Big Night!

Jun Robles Lana's 2021 Filipino film follows Dharna, a beautician. He learns his name is on a drug watchlist and spends one night trying to get it removed. Being on that list can be fatal. The film gives this in the language of comedy while the danger stays real; the narrative shows the system one office at a time, from the barangay hall to the police station. Christian Bables leads, with Eugene Domingo and John Arcilla in support. The tone is dark comedy. The violence mostly stays outside the frame. Who it's for: viewers of Filipino cinema and political satire. Who it's not for: viewers for whom references to the killings of that period would be difficult.