Eight years after its 2016 MMFF debut, Die Beautiful stands tall as a passionate, post-mortem portrait of a transgender beauty queen in Philippine society.

‘About Us But Not About Us’ is a psychological thriller about two gay writers uncovering secrets on a recent death. It’s hard to listen to, but we keep listening because of the scandal that comes with it.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire feels bloated and struggles to find the balance of showcasing the new characters aside from the main group of the Spengler family.

Ang Manananggal sa Unit 23B’s sensual romance offers something fresh, leaning towards the flesh as a representation of intimacy and longing in the form of people masquerading as lonely creatures of the night.

The dialogue-heavy, one-take film, ‘Anino Sa Likod Ng Buwan,’ is a marvel of calculated narrative and technical claustrophobia that will leave you gasping for breath with each frame and grab you by the neck with its unexpected twists and turns.

'Sleepless’ boldly defies the conventional Filipino rom-com formula, offering an intimate look at an enduring love not confined in romance...and opportunistic profit machines.

In Jun Lana’s struggle to make sense of past political conditions, Your Mother’s Son becomes his definitive bomba film: mired deeply in sex, and politically dense in its delirious and lustful desires.

‘Road House’ is too ecstatic to show us the intense high-octane action set pieces that it forgets to let the characters grow.

For a more Filipino semblance, White Bird: A Wonder Story captures this grandmother-grandchild dynamic of telling wondrous stories with lessons in the vein of “Mga Kuwento ni Lola Basyang.” Apart from the film’s setting, there isn’t that much to go further deep into things, as the film exists as an idealistic reminder of kindness conquering all.

‘Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire’ knows exactly what it wants to be: a maximalist monster affair that puts its biggest stars (literally) front and center of a vibrant and epic kaijū fisticuffs.

Iti Mapukpukaw finds new life on Netflix, breaking through art dimensions and film conventions with its animated exploration of trauma and losing one’s self.

A Glimpse of Forever is problematic not because it abandons romance to convey a message about men’s mental health, but because of how it approaches its subject matter with so much insensitivity and ignorance.

'The Zone of Interest' is an unprecedented triumph that's devoid of gruesome imagery but leaves you deeply scarred enough to internalize evil rather than merely look and listen.

Dune: Part Two exemplifies what a modern blockbuster should be, adding a monumental addition to the reason why films are best experienced in cinemas.

While ‘The Holdovers’ may have its shortcomings in the character study of its three lonesome protagonists, it finds strength in its quick-witted, incisive, and endlessly quotable script that strikes the perfect chord between humor and heart.

‘Ikaw Pa Rin Ang Pipiliin Ko’ tells the story of two lovers with a shared love for music but neither does their love for music nor their love for each other feel real. It gives us an unethical romance with an undeniable power imbalance between the couple.

I Am Not Big Bird is a comedic throwback to the late 90s and early 2000s aesthetic, with notable remnants such as VHS tapes and digicams, as well as an ode to outlandish action films from decades past, adding fuel to the parody fire.

Yasujiro Ozu invites audiences not to be intimidated by this storied classic, rewarding them with observations on family and the inevitability of time that still resonate today.

‘Lisa Frankenstein’ is an engrossing camp that leaves us chuckling for almost 2 hours. It's arguably the best we’ve ever seen from Liza Soberano because she carried the film, exceeding her Hollywood co-stars. Now showing in theaters.

And Yet, You Are So Sweet is a cliché romance that shows us what made shoujo stories decline in the first place, not being able to adapt to present times and its more progressive audience. Watch the other JFF films instead.