Movies: Joe Gruta

An intimate epic made with uncompromising and austere seriousness that patiently and methodically observes the collapse and hopeful revival of a poor farming clan, meant to symbolize a nation’s history spanning 1971 to 1987....

Julio, a young fisherman from a provincial village, descends into social alienation as he arrives in Manila to search for his loved one....

A mentally-challenged guy was put into trial after allegedly raping his teacher. And as Amanda, Julian, and Ronald try to mount a convincing defense, they discover soon that they're all connected in more ways than just the case....

In the 1970s, a widow in a remote village takes over her husband’s barber shop. She becomes the laughing stock of the male-dominated community and in the process discovers freedom and liberation....

Lola Edna bears the challenges of her debilitating dementia, while killing time in a facility for the elderlies. She collects photos from occasional visitors, mostly strangers, in the hope of remembering her long-lost daughter and granddaughter. She'...

When plain orphan Elsa begins having visions of the Virgin Mary, the rest of the residents of her isolated village find themselves questioning their own beliefs and values. Soon, Elsa is healing people with a variety of ailments. As word of this phen...

Only the famous family that doesn't weep can help reunite a desperate woman with her own....

Amidst the vast sugar plantations of Negros in Southern Philippines, a matriarch lies in the throes of death. Her children rush home to confront the crisis as news of the impending death of their well-loved mother spreads among the community. There, ...

The film splits itself between two timelines. In 2006, Ada is basing her thesis on a massacre that occurred twenty years prior in a village called Acacia. Her mother Cecilia was part of a fact-finding mission into a massacre, and Ada’s inquiries brin...

A man appears to a female reporter and claims he is the famous kidnapper that has the world astir and promises to turn himself in if she listens to his story. Though she is suspicious of him, she starts to fall more and more into his story....

Three boys are confronted with what they perceive as a challenge to prove their masculinity in a story about sexual awakening. Paul is a show-off whose obnoxious ways mask deep insecurities. Cris is the klutz who tries to please everyone but ends up ...

Rafael is a village mayor caught in the murderous crossfire of the Philippine-American War. When U.S. troops occupy his village, Rafael comes under pressure from a tough-as-nails officer to help the Americans in their hunt for Filipino guerilla fight...

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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 in...

The movie Edna is a unique take about real and imagined fears of overseas Filipino workers. Staged in three parts- the film attempts to walk the audience from a thrilling arrival to an astonishing departure....

As the EDSA Revolution unfolds, a mother, son, and daughter who live in a slum near Malacañang Palace grapple with the murder of their patriarch in the hands of corrupt policemen, turning from passive victims of social injustice into active participa...

Crime does not pay, so the adage goes. But feisty and outspoken Rosa (Rosanna Roces)--however sharp-witted--does not know any better. Doggedly out for bigger money, she is quick to rebuff even her lover Dado's (Diether Ocampo) pitch for a new life. ...

A 2012 documentary about the making and the legacy of the 1982 drama masterpiece directed by Ishmael Bernal that ended up being one of the greatest Asian films of all time. The revelations about the theory of "Who killed Elsa?" will be answered and a...

Years ago, Tina (Andi Eigenmann) was sent away to the United States to live with her aunt because of an incident involving her parents that has never been explained to her. She moves back to the Philippines into their old home, hoping for a new start...

The heart-tugging story of children who scavenge for metal scraps in the murky waters of Manila Bay, often risking their lives in the process....