system fell out of favor in Hollywood, with Philippine entertainment content you can really appreciate the benefit of talent being developed within the context of a company, where actors can move from role to role in persistent development of their craft. Filipinos are some of the best artists you can find in the world. Dolly De Leon, who recently gained critical acclaim for her performance in the Palme d’Or winning “Triangle of Sadness”, emerged from the Philippine acting tradition. The teleserye that has currently captured my interest is “FPJ’s Batang Quiapo”.
“FBJ’s Batang Quiapo” (The Quiapo Kid) tells the tale of Tanggol, a child from the streets of Quiapo, Manila. and his awakening to a destiny he had no idea he was a part of. We experience the rich environment of Quiapo, a rough-and-tumble slum of old Manila, where the Black Nazarene — a mesquite carving of Jesus bearing the cross to the crucifixion — has lent its protection to the masses teeming in poverty about Quiapo’s Church, its sanctuary since it arrived on a Spanish Galleon from Mexico in 1606. We are introduced to a rich cast of heroes and villains — painted in broad strokes — who breathe life into the story, through multiple plotlines, while battling each other and the oppressive persistence of poverty, that drives outcomes and determines fates. “Batang Quiapo” is raw and doesn’t pull punches in pursuit of delivering on its plot. The teleserye is Mario Puzo meets John Steinbeck, with a side of Dirty Harry thrown in. Do you like gunfights? Well, “Batang Quiapo” would earn the NRA seal of approval. This series is nothing if not entertaining, but it also is a story of humanity trying to find a way in frequently the worst of circumstances. Personally, I’m addicted.
I really don’t want to spoil too much of the plot, because it really needs to be experienced firsthand, but if you have time, and want to check it out, you can see the first five episodes for free (with English Subtitles) at IWantTFC.
Aha! Update, I was able to find part 1 (of 3) of the first episode on YouTube with English subtitles, if you want to check it out to see if it interests you. (Trigger warning: There is a sexual assault sequence, that is integral to the entire series, and a lot of tremendous acting grows out of it in parts 2 and 3)
Adding Part 2
Adding Part 3