Moral

Marilou Diaz-Abaya's 1982 Filipino film follows the lives of four women friends from university. The narrative proceeds in episodes, tracking separately how each of them constructs her sexual, professional and moral choices. The film was made during the martial law years and offers no directly political narrative; but the question of how much say women have over their own lives is bound up with the repression of that period. Ricky Lee's screenplay gives each character her own logic. None of the four is presented as a model. One stays in a marriage, one tries to become an artist, one refuses motherhood, one moves from relationship to relationship. The film neither rewards nor punishes any of them. Who it's for: those interested in Philippine film history and woman-centred ensemble narrative. Who it's not for: anyone looking for a short watch; the film is long and carries four separate stories in parallel.