Allen Alzola

Ethically conflicted police lieutenant Hermes Papauran continues his struggle to find resolution to a 15-year-old case around a volcanic ash laden landscape and an impenetrable lake. A prequel to When the Waves Are Gone.

Lieutenant Hermes Papauran, one of the best investigators of the Philippines, is at a deep moral crossroad. As a member of the police forces, he is a first-hand witness of the murderous anti-drug campaign that his institution is implementing with dedication. The atrocities are corroding Hermes physically and spiritually, causing him a severe skin disease resulting from anxiety and guilt. As he tries to heal, a dark past haunts him and has eventually come back for a reckoning.

Successful ventriloquist Hernando returns home after several years away, with plans to marry his sweetheart and settle down. Heartbroken when things don’t go to plan, Hernando decides he will only communicate with the world through his puppet Ha. The pair accompany a nun, a sex worker and a teenage boy on their way to a remote island where gold has been discovered, a journey that holds fateful consequences.

To this day, Ishmael Bernal's movie Himala is still in our town, in our world. This will be reflected in the broader perspective of the majority, of the surrounding events. Beliefs still lie in the truth. Consciousness is still dominant at the level of illusion. The naive, savage, cruel, and selfish politics still prevail.

Em 2034, o sudeste da Ásia não vê a luz do sol há três anos, como resultado da erupção de vulcões. No escuro, homens loucos controlam países, comunidades, enclaves e novas cidades. Milhões de pessoas morreram e inúmeras fugiram.

Filipinas, 1972. Coisas misteriosas estão acontecendo em um bairro remoto, como barulhos estranhos vindo da floresta, as vacas sendo agredidas, um homem encontrando sangrando até morrer e casas sendo queimadas. Simultaneamente, Ferdinand Marcos anuncia o decreto nº 1081, colocando todo o arquipélago filipino sob lei marcial.