Of lost dreams and angst-ridden characters in "˜Third World Happy'

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EJ Salcedo’s Cinema One Originals 2010 film “Third World Happy” has more to offer than the presence of mainstream movie and TV heartthrob Sam Milby.

While “Third World Happy” drives home the point that not all Filipinos that try their luck abroad end up being successful, it also shows how these Pinoys, as the common Filipino notion goes, just go on and put on a “happy” facade to cope with their disappointments.

Here, Milby veers away from his usual “pa-pogi” rom-com roles and plays Wesley, or Wes, a struggling Filipino expat painter based in New York City. Wes flew to the States armed with a Fulbright scholarship that would allow him to pursue his lifelong dream of becoming a painter.

Though the prospect seems very promising, Wes left Manila with a heavy heart because his parents died in car crash just days before he was scheduled to leave. Aside from that, he was leaving behind his family and barkada, and also had to break up with his longtime sweetheart Aylyn (Jodi Sta. Maria) apparently without giving her a proper explanation on why he’s doing it.

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Via Manila Bulletin Publishing Corporation