A Faraway Land (2021) Poster

User Reviews

Review this title
27 Reviews
Sort by:
Filter by Rating:
5/10
A Somewhat Realistic Love Story That Almost Works
spasek20 August 2021
Warning: Spoilers
How often do people go through life believing that the grass is always greener somewhere else? And very often, we find that a new place only brings about new pros and cons.

As someone who's lived and worked in six countries, I know this truth only too well. Places always have new and interesting things that you find appealing, and things that you miss. This is even true of the country you come from. In short, it's a no-win scenario...so long as you continue to believe that there is something better over the next hill, instead of learning to simply appreciate where you are.

Majhoy is a young Filipino woman who has moved to the Faroe Islands. She is married, has a young daughter, and works two jobs, including an Asian Restaurant/Food Truck. It turns out that there are a number of Filipino women living there...mostly for economic convenience. "Love? What is that?!" one of them jokes.

Nico is a young man who is a producer of documentary films. He visits the Faroe Islands to find out more about why so many Filipino women move and live there. It doesn't take long before he focuses solely on Majhoy. It takes even less time to realize that they have feelings for each other.

Majhoy's husband is a significantly older man. And despite his slight brusque demeanor, it's obvious that he loves his wife. He doesn't mistreat or abuse her.

It becomes obvious that Nico will do anything to take Majhoy back to the Phillippines; ignoring Majhoy's marriage or even the welfare of Lena, Majhoy's daughter. He can only see his own wants and needs. He naively believes that it is that simple to swoop in, disrespect a living situation, and make off with Majhoy.

Unfortunately, Majhoy makes the mistake of capitulating and even giving Nico some sense of hope that his dreams will be fulfilled. It isn't until Majhoy's husband returns from his fishing trip that she realizes that all-in-all, she has a husband who loves and cares for her. Both characters behave selfishly and disrespectfully which makes them unsympathetic and easily unlikeable.

In the end, the one person you feel the most sorry for is Sigmund (Majhoy's husband). The writers try to make you feel sorry for Nico and Majhoy but their selfish, underhanded lack of respect for anyone else makes that difficult. Why? Because it is impossible to be happy while hurting others. It just doesn't work. One's true happiness never comes at the expense of anyone else.

The movie if beautifully filmed in the Faroe Islands. The islands, indeed, look like something out of a fairy tale. I wouldn't be surprised if tourism gets a boost after people see this film. I certainly would like to visit!

The performances are also very good from the entire cast. But if you're going into this film, hoping for a romantic, uplifting love story, you won't find it here. In many ways, the story is too real for that. A big reason that the story doesn't fail is because the writers stayed true to the situation and the characters rather than "give in" to make a "happily ever after" ending. Much like the Faroe Islands themselves, the film leaves you cold and desolate, but true given the reality of the situation.
3 out of 8 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
5/10
Life Far, Far Away
albertval-6956023 August 2021
It's a familiar story set in an unfamiliar locale. The scenery is spectacular which is reminiscent of Batanes Islands. Alas, one can't say the same about the story. It lacks freshness as the theme, which looks into the life of Filipino workers abroad, has been tackled in earlier films like Dubai or Milan.

The actors try to breathe life into their roles but there's not much to inspire or to surprise the viewer. This is not say that they lack conviction because they are at ease with each other which helps in portraying their roles credibly.

It helps that the film introduces the viewer to bits and pieces of life in the Faroes like surprising delicacies such as fermented meat or garnatalg which is "fat from cheese and animal intestines" or the Faroese approach to child rearing or that "calamansi" is rare in those islands where only potatoes, turnip and rhubarb are grown. Or that there are Filipino ladies who're working there and are married to local men.

The film is not a travelogue but the viewer is tempted to see it more as one rather than a serious film.
0 out of 0 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
4/10
My eyes hurt
olympicdesena29 October 2022
It's just frustrating how this movie existed, it's just suggesting that cheating is ok, as long as your partner is foreigner? And how can Mahjoy even consider leaving her husband? 6 days and you already think you love a person, i don't know the only thing that's good from this movie is the location. Nasa kama ka na bababa ka pa sa sahig. She didn't love him, she just love the thought that Nico was paying attention to her and making her feel.special that she didn't feel from her husband, which is also a trait of thhe people from that island, maybe not affectionate but they will let you know they love you.
0 out of 0 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
1/10
WASTE OF TIME
kendrasanchez-175195 September 2021
The only thing that's good in this movie is the location.
10 out of 10 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
1/10
A farawar sucks
jsmnrose23 August 2021
Warning: Spoilers
-the movie promotes itself as love, romance but promotes adultery and pictures a love that started from sex? Lol what a joke.

