Empath Studios

In a rural coastal village in the Philippines, Mona trains under her mother to start working as a professional mourner-for-hire. After a botched performance, Mona retreats from her mother's fury, and seeks out a shaman to cure her inability to cry.

After a ballet teacher is followed on her way home from work, To cope, she confides in her neighbour. Recounting what happened to her neighbour, Sara, who shares a personal remedy for the anxiety Ann is experiencing. The following day at work, Ann still cannot get the man out of her head, and she becomes increasingly desperate to rid herself of the feeling as her fears begin to manifest in dreams and reality.

Past and present merge through body and land connections to awaken ancient mythologies and spiritualities. Set in the present-day Philippines, the film depicts fairies and gods returning to the land as they are called back and remembered by several individuals, proving the country’s constant connection to its rich, complex history.