"Iiyak ang Langit" is an excruciating documentary that exposes the untold pain of the families struggling to survive after the extrajudicial killings in the Philippines. Melinda is at the heart of this story—she lost her son to state violence and now makes a living by producing candles. Her story, together with the candlemakers—unified not only by wax and wick but by grief and survival—turned out to be a reflection of how labor-fueled both mourning and resistance. As they maneuver their hands to turn darkness into light, even the sky seemed to weep with them.
Status
Released
Original Language
TL
In the final decades of the 20th century, the Philippines was a country where low-budget exploitation-film producers were free to make nearly any kind of movie they wanted, any way they pleased. It was a country with extremely lax labor regulations and a very permissive attitude towards cultural expression. As a result, it became a hotbed for the production of cheapie movies. Their history and the genre itself are detailed in this breezy, nostalgic documentary.
