Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino 2018 | Ang Babaeng Allergic sa Wi-fi is a winsome, if a bit conventional, romantic comedy

Aries (Jameson Blake) is smitten with his classmate Norma  (Sue Ramirez.) This would be a good thing, but there's a catch: Norma is already taken... by Aries' own jock brother Leo (Markus Paterson.) And there's more: one day Norma finds out that she is allergic to electromagnetic radiation, the kind that's literally everywhere. As she escapes to her grandmother's house in the province, both Aries and Leo vie for her feelings.

Ang Babaeng Allergic sa Wi-fi is nothing like its trailer suggests it is. It's not exactly a comedy, but a drama about the interconnected relationships  between Aries, Leo and Norma. It tries to say something about how people communicate with each other, the pros and cons of social media and its role in preserving memories. In fact, the externalization of memory (whether through letters, a recorded message on tape, or on a social media forum) plays a huge role in this film.

The film makes a case for our tendency to keep precious memories, given the capricious nature of fate. But while these forms of communication can bring comfort to those hurting, it can also bring pain and heartbreak. The characters feel the most pain when true feelings are not shared, so the film also tells us to be true to ourselves.

The film does have its share of faults. The film addresses social media bullying when one of Norma's former friends, Margaux (Adrianna So) begins to spread falsehoods at school when Norma is at her grandmother's recuperating. Unfortunately, the fallout from these events isn't delved into too deeply, and the actions of our protagonists in retaliation are quickly swept under the rug for the sake of the main plot.

Despite all this, the plot, while being very conventional in structure, ends up having a nice moment near the end that elicited some tears, thanks to some nice performances by the entire cast. Ang Babaeng Allergic sa Wi-fi, while flawed, ended up being a completely different beast than what I was prepared for. Regardless, it's charming enough that the end experience is relatively rewarding.