Bangas-An and his wife Shaleha are a childless Muslim couple struggling to make ends meet in a region fraught with violence and poverty. They are also a Bajau couple, widely considered gypsies, a frequently maligned and oppressed ethnic group of the southern Philippines. Shaleha earns a meager living sewing tapestries and often serves as the village’s midwife. Suffering through three miscarriages and fearing she will never bear a son for her husband, Shaleha finally makes the ultimate sacrifice and suggests he take a second wife who can. She starts looking for someone suitable for her husband’s second wife, butshe cannot keep her mixed feelings from growing inside her mind. Featuring a standout performance by Philippine superstar Nora Aunor, Brillante Mendoza once again captures the complexities and frustrations of contemporary Philippine society. Shot in a realist style, Mendoza explores themes of sacrifice, unconditional love, faith and duty as well as the push and pull between modernity and tradition. But even while casting a critical eye, Mendoza celebrates the unique culture of the Bajau and highlights the beauty of the island’s way of life. (KIM Ji-Seok)