Florentina Hubaldo, CTE

Lav Diaz’s meditative study of endurance and exploitation in a Philippine village divides its time between a father goading his daughter into a life of prostitution and two men searching for buried treasure on family land. The linkage between the narratives only gradually becomes apparent by way of tranquil shots that hold the characters at a remove, indicative of Diaz’s patience. Hazel Orencio’s performance in the title role is especially poignant. When the film earned the On Screen Award at the 2012 Images Festival, the jury called Florentina Hubaldo, CTE “a beautiful and sad work that shows us why cinema remains important . . . a portrait of bare life and suffering,” further praising the pace and duration of the film as “essential to the meaning of the work.”