Directed by Lino Brocka • 1980 • Philippines
Starring Nora Aunor, Phillip Salvador, Raquel Montesa
Director Lino Brocka brings his trademark blend of melodrama and social realism to this lost-and-found masterwork of Filipino cinema, a troubling character study at the intersection of fandom, sexuality, and martyrdom. Superstar Nora Aunor—who produced the film, subverting her own fame—plays Bona, a middle-class girl from the Philippines who is obsessed with Gardo (Philip Salvador), a bit actor in low-budget films. When she decides to drop out of school to follow the object of her infatuation, her furious father casts her out and Bona moves in with her idol in the Manila slums. At first delighted to play house, the young woman soon finds herself not the wife, but the maid—at the mercy of Gardo’s every whim and desire, yet intent on enduring his unending parade of conquests in the hopes of finally being seen.
Up Next in Directed by Lino Brocka
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Cain and Abel
Directed by Lino Brocka • 1982 • Philippines
Starring Christopher de Leon, Phillip Salvador, Carmi MartinA high-pitched melodrama, a timeless Biblical retelling, and a furious allegory for the Marcos-era Philippines all in one, Lino Brocka’s lush actioner puts forward a powerful examination of ...
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Insiang
Directed by Lino Brocka • 1976 • Philippines
Starring Hilda Koronel, Mona Lisa, Ruel VernalJealousy and violence take center stage in this claustrophobic melodrama, a tautly constructed character study set in the slums of Manila. Lino Brocka crafts an eviscerating portrait of an innocent daught...
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Manila in the Claws of Light
Directed by Lino Brocka • 1975 • Philippines
Starring Hilda Koronel, Rafael Roco Jr., Lou Salvador Jr.Lino Brocka achieved international acclaim with this candid portrait of 1970s Manila, a breakout example of the more serious-minded filmmaking the director had turned to after building a career...
