The Woman in the Septic Tank

Marlon Rivera's 2011 Filipino film follows young producers hoping to reach international festivals. They plan an independent film about poverty and prostitution and spend the day arguing over which mode of telling would work best. The film stages that argument directly: the same scene is shot again and again, first as realist drama, then as a musical, then as handheld documentary. How poverty gets packaged is the real subject, and the satire comes from there. Eugene Domingo plays herself, and that choice is the sharpest part of the satire; she appears as an actress calculating which version would win more prizes. The budget is low and the film turns that to its advantage. Who it's for: those who like cinema about cinema and Filipino independent film. Who it's not for: viewers expecting a film that treats its subject directly; poverty is not depicted here, the manner of depicting it is debated.