Reviews

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  ★★★★ review by Alvin Cabalquinto on Letterboxd

  Deftly told tale of illegal aliens in the land of the Rising Sun yet the film is set in winter, where one can see the coldness of the country to the people who risk for a better life. Well acted by everyone in it, which I think is the suit of Lawrence Fajardo in giving his actors the chance to shine in each scenes. I love the effect of fleeting whiteness resonant to the themes of the film. That ending, even if it's very dramatic, still hits you.

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  ★★★½ review by Kayo Jolongbayan on Letterboxd

  Reserved, suffocating, brooding and affecting character study. Some stories are stronger than the others, but the characters are interesting enough for me to go through. The ending could have been better.

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  ★★★★★ review by Mark Lagos on Letterboxd

  a harrowing and painfully-real insight to the lives led by undocumented filipino workers in japan. five stars.

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  ★★★★ review by dph on Letterboxd

  Inspired. Obviously, Fajardo relished the joys in shooting beautiful long takes overseas. Episodic and felt, without exacting too much melodrama. Admirable attempt to still sum up its narrative and its tender take on Filipino masculinity we hardly see on OFW stories, because men take harsh beatings too, apparently. B+

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