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Fred Hawson

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17257025442381725702563880.jpeg" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Kira Balinger and LA Santos"/><span class="fr-inner">Kira Balinger and LA Santos</span></span></span></div><p>As college students, Molly (Kira Balinger) and  Macky (LA Santos) met and fell in love at the dinakdakan stall of Manang (Malou Crisologo). Five years later, Macky was already a manager of a restaurant. Molly worked for her rich but lazy cousin Chloe (Jef Gaitan), while her parents (Joey Marquez and Snooky Serna) for her Uncle Vernon (Jong Cuenco). Molly decided that the future for her lay abroad -- in Canada.</p><p>In Toronto, Molly and Macky lived in the house of Rosette (Miss International 2013 Bea Rose Santiago), single mom to Benito (Benito Mique). While Molly took up Management at the Maple Crest International School, Macky accepted menial work as a helper in Wilson&#x27;s Haus of Lechon, a restaurant owned by a Filipino couple. Soon enough, the young couple began to feel the intense pressures of independent living abroad.</p><p>The story is very familiar, the difficulties of living and working abroad for Filipino migrant workers. We have already seen stories about how these workers have to settle for blue-collar work beneath their stature in the Philippines, just to get their foot into the work force of their new country. For this film about Canada, much emphasis was given to the usual requirement specifying &quot;Canadian experience,&quot; not job experience in the homeland.</p><p>Writer-director Benedict Mique also devoted a segment interviewing real Filipino immigrants to Canada to tell their own stories, all of them relating how difficult it was for them at the start. However, I felt he missed an opportunity to inform about pre-departure details. Topics like visa application (what kind of visas did they get?), marriage (did Molly and Macky get married?), and looking for residence (how did they find Rosette?) were not mentioned at all. </p><p>This film portrayed usual problems in such situations like misplaced &quot;utang na loob,&quot; family sacrifices, medical emergencies, unexpected tragedies, racist attacks and workplace temptations. </p><p>However, the attractive and talented lead stars Kira Balinger (her second lead role this year after &quot;Chances Are You and I&quot;) and LA Santos (fresh from his critically-acclaimed portrayal of Maricel Soriano&#x27;s autistic son in &quot;In His Mother&#x27;s Eyes&quot;) gave emotionally rich performances to elevate the melodramatic material. </p><p>This review was originally published in the author&#x27;s blog, “<a href="https://said-fred.blogspot.com/2024/09/sinag-maynila-2024-review-of-maple-leaf.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Fred Said</a>.”</p><div> </div><div><br/></div>

<p>Writer-director Benedict Mique also devoted a segment interviewing real Filipino immigrants to Canada to tell their own stories.</p>

Writer-director Benedict Mique also devoted a segment interviewing real Filipino immigrants to Canada to tell their own stories.

Sinag Maynila review: Kira, LA lift melodramatic ‘Maple Leaf Dreams’

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Sinag Maynila review: Kira, LA lift melodramatic ‘Maple Leaf Dreams’

Fred Hawson

Published Sep 07, 2024 05:50 PM PHT

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Sinag Maynila

Maple Leaf Dreams

Kira Balinger

LA Santos

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