A Filipino poet hearkens back to his village after spending years in Europe. Horrified to discover that the community has been buried under landslides, he begins wandering through the countryside, reconnecting with friends, lovers and family members whose lives teeter on the brink of destruction.
On a commuter's trip from Manila's business district to the suburbs, the director finds a myriad of possibilities, ranging from miniature ironic situations to a love story that is finally finding its unexpected closing.
From What Is Before chronicles the gradual decline of a remote village in the early 1970s Philippines and the strange occurrences that befall it and its people, coinciding with Ferdinand Marcos' proclamation of martial law.
A story about victims of summary executions. Three people start a strange therapy to escape their agonies.
Melba is the wife of a slain farmer-leader whose murder is attributed to an incumbent governor. She goes to the city to appeal the case and to seek out a new life after the tragedy. Working as a staff member at the office of City Councilor, she is introduced to the life inside politics. Eventually she will be deeply involved, as her decision to marry the budding politician lays a carefully planned agenda.
Accused of treason, Dr. Jose P. Rizal awaits trial and meets with his colonial government-appointed counsel, Luis Taviel de Andrade. The two build the case and arguments for the defense as significant events in the central figure's life prior to his incarceration unfold. Upon hearing Rizal's life story, Taviel begins to realize that the accused not just is innocent but exhibits in fact all the qualities of an extraordinary man. When the mock trial unreels, Taviel is all set to act as the prime advocate for his client as Rizal himself is about to give an earth-moving speech to defend his honor and address his countrymen. Meanwhile, the Spanish authorities have worked out the vast political machinery to ensure a guilty verdict. A revolution waits in the wings.
Hukbalahaps in the forests are suddenly terrorized by an "aswang" who seems to be killing them one by one.
Sexually frustrated Perla wants out of her marriage; servant Lea yearns for power; streetwalker Joan has a secret; and Diana is lost in grief. They find escape and salvation in the only place that inspires hope: the karaoke bar. Music is the only way they're able to feel whole once more, but will it work in the long run?
Pandanggo has three stories with parallel themes converging in one event, the Kasilonawan Festival in Obando: a career woman learning to dance tango who is torn between her dance partner and live-in partner has to choose the man who will satisfy her dream of raising a family; a wife whose wish to conceive a baby boy to make her husband happy brings her feet to the festival, but fate has other plans of bringing the child into her life; and a modern woman who, amidst her medical condition that might render her childless for the rest of her life, finds connection with an ancient lore about fertility.
A Filipino worker is on the death row for killing his employer. Because of a lady reporter who is bent on doing a full story about him, government officials are now trying to help him. But Fidel insisted that he killed his employer on purpose. Vega learned about his past- a boy-next-door type of person who grew up with a loving family. His profile doesn't fit the picture of a killer. Sister Lourdes, the Filipino nun who visits Fidel regularly wants to know the truth too.
The death of Mariel was met with such hurt by her three closest friends. But it was her best friend, Carla that she leaves a most special gift, a box full of her diaries through the years. Carla has been Mariel’s friend since their high school years; they have practically shared everything in their lives together. Their two other girl friends, Sandra and Olive formed the quartet who would get together ever so often and served as a mutual support system. Despite warnings from Sandra and Olive not to read the diaries left behind by Mariel, Carla could not help herself to find out what was written on those volumes of handwritten materials. True enough, what she discovered completely shattered all her perceptions and beliefs of the friendship shared by the four women through the years.
An artist struggles to finish his work while a storyline about a cult plays in his head. As the cult spirals towards a fundamentalism that will destroy the world, the artist decides to destroy his muse to redeem the world.
Depicting the struggles of Filipinos in rural areas under the brutal Marcos regime, a family of poor farmers tries to overcome the challenges brought on by corruption and greed for power spanning 1971 to 1987.