Song: "Mula sa ilalim ng lupa". A murder ballad sung by a ghost, a dirge haunted by an angelic presence, or in this case, a voice that can wring amazing grace from even the most mournful of melodies.
Much as it's set during Martial Law, this is really about our current political turmoil and how it isn't so much a condition as it is an emergency. Slow cinema has rarely been this urgent.
For its heartfelt subversion of the familiar tropes of the musical genre to echo an alarm that a country's history of oppression, like the cycling chorus of a song, is now on repeat.
"For its outstanding cinematographic achievement in story-telling and its very impressive visual and narrative style that is unique and exceptional in terms of world cinematography and is linked with a profound political awareness of the country's history and with a deeply philosophical contemplation on time and space."
for its deeply impactful configuration of intense performances, exquisite mis-en-scène and mystery of sound, and most importantly, for its empowering independent spirit.
This film tells about humanity in fierce situation. The characters in the film are reflection of how a nation must keep their sanity in many disasters that happen to them.
Through the subtle yet complex narration the film weaves together social, political, religious and literary aspects into an organic and humanistic whole.
