In Singapore, the Lim family welcomes their newly arrived maid, Teresa. Like many other Filipino women, she has come to this city in search of a better life. Her presence in the family worsens their already strained relationship. Jiale, the young son, starts to form a unique bond with Teresa.

By following the point of view of a Filipino maid and the little boy she minds in Singapore, Ilo Ilo reveals an historical and economic moment through an emotionally subtle portrait of an unfolding bond. A sweetness imbues this candid and humanist drama based on the director’s own childhood.