"Hindi mo makikita ang hindi mo alam, ang hindi mo nararamdaman."

A quiet, understated drama about the disconnection of a Filipina overseas worker. Mila, a nursing aide played by Nora Aunor, is tired of working in a foreign country, speaking a colonial language, and serving colonial masters just to help her family back home. She connects with her ward Lolo Caloy (played by Cesar Aliparo), a Filipino-American senior who witnessed the widespread discrimination against his people. Through their conversations, the…

"Magtitipid muna tayo nang kaunti dahil ang mga milyones natin medyo nababawasan."

That family conference scene at the beginning really encapsulates the thesis of this film: a mother anxious about their own proletarianisation, in denial of their hardships. Many Filipinos have adopted and internalised that mindset of being temporarily embarassed millionaires brought by American colonization. Ina Montecillo reminds me of my mom. Once a housewife who did everything she could to supplement my dad's meager wage. This is a reminder…

I really loved this. I relate so much to Anna and her ascendant working class struggles. I see myself in her, my family in her family. I see how giving and selfless she can be, but grows to realize that she cannot continue lending a hand to an immovable object. She explains, reiterates her situation to Alex whose hardened individualism cannot comprehend the complexities of the Filipino family. She has to make ends meet while he only has to raise…