By stripping away names and portraying sections of history through figurative and literal shadows, Raymond Red’s ‘Bayani’ builds an incredibly intriguing perspective that lingers beyond the textbooks and documents it lifts from.

‘Lost Sabungeros’ suggests through interviews with insider whistleblowers that the criminal mastermind behind the violent disappearances within the e-sabong industry is the notorious gambling tycoon, Charlie “Atong” Ang.

While ‘The Gospel of the Beast’s’ knife doesn’t cut as deep as it should’ve in terms of messaging, the theme and intention of the film are very clear — that economic instability creates beasts that can’t be tamed.