Lahi, hayop

In seinem neuen Film widmet sich Lav Diaz jener philosophischen Frage nach dem, was Menschen zu Menschen macht. Antworten findet er im Dreck philippinischer Realitäten zwischen Katholizismus, Gewalt und ökonomischen Abhängigkeiten. Drei „wie Ratten lebende“ Glücksritter machen sich auf eine Reise in ihre Heimat, zur Insel Hugaw. Die hoffnungslos Ausgebeuteten werden auf dem beschwerlichen Weg durch die Wälder mit sich selbst konfrontiert. In jeder Sekunde haben sie die Wahl: Menschlichkeit oder animalischer Trieb. Diaz’ unterwegs erteilte Lektion: Der Mensch muss sich zunächst einmal selbst erkennen, bevor er das System verändern kann. (Patrick Holzapfel)

The films of the Filipino director Lav Diaz are always driven by a keen sense of Dostoevskian morality, in which justice may fail, but crimes are met with retributive revenge. His epic moralist dramas play out against the background of egregious social inequality, in a world in which powerful politicians, the rich and military chiefs get away with abusing the poor.
Diaz picks up the threads of injustice and inequality once more, in his new feature, GENUS PLAN, in which three impoverished miners leave their work site to return home, on the Hugaw Island. They cross a treacherous open country and a forest, carrying their wages with them. Their odyssey-like journey, with forest spirits hovering in the thicket, uncovers frictions and a secret that caused a sense of burning guilt. Subsequently, the youngest miner, Andres, who cares for his disabled mother and sister, must also fend off greedy village lackeys who accuse him of a crime he didn’t commit. With understated black-and-white cinematography, and storytelling imbued with folk tales and superstitions, Diaz weaves a narrative that combines social critique and local lore. Christian values clash with pagan beliefs, and decency sees itself embattled in the backlands, where local lords rule. (Ela Bittencourt)

Lav Diaz: NAKED UNDER THE MOON (1999), EVOLUTION OF A FILIPINO FAMILY (2004), HEREMIAS (BOOK ONE: THE LEGEND OF THE LIZARD PRINCESS) (2006), DEATH IN THE LAND OF ENCANTOS (2007), MELANCHOLIA (2008), WOMAN OF THE WIND (2011), NORTE, THE END OF HISTORY (2013), A LULLABY TO THE SORROWFUL MYSTERY (2016), THE WOMAN WHO LEFT (2016), SEASON OF THE DEVIL (2018), THE HALT (2019)