Balangiga: Howling Wilderness

Khavn De La Cruz has made a name for himself as a kind of Philippine avant-garde reincarnation of Gaspar Noé with his neon-soaked, psychedelic tales of the grungy Philippine underworld. For him to direct a historical drama about the Balangiga massacre is equally surprising and fascinating. Eight-year-old Kula is on the run from the soldiers of General Smith together with his frail grandfather and a baby they found along the way. When grandpa dies, the odd, young couple has to deal with drunken soldiers, starvation and the terrorism of the colonial forces on their own in this captivating tale of war, freedom and oppression, told from the perspective of a child. (Göteborg Film Festival)