THE HALT

Manila, 2034. Volcanic eruptions have obscured the sun and a crazed dictator rules while the military carry out summary executions. In these dark times, two female Special Forces officers are in love and cross paths with a former history teacher who is now a silently suffering call girl.

Ulitizing and subverting melodramatic conventions, Lav Diaz’s 5-hour dystopia feels strangely prophetic and contemporary in its commentary on authoritarian regimes and cavalier approaches to public health. The absurdism is striking, infecting both bumbling government officials and sly opportunists.