Birdshot

Mikhail Red's 2017 Filipino film begins when Maya, a young woman living on a farm with her father, mistakenly shoots an endangered Philippine eagle. The state opens an investigation, while a busload of farmers who disappeared in the same region is on nobody's agenda. The contrast the film builds is plain and effective: a state that mobilises for a protected species does nothing for missing people. The story proceeds as a police film, but the resolution comes not from finding a culprit but from seeing how the system works. The photography is strong; the rice fields and the forest become a threatening space. The pace is slow and the ending harsh. Who it's for: viewers who like Philippine cinema and political thrillers. Who it's not for: anyone wanting a fast narrative, or avoiding content involving sexual violence and state violence.