A Manila taxi ride – now, that can be an adventure. But it can also be an enlightening experience if you happen to have a driver with an engaging story to tell and who is an engaging storyteller.

I’ve had many memorable chats with taxi drivers. There was one who talked about his funny misadventures as an overseas worker in the Middle East. There was another who, with pride, told me of his and his son’s dream of starting a small food stall at a local public school. And there were several who excitedly shared their views on the latest political developments in the Philippines.

I’ve also had a few strange encounters, like one night when my driver pointed out that the spot where he picked me up near Pantranco was notorious for hold-up robberies.

The out-of-the-blue comment quickly raised a red flag in my mind as I braced myself for a robbery. But after a few minutes, I realized I was wrong. In fact, I got it backwards: It was my driver who was worried about getting robbed, and was probing for signs if I was a bad guy.

Similar encounters inspired Benito Bautista to examine the world of the Manila taxi driver. His latest film, and his first full-length feature movie, “Boundary,” was inspired by conversations with Manila taxi drivers.

He was in Manila for post-production for his documentary “Harana,” featuring the classical guitarist Florante Aguilar, when he became interested in the stories of the Manila taxi drivers.

“All of a sudden, I was drawn into their stories and I became a captive listener,” Benito recalls.

“The taxicab stories are often personal, touching on the experience of work and family. A good number of taxicab drivers express their emotional commentaries about the political, social, and economic issues they hear on the AM radio,” according to the film’s production notes.

“A few taxicab drivers frankly and regrettably admit to Bautista their brief experience with the criminal underworld in order to support their meager income … They really know the areas that are crime infested and dangerous and the places that are safe. And amazingly, the taxicab drivers recognize a passenger to be dangerous or harmless by their body language.”

In fact, Bautista’s exploration of the world of the Manila taxi driver is framed as a crime thriller. A taxi driver named Limuel (Ronnie Lazaro) picks up a well-dressed passenger (Raymond Bagatsing) who comes across as a middle class executive.

On the ride from somewhere near EDSA to Cubao to Antipolo, they talk and even develop a form of friendship. But there’s tension on the long ride. That’s partly because Limuel is part of a conspiracy. In a scene that many commuters, especially at night, dread, Limuel stops in an isolated part of a street to let three gang members in.

But that was not the only twist in the story.

Bautista deftly tells a tale of suspense that offers a glimpse of Manila’s urban underworld. The film is propelled forward by the nuanced performances of three veteran actors – Bagatsing, Lazaro and the gang leader Diego played by Edwin Nombre.

Lazaro, in particular, demonstrates why he is one of the best Filipino dramatic actors with a powerful performance as the struggling, conflicted taxi driver.

The role was an even bigger challenge for Lazaro. He had to learn to drive like a Manila taxi driver. “Sige let’s do this! Rock and Roll!” he quips in production notes for the film.

Like any typical indie film, funding was a major hurdle. Bautista rallied friends and got the support of post-production outfits and friends and family. But he had to work with a tight budget. He even insisted on using recyclable materials for props, though that may also be due to the fact that he’s a longtime resident of the green-conscious San Francisco Bay Area.

The film was shot shortly after the last Christmas season. Bautista said he wanted to take advantage of the odd combination of joy and tension during that time of the year in Manila, when, despite the holiday cheer, there was also the “watch-out for snatchers, robbers, fire-crackers, explosions, carnappers, etc” energy in the metropolis.

The decision paid off, I think. “Boundary” is one wild and exciting ride.