Alagwa (film)

Alagwa
Directed by Ian Loreños
Produced by G. Lao
Ian Loreños
Jericho Rosales
Written by Ian Loreños
Starring Jericho Rosales
Bugoy Cariño
Production
company
Anakim Media Productions
Distributed by Star Cinema
Release dates
  • October 6, 2012 (Busan Film Festival)
  • October 9, 2013 (Philippines)
Running time
 88 minutes
Country Philippines
Language Filipino
Tagalog
English
Box office PHP 1,896,577[1]

Alagwa (English: Breakaway) is a 2012 Filipino drama film written and directed by Ian Loreños. The film stars Jericho Rosales, a father struggling to search his son after disappearing in the city. The film is inspired by a popular urban legend about a child's disappearance in Chinatown Manila. The film uncovers the dark facets of the underground business of human trafficking in the Philippines.

The film had its world premiere at the 17th Busan International Film Festival in 2012, and have its limited screening in the Philippines during the CinemaOne Originals Film Festival 2012, last December. The film was released commercially by Star Cinema this October 9, 2013.

Synopsis

An impoverished single parent, Robert Lim (Jericho Rosales) spends his free time with his young son Brian (Bugoy Cariño), whom he was mad for being responsible of the death of his wife during childbirth. One day Robert went to a mall with Brian for some father and son bonding time, Brian goes to the bathroom then mysteriously disappears. Robert, worried about his son's disappearance, informs the police chief (Leo Martinez) that his son was abducted. Using evidence shown on camera disc recorded under surveillance, it shows a teenage kid talking to his son Brian. Enraged by this, Robert goes to a park in Quezon Avenue in search of the suspect and later witnesses him getting off a taxi. Robert enrages at the boy but he escapes. The next day, police recover a dead boy's body with Robert thinking it was his son, but this turns out to be his son's kidnapper's body. Robert, becoming more furious, attempts to hunt down the man down responsible for his son's disappearance. He then encounters a vigilante, and with his knowledge about the suspects of Brian's kidnapping, pretends to help him by telling him that his son is now being transported to Hong-Kong. Robert soon discovers that Brian's kidnapping is the result of human-trafficking. That night, Robert receives a call from the vigilante again telling him that he should meet him under an overpass, but soon gets ambushed by police with the vigilante dying on the scene. Several years passed, Robert has a new family and with his new son (John Manalo), travels to Hong Kong with him. On the streets, his son suddenly goes missing. Robert goes to search for him, feeling worried that the previous incident would occur to his new family. Robert searches for him in a subway and finds a homeless man playing a harmonica. Robert suddenly recognises the homeless man's harmonica, realising that Brian had exactly the same harmonica from his childhood. Robert also remembers Brian teaching him a secret handshake. Robert attempts to do the secret handshake with the homeless man, who knows the secret handshake as well. Realising that his long-lost son was finally found, Robert tearfully embraces him and the story concludes with his other son witnessing the scene.

Cast

Awards and nominations

References

  1. ↑ Gross

External links