
Unang aklat: Ang alamat ng prinsesang bayawak
(Heremias: Book One – The Legend of the Lizard Princess)
Lav Diaz. PH, 2006, DCP, 519 min (half-hour break after approx. 250 minutes). Tagalog with English subtitlesHeremias follows a single Socratic character as he suffers tragedy, witnesses evil, endures despair, questions God, and ultimately, offers himself as sacrifice. Binding themes from Evolution of a Filipino Family and Batang West Side, Heremias examines the present state of the brutalized Filipino psyche. Evolution of a Filipino Family witnesses the infliction of the wound on the Filipino psyche, Batang West Side examines its scars, and Heremias offers a remedy to cure its woes. Together, I undoubtedly believe, they represent three of the most important works in contemporary world cinema, and in Philippine cinema history. (A.T.)