September 2, 2025
Glenda (Sheila Francisco) was a wealthy widow. However, despite having all the comforts in life, she was disappointed that her son Greg (Luis Alandy) was always very busy at his job. Whenever they were supposed eat out together, he would frequently stand her up because of meetings. Whenever they were supposed to be eating together at home, he would be rather be tinkering his phone than talk to her.
Elena (Ruby Ruiz) had never been well-off financially since she was young. At present, she made a living as a small-time loanshark. Elena brought up her daughter Noemi (Gelli de Belen) as a single mother. Noemi already had her own son Totoy (Dwayne Garcia), but she still ran back to her mother frequently when she fought with her abusive deadbeat partner, and would even get food and cash from her.
Written and directed by Joven Tan, "Outside de Familia" is about the solid friendship between these two senior ladies. Glenda and Elena had been best of friends since high school and up to the present. They may be miles apart in behavioral finesse and financial status, but they spent a lot of time having fun together in coffee shops, restaurants and even cocktail bars. They found their happiness outside their respective families.
Sheila Francisco had her roots in musical theater, most notably as Bloody Mary in a West End revival of "South Pacific" (2002), and Tiya Dely in "Ang Huling El Bimbo" (2018). Ruby Ruiz got her humble beginnings in indie films like "Ekstra" (2013) which snagged her a Best Supporting Actress award at Cinemalaya. Since then, she worked her way up patiently to lead roles, even making her Hollywood debut in "Expats" (2024) with Nicole Kidman.
Francisco and Ruiz convinced us that Glenda and Elena were really bosom buddies. The ebullient happiness of their fun scenes together felt sincere and real. They traded caustic comments and naughty jokes as only true friends could. Emotions reach a peak in that scene where they celebrated Mother's Day together. Their characters may be drunk, but I'm sure there was no dry eye in the theater as they professed their undying loyalty to each other.
I watched this film on a Tuesday afternoon with a theater full of senior citizens enjoying their free movie of the week. I noted that that the audience were reacting to the topics in the this film. It could be about old classmates dying one after the other, or perhaps about having testy relationships with their children. They clapped after Sheila Francisco sang "Kailangan Kita" at the karaoke scene. The grandfather beside me enthusiastically said that all Filipino senior citizens should go watch this film, and I agree wholeheartedly. 7/10
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