Absolutely brilliant

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Blistering performances.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

I am no expert movie critic and I rarely post logs on the internet, but I must make an exception for this movie. I was truly blown away by what I have seen. I have long ago dismissed local Filipino movies as crap and of the opinion that only the truly brain-dead or the truly bored would actually exert any effort to watch the local films. I find that I don't enjoy even the "classic" Lino Brocka films which we were required to watch in high school film lit classes. The current films are hell of a lot worse with plots that a 5-year old can guess, slap-stick action that defy all vulgarity, dramatic scenes so pathetic that they become comedic. The local film scene lacks good scripts, directors, and actors. I can't help but feel sorry, if not even contemptuous, of our local cinema. This movie completely turned my world around. Suddenly, I was watching a movie that is truly world class. A good script, splendid acting, and a motion picture that is bathed is SUBTLETY. I couldn't quite believe that the best movie I've seen in recent years would actually be Filipino made. I hardly saw any tears in this movie but I myself was moved to tears by just the situation presented in the movie. The actor's lines were very concise but delivered everything they needed to say. The cinematography focused on the actors with lots of close-ups. They truly made use of the visual cues to convey their message. I also found wit in here without the attendant toilet humor. This is a 3 1/2 hour movie but I guarantee that you will enjoy every moment of it. So if you have nothing better to do, check out this movie (if you can find a copy)