September 2, 2026
FILM: FILIPINANA
WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY: RAFAEL MANUEL
STARRING: JORRYBELL AGOTO, CARMEN CASTELLANOS, TEROY GUZMAN
RATING: 3 ½ out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
Filipinana creatively explores and exposes the disturbing mix of cultures and socio-economic statuses within a Filipino country club. It’s a relatively quiet film with many beautiful long takes which ask us to take in and contemplate the various messages embedded within the visuals. Yes, the film takes some work but it is ultimately an interesting and revealing portrait of part of our world that doesn’t get enough attention on screen.
The film begins on a crowded, active city street in Manila. The heat is sweltering and people are lined up for water rations. In the meantime, a group of Chinese tourists are on a bus making their way to an exclusive country club where water is plentiful and freely running to keep the grasses green for its high-class guests. It’s a visually arresting place which appears to be something between a Zen garden and a manufactured fantasy world. In fact, the beautifully constructed shots are often symmetrically designed suggesting a false sense of order within an unstable environment which has also been depicted in great films such as Jacques Tati’s Playtime and Bong Joon Ho’s Oscar-winning Parasite.
Slowly the divisions within the setting are revealed. We witness workers in choreographed, almost militaristic movements, preparing the club for guests. The hired hands are reminiscent of those from lower classes working machines in Fritz Lang’s Metropolis a hundred years ago. There are female caddies taking the mostly male golfers to their various holes. Then there are the tee-girls placing balls down within inches of their faces sitting next to the carefully aligned men about to tee off in unison.
One of these girls, Isabel, becomes the central figure of the narrative. She’s a bit concerned about being hit with a ball but like most of the other girls, she knows her place at the club and in society. The camera positions her between a golfer’s legs as he makes his various swings at the balls. The shot may remind viewers of Dustin Hoffman’s position under Anne Bancroft’s legs in a classic scene from the 1967 film The Graduate. The framing suggests the subjects are in a position of submission under a domineering figure. Still, Isabel stands out in other ways by engaging in a conversation with her golfer. She also becomes fascinated by Dr. Palanca, president of the exclusive club. They share a regional identity heritage as members of the Ilocano culture, suggesting a greater kinship than what truly exists within their differing class positions.
When one of Palanca’s golf clubs is found, Isabel takes it upon herself to seek him out, thus breaking routines and hierarchy levels. In ways that most of the other girls have not, she exposes her rebel heart by peering deeper into the high society world. She discovers a not so happy connection between Palanca and her own family’s violent loss of land. On the surface though, Isabel looks like the other girls as she moves with a sad, solemn expression on her face. She’s demure on the outside but clearly full of fire inside.
Another interesting character is Clarita, the niece of one of the club’s members. Clarita has been living in New York, speaks English, and is contemplating a move back to the region to work for her wealthy uncle. Her role though becomes that of an outside observer, peering into a world that disturbs her. She represents us as we become more aware of just how these young women are treated, which includes likely serving in sexual roles for the male club members. (At one point, they share a giddy conversation about the golfers “balls.”) She experiences a moral dilemma about being a part of this exclusive world which is far from ideal and full of questionable ethical behavior.
The non-traditional narrative does meander and halt in interesting ways. There is more than one scene, for instance, in which characters sing and dance. One of those involves Palanca singing “You Always Hurt the One You Love,” which thematically provides the perspective of the ruling class that may be recognizing what it does to the lower levels of society by claiming it’s all done for love.
The film ends with a cry out for help that seemingly is left unheard, suggesting the issues within this society are far from being dealt with on the surface.
Filipinana is a film for patient viewers willing to reflect on the various images and actions being presented about Filipino society. Ultimately, I found it a very revealing and rewarding experience with images that are hard to forget.
Filipinana is currently open in New York City and will be given a limited release in other cities this week, including screenings at the Gene Siskel Center in Chicago.
FILM: FILIPINANA
WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY: RAFAEL MANUEL
STARRING: JORRYBELL AGOTO, CARMEN CASTELLANOS, TEROY GUZMAN
RATING: 3 ½ out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
Filipinana creatively explores and exposes the disturbing mix of cultures and socio-economic statuses within a Filipino country club. It’s a relatively quiet film with many beautiful long takes which ask us to take in and contemplate the various messages embedded within the visuals. Yes, the film takes some work but it is ultimately an interesting and revealing portrait of part of our world that doesn’t get enough attention on screen.
The film begins on a crowded, active city street in Manila. The heat is sweltering and people are lined up for water rations. In the meantime, a group of Chinese tourists are on a bus making their way to an exclusive country club where water is plentiful and freely running to keep the grasses green for its high-class guests. It’s a visually arresting place which appears to be something between a Zen garden and a manufactured fantasy world. In fact, the beautifully constructed shots are often symmetrically designed suggesting a false sense of order within an unstable environment which has also been depicted in great films such as Jacques Tati’s Playtime and Bong Joon Ho’s Oscar-winning Parasite.
Slowly the divisions within the setting are revealed. We witness workers in choreographed, almost militaristic movements, preparing the club for guests. The hired hands are reminiscent of those from lower classes working machines in Fritz Lang’s Metropolis a hundred years ago. There are female caddies taking the mostly male golfers to their various holes. Then there are the tee-girls placing balls down within inches of their faces sitting next to the carefully aligned men about to tee off in unison.
One of these girls, Isabel, becomes the central figure of the narrative. She’s a bit concerned about being hit with a ball but like most of the other girls, she knows her place at the club and in society. The camera positions her between a golfer’s legs as he makes his various swings at the balls. The shot may remind viewers of Dustin Hoffman’s position under Anne Bancroft’s legs in a classic scene from the 1967 film The Graduate. The framing suggests the subjects are in a position of submission under a domineering figure. Still, Isabel stands out in other ways by engaging in a conversation with her golfer. She also becomes fascinated by Dr. Palanca, president of the exclusive club. They share a regional identity heritage as members of the Ilocano culture, suggesting a greater kinship than what truly exists within their differing class positions.
When one of Palanca’s golf clubs is found, Isabel takes it upon herself to seek him out, thus breaking routines and hierarchy levels. In ways that most of the other girls have not, she exposes her rebel heart by peering deeper into the high society world. She discovers a not so happy connection between Palanca and her own family’s violent loss of land. On the surface though, Isabel looks like the other girls as she moves with a sad, solemn expression on her face. She’s demure on the outside but clearly full of fire inside.
Another interesting character is Clarita, the niece of one of the club’s members. Clarita has been living in New York, speaks English, and is contemplating a move back to the region to work for her wealthy uncle. Her role though becomes that of an outside observer, peering into a world that disturbs her. She represents us as we become more aware of just how these young women are treated, which includes likely serving in sexual roles for the male club members. (At one point, they share a giddy conversation about the golfers “balls.”) She experiences a moral dilemma about being a part of this exclusive world which is far from ideal and full of questionable ethical behavior.
The non-traditional narrative does meander and halt in interesting ways. There is more than one scene, for instance, in which characters sing and dance. One of those involves Palanca singing “You Always Hurt the One You Love,” which thematically provides the perspective of the ruling class that may be recognizing what it does to the lower levels of society by claiming it’s all done for love.
The film ends with a cry out for help that seemingly is left unheard, suggesting the issues within this society are far from being dealt with on the surface.
Filipinana is a film for patient viewers willing to reflect on the various images and actions being presented about Filipino society. Ultimately, I found it a very revealing and rewarding experience with images that are hard to forget.
Filipinana is currently open in New York City and will be given a limited release in other cities this week, including screenings at the Gene Siskel Center in Chicago.