-can't even feel the connection between the artists.
9 out of 9 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
1/10
The epitome of, "cuckolding."
financiallystableperson6 September 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Watching this with my family was the worst mistake I could've done. As most people say cheating is never okay. The movie tries to lure you with beautiful scenery but ends up being a mess in the process. The only thing that backs up this movie is "scenery." Story and acting is terrible and the plot just makes you disgusted and depressed. Absolutely no. Don't watch this movie. It left me feeling uncomfortable and traumatized. The worst mistake of all is thinking this would be a wholesome love story between two people. The movie overall ruins the reputation of Filipinos and ruins my sense of pride. Of course not everyone is like this, but just showcasing towards a public audience just gives out a negative response.
5 out of 5 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
6/10
Typical but realistic
annemillicentsalazar14 October 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Movie touches on realistic issues faced by many ofw. Not every marriage is love unfortunately there is making the best of being practical duty and survival. Once love strikes, what do you chose? She did cheat because the feelings between them were guenuine (still wrong), but because she loves her child, her life in Faroes and knows her husband is a good loving man (she loves him but is not in love with him) she stays. Shes not a gold digger because he does not provide for her, she provided for herself with her business. She is realistic because although she loves nico she know she will grow resentful if she leaves her life. Despite the beautiful scenery, this is not meant to be a fairytale.

The plot has been done over and over so its nothing new. The movie wasn't great just okay, but not as bad as some reviewers rate it.
0 out of 0 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
1/10
Bad acting
rominaiservices8 September 2021
Movie sucks. Romanticizing bad habits like cheating. Yen Santos don't know how to act. Just very ugly.
5 out of 5 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
1/10
Are Filipinos cheaters and players?
gordougal5 September 2021
1 star as faroes Island beautiful but the story and characters really bad. I mean the main characters where actually villans. I feel sorry for poor old guys that filipinas feel they have no choice to marry. Cheating is never ok.
7 out of 8 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
9/10
10/10 for the scenery and 9/10 for Paolo Contis
jphernandez-6121424 August 2021
Paolo Contis is ready for some serious leading man roles.

The movie is a simple and heartwarming tale about love and loss with Faroe Island as a beautiful backdrop. It reminds you of the saying "it's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all".
1 out of 9 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
1/10
Terrible storyline
kimberlyaguilar-199825 September 2021
Not worth your time watching. Typical filipino storyline - cheating and infidelity.

I'll give the 1 star for the beautiful views of the Faroe Islands.
5 out of 6 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
1/10
Do not watch this.
ampangilinan9 September 2021
10 stars for the beautiful island but 0 star for the storyline and actors. At the very beginning, you can predict what's going to happen and it indeed happened in real life. Paolo leaving LJ.

It was annoying to watch how comfortable they are with each other as if they've known each other for a long time. The way they look at each other, their smiles and gestures just tell us that there's flirting and infidelity. Sigh....waste of time. Do not watch this.
4 out of 5 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
3/10
I love Yen Santos, but not her acting 😝
johnpaulfelicidario20 August 2021
It should've been only 1 star but I would like to give credits to Paolo's acting. Yen should do more acting workshops. And kuddos to another lady cast who's crying in a scene without tears and emotion. You made me laugh all night LMAO.
5 out of 7 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
1/10
Typical Love Story
themusicofgeorgina31 August 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Plot is common. Script is shallow especially convo between two lead characters. I hope Filipinos would refrain from producing illicit affairs/unfaithfulness. Using foreigners as a stepping stone to their success but falling in love with a Filipino man/woman afterwards. Such cliche and biased. No wonder Kdrama is better nowadays. This movie is not something I would be proud of as a Filipino.
2 out of 2 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
1/10
Beautiful scenery couldn't save this movie
iamjulienne1 September 2021
Warning: Spoilers
This movie does the Faroe Islands a deep disservice.

1) Terrible acting. Unlikeable characters. Selfish. Narcissistic. They're more like villains in this lust story. What they go through is not love.

2) ZERO character development.

3) No chemistry between lead characters - implausible love story. Shallow conversation, no kilig moments.

*SPOILERS* 4) Horrible values - once again promoting Adultery. Are we supposed to root for the third party or kabit yet again? I feel sorry for the husband. I don't even know why he loves his wife so much she is terrible to him. He deserves so much better.

