Movies by Gil Portes
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The Agony and Fury of Hermano Puli
Decades before the rise of liberalism in Spanish-era colonial Philippines, a young charismatic preacher leads a movement for equality and religious freedom for his fellow native Filipinos. He is hailed as the Christ of the Tagalogs, but is sentenced to death for heresy by both Church and State.
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Ang Tag-araw ni Twinkle
A group of soldiers led by then-Colonel Cenon Payawan (Cris Villanueva) attacks an NPA camp deep in the wilderness. Among those killed is a rebel woman carrying a child in a sling. Payawan adopts the child, and eighteen years later, the now-retired general and his wife are dealing with her rebellion. Then, her biological father Ka Ruben (an admirably committed Arnold Reyes) suddenly shows up at their doorstep, claiming that he has cancer, and that his dying wish is to get to know his daughter.
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In the Bosom of the Enemy
It's the story of a young woman, whose husband, is arrested by the soldiers of a Japanese garrison, on the suspicion that he is a guerilla. Dizon pleads her case to the garrison's commander, who sympathizes and lets Yllana go; when the commander's wife dies and leaves their son motherless, Dizon, is hired to feed the baby from her own breast.
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The Kite
Though widowed ex-cop Homer is a kindly father to his ten-year old son Rex, he is considered to be something of a bully in the poor Manila neighborhood that he lives. After mistaking a child retrieving a snarled kite for a burglar, Homer kills the boy and then hurriedly tries to cover up his error. Unbeknownst to his dad, Rex witnessed the event, too. As the two separately wrestle with their consciences, the neighbors find out and chaos soon ensues.
Moonlight Over Baler
Fidela, a freshly retired school teacher in Baler meets Kenji who is a young Japanese photojournalist. Kenji looks so much of her fiance who never returned after the World War II. The film is about two epic love stories that are four decades apart bound together by one unforgettable son, in one magical place.
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Markova: Comfort Gay
Escaping the torment of growing up with an abusive older brother, he and his friends found further suffering at the hands of Japanese soldiers, forced into sex work to survive. But even after the war, Markova's struggle continued.
Andrea, How Is It Like to Be a Mother?
When it is time for her to give birth, Andrea, a communist insurgent seeks refuge in the city to her best friend Joyce. When Andrea's husband is reportedly killed, she temporarily leaves her son to their care. But before Andrea could return to her baby, she is arrested by the military. With no news of Andrea's whereabouts and presuming her to have been dead, the childless couple decided to keep the child and bring him to the United States. Upon returning to the country after seven years for a visit, Andrea confronts them and tries to claim h...
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Beautiful Life
A group of disparate women find comfort in one another when faced with heart-wrenching tragedy in this moving story. After a terrorist bombing at an airport kills many innocent victims, the lives of the family members who lost their loved ones are forever changed. In their anger, grief and disbelief, eight women of different generations and backgrounds forge a bond.
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Wanted: Wives
A film based on the files of the Lonely Hearts Club where lonely men and women hope to find company and eventually, life-time partners.