Underplayed Gems

The Woman in the Septic Tank (2011)

The Woman in the Septic Tank poster
Original title
Ang Babae sa Septic Tank
Directed by
Marlon N. Rivera
Genre
comedy film
Country
Philippines
Runtime
1h 27m
Rating
7.1 of 10 from 13 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

Three aspiring filmmakers in the Philippines plan to make a movie that will win international awards. They come up with a cynical story about poverty and tragedy to appeal to foreign judges.

satiricalmetadarkly comicironicself-awarefast-pacedcynicalentertaining

What happens

The Woman in the Septic Tank (Filipino: Ang babae sa septic tank) is a 2011 Philippine satirical black comedy film directed by Marlon Rivera, written by Chris Martinez, and starring JM De Guzman, Kean Cipriano, Cai Cortez and Eugene Domingo. The film follows three aspiring filmmakers who set out to make a film for the sole purpose of receiving international recognition and awards. The Woman in the Septic Tank was submitted as the Philippines' official entry for the 2011 Academy Awards for Best Foreign Film, and was an entry for the 2011 Cinemalaya Festival. It was produced by Martinez-Rivera Films and Quantum Films. The film was released on August 3, 2011, by Star Cinema and grossed 38.4 million pesos and was the highest grossing Filipino independent film at the time until it was surpassed in 2015 by That Thing Called Tadhana. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

More like this

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