5) The kissing scene (the only chance for the movie to show us that there's some tension between them) is so boring. They share a passionless kiss and then all of a sudden Yen Santos' character is taking her clothes off? Just for that kiss? Man. He didn't even have to try.

6) Paolo Contis crying at the airport as though she would leave his family. She leads him on and then destroys him at the airport. Then a year later she's crying for him as though their connection was so deep.

A waste of your time. DO NOT WATCH THIS MOVIE.
3 out of 4 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
1/10
Poor moral of the story
caingreso12 September 2021
The characters of the main casts, paolo and yen, are just disposable like in real life.
2 out of 3 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
10/10
Not Your Typical Love Story
gtgreen-6871320 July 2023
It isn't often that love stories in movies make you think as well as feel. Let's face it, there are only so many love story plots--they all live happily ever after or they don't. It's the background story in this well-filmed docu/drama that makes the movie so riveting.

The viewer is forced to encounter a group of people (Filipinos) who are forced to leave their own country and family in search of a better life. It's matched at the other end by a society open to mail-order brides since life is extremely difficult there. If the viewer doesn't ponder these facts, then he/she will never be able to identify with the characters.

How sad it must be to feel that you must escape to one of the most remote places on Earth? How sad is it that men on this remote island feel so desperate to order mail-order brides? How hard is it to fit in a community so disparate from your own? How do individuals deal with isolation in such a remote place?

If you don't consider these issues and choose to watch this film as a passive viewer, then you've chosen the easy way out. In fact, if you boil this wonderful work down to a simple love story with a predictable ending and complain about the shallowness of the plot, I suggest maybe the plot isn't shallow and perhaps the viewer is.

Watch this show with an open heart as well as to openness to diversity and you will be rewarded with an amazing emotional ride through some of the most beautiful scenery on the planet.
0 out of 0 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
1/10
Not recommending this movie
ddlcalvo12 September 2021
Normalized the adultery. Its a no for me. Beautiful scenery though. But should have used the place for a different yet enjoyable plot.
2 out of 3 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
2/10
Not what i expected after their hit with Through Night and Day
ehrenazarraga3 September 2021
You just can't feel for the characters. Forced romance and pretty poor motivations for them. In fact, the main leads characters were acting pretty selfish and shows their poo moral values.
2 out of 3 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
3/10
Breathtaking sceneries of Faroe Island but very typical OFW story
fjareyes5 September 2021
Highlight of the film was the sceneries. But the movie itself, I will just give it a 3 star. A very predictable movie!
1 out of 1 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
1/10
Great scenery, cheap and shallow story
limput-754933 October 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Horrible story line and i just HATE movies that romanticize cheating.
1 out of 1 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
1/10
Waste of time!
filam-0686113 September 2021
Bad acting, plot and story line. Just another reason why Filipinos are tagged "gold diggers". This movie doesn't help OFW earn a living or find true love abroad. Infidelity is never OK. Morale of this story is -- don't create another movie like this. It sucks!! Waste of time!
1 out of 2 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
1/10
Very Disappointed
lacreativeminds12 January 2022
The scenery: 10/10 Story line: 1/10 Script: 1/10 Actors: No comment.

This movie proves that no matter how great the scenery is, it's never enough to make a movie.

The story line of this movie is a disgrace to the hardworking OFWs. I can come up with 3 different story plot with the same conflicts without compromising the reputation of a Filipina to the eyes of the world. Within 30 minutes after I finished the movie I was able to come up with a twist to justify the actions of the main characters. Poorly made story line.
0 out of 0 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
10/10
Ticket to the Faroes!
janem-2972222 August 2021
I love a love story...no matter how it ends. The pull and tug at my heart makes me feel alive.
0 out of 6 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
1/10
Local version of Bridges of Madison County
biazebub24 October 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Like in the Bridges of.. Clint Eastwood plays as a photographer who wants to feature bridges landing him in Madison County fell in love with with Merryl Streep who happens to be married with an older local guy and with a child-- husband went out of town with the kids to a fair-- along came eastwood to do his photography accidentally asking direction to streep-- she accompanied him everyday take laugh and fell in love - eastwood ask merryl to come with him but merryl choose to stay with her older husband and child even if she loves clint eastwood-- same plot with far away land---to love a person is right-- to be with the person you know your heart felt the moment you see her/him--- there ia nothing wrong what is wrong is that if the other person is already happy with his/her life dont destroy it otherwise it is selfishness not love anymore.
0 out of 0 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
An error has occured. Please try again.

See also

Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews


Recently Viewed