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After the success of her directorial debut “Tanikala” (1980), Marilou Diaz-Abaya was approached by producer Jesse Ejercito to direct a film for him starring Amy Austria, who had recently distinguished herself in the 1979 Lino Brocka film “Jaguar”. I am not sure if what Abaya came up with was exactly what Ejercito and Austria had in mind, since “Brutal” was actually the first Filipino film to tackle rape as a feminist issue, but the result justified their efforts, with the movie winning Best Director and Best Actress in the Metro Manila Film Festival of the same year.

The film begins with the arrest of the protagonist Monica Real, after the murder of her husband and four of his friends, in a case that immediately catches the eye of the public and the press, becoming highly publicized. Clara Valdez, a journalist who is in a relationship with Jake, a divorced man who keeps comparing her with his ex-wife,...

The antagonistic ghost of Patayin Sa Sindak Si Barbara (Frighten Barbara to Death) refuses to go in peace. In this 1995 remake of the 1974 cult classic Patayin Mo Sa Sindak Si Barbara, the title character returns to her ancestral home to pay her respects and find closure. Yet Barbara’s late sister Ruth isn’t so happy to see her after all these years apart — in fact, she wants her dead.

Going back to the Philippines doesn’t come easy for Barbara (Lorna Tolentino) after being away for almost a decade. Her move to America was intended to be a permanent one, yet Barbara’s motivation for leaving in the first place is also the reason why she goes back. The movie opens with Barbara watching a degraded videotape from Ruth (Dawn Zulueta) over and over again until her trance-like viewing is interrupted. This almost Lynchian moment contrasts the disturbing plea...

Dealing with the lives of the poor through narratives that are both dramatic but also quite entertaining was one of the traits of Lino Brocka, who, in this case, combines drama with exploitation in impressive fashion.

The story is based on the 1961 essay written by Nick Joaquin on the notorious 1960 Brown Derby shooting (as printed in Reportage on Crime) of Napoleon Nodecal, and revolves around Poldo, a lowly security guard in a publishing firm, who strives to provide for his mother and siblings, living in intense poverty. His life changes, however, when one night he defends the son of the owner, Sonny, from his frenemy, Direk who is enraged because the former stole his girlfriend from him. Poldo proves particularly tough, soon gaining the nickname ‘Jaguar’ and finding himself hanging out with the rich Sonny and his friends, all of whom frequently indulge in drugs and intense consumption of alcohol.