Men and women are protesting on the streets of a city (in the Philippines, Lav Diaz’s native country?). They are speaking different languages – English, Filipino? – and they appear furious and sentimental. A phrase emerges: “To be or not to be.” It is from Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” one of the most emblematic quotes from the Bard. Why are these protesters so upset? In one shot, they look directly at the camera and challenge the audience, who are trying to make sense of the cacophony (literally). The film work at times is crude despite the beautiful black and white images (with ungainly movements and abrupt cuts), depicting something more akin to a pamphlet, almost a subversive form of propaganda (the backgrounds also frequently imitate perfect framing). In the end, there is an apocalyptic rainfall. The day before the end…Has everything just ended or can it all start again? Diaz’s film is a challenge to the senses and to human communication, to the entirety of culture which weighs upon us, the mere fragile bodies which take on the indigence of the world. What might indeed remain after all this? This is Lav Diaz’s first film at Vila do Conde. The Filipino director is one of the most respected filmmakers of the past decade and well-known for his feature films. At the Berlin Festival, where he received the Alfred Bauer Prize, he presented “A Lullaby to the Sorrowful Mystery,” an 8-hour long piece. High points in his filmography include “Norte, the End of History” (2013) and “From What Is Before” (2014), the latter having been awarded the Golden Leopard at the Locarno Festival. (DR)