After dozing through the CBC series Normal People, I noticed that Netflix was offering the Filipino movie Ordinary People (directed by Eduardo W. Roy Jr.)—which made me wonder how a movie about ordinary Filipinos might compare to a series about normal Irish people. The ordinary Filipinos are Jane and Aries, two homeless teenagers who have just had a baby. Like teenagers everywhere, they take selfies, they argue, they fight, they make up and they make love. They also shoplift, pick pockets, and do whatever else they have to do in order to survive, which means that they are always on the go, either running from the authorities or moving around the streets of Manila, looking for opportunities. We watch them amidst the noisy, chaotic activity of the city until, as they commit a petty crime, the sound suddenly stops, and we are watching silent, black and white CCTV footage. Via CCTV footage we also watch as their baby is stolen by someone who has offered to hold him while Jane pays a cashier—and then we’re back in the movie, with Jane crying and desperately looking for her child. Instead of helping, the police sexually assault Jane; other “helpers” are only interested in making money or getting Internet clicks. As Jane and Aries persevere, their quest takes them to a gated community with fences to climb and houses to break into, and we see them begin to consider their future instead of just their moment-to-moment needs. The movie’s frantic pace, broken only by quick shifts to silent CCTV footage, precluded any dozing, and seeing Jane and Aries realize that they have choices helped to elevate Ordinary People above the level of “poverty porn.” The film’s English title should have been “The Ordinary Family” which would have been truer to the original Tagalog title (Pamilya ordinaryo) as well as recognizing that these teens are a family—but in that case I might never have watched this excellent movie.