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© 2026 The Couch Critic
Browse 166 movies from Cinemalaya Foundation
In the middle of a custody battle, a single mother finds something underneath her daughter's bed that will question her love for her child.
Aug 2022
Leo belongs to a poor family. Because he did not finish his studies, his only option is to work as a contractual worker in various establishments. In one job, he met a high-spirited girl named Tanya with whom he got romantically involved. In their relationship, he wishes to feel fulfillment and sense of security with her, but he is not prepared for this additional commitment.
Jul 2007
"#Y" chronicles the adventures of the members of a generation made universal by social media, internet, sex, drugs and alcohol.
Aug 2014
A Marikina shoemaker's daughter coming to terms with her grief in the wake of her father's suicide.
The once illustrious Lopez-Aranda family has faded. Celia, once the darling of Philippine opera, and Gaspar, a distinguished ex-congressman, lacked the shrewdness to maintain their once elegant status. Saddled with a failed marriage, a vanishing career and mounting debt, Celia sold her share of their house to Gaspar, now bedridden. She managed to stay for free in exchange for being Gaspar’s caregiver. Gaspar loves listening to Celia’s arias. This idyllic arrangement is shattered when he slips into a coma. His daughter, Raquel, comes home from the US, determined to sell the house to salvage her own economic woes abroad. This signals Celia’s impending homelessness. With only a few heirlooms to sell, she is at her wits’ end. A fervent believer of the Sto. Nino, she hopes for a miracle. She dresses up her grandson, Antony, in Sto. Nino robes to prepare him for the coming fiesta.
Jul 2011
An introspective journey of a Filipino daughter attending the funeral of her estranged OFW father in a city in Japan that is rebuilding from the aftermath of the March 2011 tsunami.
Feb 2026
A countryside dramedy (drama-comedy) that follows 14-year-old Diana and her younger brother who live by themselves after their mother went abroad and their father lived with another woman. Set in a remote purok, where people display positive outlook in life despite daily struggles, the film features the light side of country lifestyle as the main characters take advantage of the fun and thrills of the town festival to take hold of their sweet childhood.
Aug 2013
Manok is a middle-class treasure hunter who’s been digging for Japanese treasure for years. He and his companions are in the final stage of their current site in the mountains of Suyo, Ilocos Sur, an area reputed as a Japanese stronghold during World War II. All the signs at their site indicate that they are certain to find treasure. With their resources nearly depleted, Manok convinces his godfather in marriage, Freddie, to finance the rest of their operations. Manok, Freddie, and another friend, Boyet, journey back to the site hoping that, as their medium predicted, they will find gold before Manok’s wife gives birth in a month’s time.
Jul 2009
Instant Mommy follows the story of Bechayda, a two-months-pregnant wardrobe assistant for TV commercial production. In the fear of losing her Japanese lover and her dreams of a better life, she embarks on a plan that will get herself out of her predicament. Or so she thinks.
Jul 2013
Based on a true story, Cuchera is about Filipino drug mules, drug couriers and their recruiters. It follows the story of Isabel, a veteran drug mule, in her first attempt at running her own drug transshipment operation between Manila and China. Isabel’s character is based on the story of an actual Filipina drug mule who was caught with eight capsules of heroin lodged in her sex organ, 48 in the rectum and 11 in her abdomen after an x-ray was conducted by Chinese authorities. Cuchera presents an accurate depiction of how some Filipinos end up becoming entrenched in the world of illegal drugs. Currently, the Philippines leads all Southeast Asian countries in the number of nationals arrested for drug smuggling charges in China. As of 2009, there are currently 95 Filipinos languishing in various jails in Chinese territories---four of whom are on death row. Violators include minors who enter China with fake passports.
After ending her toxic relationship with her boyfriend Ben, 40-year-old Alice discovers she is pregnant. With her age and current relationship status, her first instinct is to have the pregnancy terminated. As her body undergoes dramatic changes, Alice struggles and needs to decide what to do. Will she slide back into the arms of Ben? What will this mean for the child growing inside her?
A pessimistic uninspired middle-aged artist finds spark with a millennial photographer who leads her on a path of creative and sexual reawakening.
Aug 2019
Ace, 23, and Miko, 17, desperately want to become famous actors but it seems the Universe has a different plan for their lives.
Peping wakes up to find out that Gima, their goat, is missing. His family make a living out of the milk provided the goat. He hides the truth from his grandmother. His father is also arriving the next day so he needs to find Gima before its too late. Together with his younger sister, Lita, the two go on a seemingly impossible search for the goat in the landscape of the island of Sabtang, in Batanes. A series of frustrating episodes mark the day, tension and desperation growing as natural and human forces conspire to frustrate them at every turn. The odyssey teaches the boy about the true meaning of life- where kindness and cruelty can be found in close proximity.
A woman relieves the heavy burden from her past when she finally exacts revenge on the man who murdered her entire family.
While creating the subtitles of a film, a young Filipina translator and a middle-aged Japanese director test the limits of language and understanding.
Feb 2024
Hendrix dreams of hip-hop greatness, but he’s spiraling down a rabbit-hole of crime and poverty until he meets Doc, an old poet still haunted by his martial law past. Can they turn each other’s lives around before they’re swallowed by their circumstance?
Aug 2017
An assassin, a porn dubber and a transgender. Three souls. One explicit illusion. To find the ultimate joy in their empty lives. A safe haven, where passion and love mean humanity, ecstasy means enlightenment; and the soul is the ultimate arbiter of the truth.
Genevieve Homes boasts of a 24-hour security system (you may have seen him napping every so often), and is conveniently located near the neighborhood “sari-sari” store and outdoor café. Those with athletic inclinations will certainly enjoy a one-on-one game of basketball in Genevieve’s outdoor unisport complex; or they can take a stroll in its very precise, ten-plant garden. More than its old-world appeal, Genevieve’s real treasures are its tenants, some of whom have lived in the complex for what seems like forever. A peculiar mix of old and young, families and young single professionals, you’ll certainly be charmed by their ability to be ensconced in the daily, numbing repetition of their everyday lives. You may have heard of the disturbing news involving the discovery of a dead fetus inside the dumpster beside Genevieve Homes, but don’t let that feral murder discourage you from visiting us. Our waste management disposal system is at par with other urban cities
Jul 2008
A public hospital serves as a witness to a young boy’s rite of passage when he is stuck to take care of his ailing father. Caught in a place where life itself is in limbo, the boy treats the hospital grounds as his playground, not knowing that it will be his source of liberation in the end.