Sid & Aya: Not a Love Story

Irene Emma Villamor's 2018 Filipino film follows Sid, who suffers from insomnia. Spending his nights outside, he meets Aya and offers to pay her to keep him company through his waking hours. Neither of them quite says what the arrangement is. The title works as a warning. The narrative follows the shapes of romantic comedy but does not hide the class difference; Aya's reason for agreeing is economic rather than emotional, and the film does not forget that until the end. Anne Curtis and Dingdong Dantes lead. Manila at night and the empty hours build the atmosphere. Villamor keeps the pace low; there is more talk than event. Who it's for: those who like Filipino romantic drama. Who it's not for: viewers expecting a conventional happy ending; the film deliberately withholds it.