Mga Anak ng Unos, Unang Aklat

Given his penchant for fictional features of epic onscreen time spans and runtimes, Lav Diaz’s latest film – a 2½-hour documentary about the aftermath of the deadly typhoon Haiyan which swept across the Philippines in November 2013 – seems like a departure of sorts. But STORM CHILDREN, BOOK ONE shares more than a few similarities in aesthetics and underlying theme with the Philippine auteur's previous film, FROM WHAT IS BEFORE. A visually riveting, heart-rending account of young boys and girls struggling to survive in calamitous landscapes, Diaz’s film is offering yet another story of beginnings – in this case, a generation forcibly stripped of their innocence, fast-tracked into adulthood and ingrained with an ennui which could easily morph into cynicism later on in life. (Clarence Tsui)