Imagine yourself in this scenario: you are at a fancy restaurant wearing your finest little black dress. Your date looks equally dashing in a crisp button-down shirt. Finally, your order arrives. The food looks divine—truffle oil roast salmon and smoked sirloin steak—and like an impulse, you reach for your phone to take a photo for Instagram. Without you knowing it, you’ve become much more preoccupied with your phone rather than the person sitting right across from you.
This is a sad reality in relationships in the modern age, and that’s why director Jun Robles Lana wanted to create a film that explores the concept of “digital disconnect.” In his latest movie, Ang Babaeng Allergic sa WiFi, the award-winning filmmaker tackles how technological innovations have impacted, as well as shaped our social interactions through the character of Norma, who is played by actress Sue Ramirez.
Norma is a typical teenager dependent on Wi-Fi in her daily interactions with friends and her boyfriend Leo (Markus Peterson). As the story progresses, Norma develops a condition called electromagnetic hypersensitivity and is compelled to live with her grandmother (Boots Anson Roa) in a faraway province so she will not be exposed to any radio waves that can worsen her condition. There, she makes friends with Leo’s brother, Aries (Jameson Blake). Not to give out much, but Norma’s journey through self-discovery during her adventures with Aries suggests a complicated yet exciting which-brother-gets-the-girl love triangle.
At the recent press conference for Ang Babaeng Allergic sa WiFi in Quezon City, Ramirez said the movie is special in a way that it looks back to the time of old-school type of romance: “Ngayon kasi parang ang dali-dali na lang makipag-connect sa tao: mag-Facetime lang kayo or Skype, OK na. Pero sa pelikula kasi na ’to, malayo si Norma pero nage-effort ’yung mga taong nagmamahal sa kanya para lang makita siya.”
The actress admitted that she prefers traditional courtship because it establishes a more personal and more meaningful connection with the other person.
Lana noted that millennials are unfamiliar with this “effort” concept, and that most of them can’t relate with the physical effort of writing love letters to someone distant and the thrill of waiting for weeks or even months to get a reply. “There’s something very special and romantic about it, and only few people still do this,” said Lana.
Blake, on the other hand, said that he would like to go through the getting-to-know-each-other stage. “I see a lot of people who rush into [relationships] and then the outcome also ends as quickly,” the 21-year-old actor said.
He also added that Wi-Fi is not necessary when it comes to connecting with others. “I mean if I could focus on the real world, be more in the moment, socialize more, and be more with nature, I think I can do that—live life without Wi-Fi.”
“This is Jun’s passion project. He told me that he wanted to do a rom-com that has a social commentary but in a light and entertaining way,” explained Lana’s partner, Perci Intalan. The movie was funded when the production made the three-minute trailer that went viral some time last year. According to Intalan, they initially planned to pitch the story to Hong Kong-based markets. However, a friend of his introduced him to Cignal Entertainment and that is how they found a coproducer.
Ang Babaeng Allergic sa WiFi is one of the eight full-length films featured in Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino (PPP) 2018 which received a Grade A from the Cinema Evaluation Board. It had its premiered on August 15 and is presented by The IdeaFirst Co., Cignal Entertainment and OctoberTrain. It is still playing in theaters nationwide.
The film is one of the most talked-about entries in the PPP because of how it is widely relatable to audiences, even gen X-ers who lived through the pre-Internet era who now flock social-media sites. With that in mind, remember to put down your phone on your next date with your significant other.