Joseph Israel Laban’s debut film is based on a documentary he shot two years ago about the “grim fate of low-rent drug mules” in the Philippines.
But one has to wonder if a similar film had been submitted by a Canadian, or an American for that matter, would the entry have been selected for competition?
Is the Festival that concerned with its international selection? At the cost of quality?
The folks at TIFF are touting this as a watershed film.
The film is amateurish at best.
Kudos for those who took a risk. But maybe this should have stayed a documentary