Filipiñana

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Filipiñana

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1h 40m

Comedy

Drama

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90%

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40 Reviews

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Fewer than 50 Ratings

Amid stifling heat and pervasive drought, Isabel (Jorrybell Agoto), a 17-year-old Ilokana from the rural north, works at a posh country club outside Manila, lining up golf balls for powerful men to drive into the verdant horizon. New to the job, she wanders the immaculate grounds sampling its luxuries as members, including an industrialist and his expatriate niece, the club president and his pampered wife, and a slew of Chinese tourists, engage in a complex dance with the club's doting and subservient staff. But something is rotting beneath the pristine fairways of the elite resort, as Isabel discovers when she tries to return a mislaid golf club to its patriarchal director, Dr. Palanca (Teroy Guzman). The deeper she journeys into its most exclusive corners, the closer she gets to the violent truths of the club, her native Philippines, and her own past.

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Carlos Aguilar

RogerEbert.com

Aug 28

4/4

In a year of several standout debuts, Manuel’s ranks among the most impressive. The microcosm he meticulously constructs makes for a rivetingly caustic indictment of his homeland.

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Beatrice Loayza

New York Times

Aug 28

The movie feels like a swollen version of a sharper premise; overfertilized, overwatered, like the too-green pastures where it takes place.

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Marshall Shaffer

Slant Magazine

Aug 24

3.5/4

Shot by shot, an unease mounts that sits in tension with the immaculate aesthetics.

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Harper Rochel Goldman

MovieJawn

1d

Filipiñana is an evocative, densely metaphorical film full of long silences, staid song-and-dance sequences, and dark undertones.

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Robin Clifford

Reeling Reviews

2d

B+

The disparity between the rich and the poor seems more pronounced in the Philippines than here in the good old USA – where corporate CEOs are paid about 500 times more than their average workers. I guess it is just a matter of degrees.

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Michael Nordine

Movie Brief

3d

3.5/4

Far from a heavy-handed message movie, Filipiñana is first and foremost a sensory delight.

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N E

@RT59315844 5d

Beautiful 70mm film! Editing, cinematography, coloring, costumes, script, choreography — gorgeous work. Recommend this one not just for the look and feel, but a compelling storyline that reminds us to think outside ourselves and about the impacts of our decisions. Minus half a story for an ending that left me wanting more.

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M P

@NotARobot 6d

I think the Achilles heel of Filipiñana is the editing. Many of the shots are held for way too long. The final cut makes the movie feel dull and longer than it is, with a handful of scenes best left on the cutting room floor. That said, the cinematography is gorgeous and there is plenty of wit, beauty, and humor here. Is it a seething, incendiary satire that I will remember for years to come? I’m not so sure.

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Rafael Manuel

Director

Jorrybell Agoto

Actor

Angeli Bayani

Actor

Carmen Castellanos

Actor

Teroy Guzman

Actor

Carlos Siguion-Reyna

Actor

Filipiñana: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Amid stifling heat and pervasive drought, Isabel (Jorrybell Agoto), a 17-year-old Ilokana from the rural north, works at a posh country club outside Manila, lining up golf balls for powerful men to drive into the verdant horizon. New to the job, she wanders the immaculate grounds sampling its luxuries as members, including an industrialist and his expatriate niece, the club president and his pampered wife, and a slew of Chinese tourists, engage in a complex dance with the club's doting and subservient staff. But something is rotting beneath the pristine fairways of the elite resort, as Isabel discovers when she tries to return a mislaid golf club to its patriarchal director, Dr. Palanca (Teroy Guzman). The deeper she journeys into its most exclusive corners, the closer she gets to the violent truths of the club, her native Philippines, and her own past.

Director: Rafael Manuel
Producer: Jeremy Chua, Alex Polunin, Bianca Balbuena, Bradley Liew, Nadia Turincev, Omar El Kadi, Rafael Manuel
Screenwriter: Rafael Manuel
Distributor: Kino Lorber
Production Co: Epicmedia Productions, Protocol, Ossian International
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: Filipino
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 28, 2026, Limited
Box Office (Gross USA): $35.1K
Runtime: 1h 40m

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