Illusion (2005)★ 7.8/10

PH · 100 min · January 1, 2005

• Drama

Directed by: Ellen Ramos, Paolo Villaluna

Written by: Jon Red, Paolo Villaluna

Set in Philippine post-American colonialist era, where the American influence was still apparent, Ilusyon tells the story of Miguel, a young man from the countryside, who decides to visit his father Pablo, a Modernist painter in Manila. Upon his arrival, he discovers that his father has decided to leave for the province, but he decides to stay in Manila and have a vacation. One day he meets Stella, a nude model originally scheduled to pose for Miguel's father. Struck by her beauty, Miguel does the unthinkable: he pretends to be his painter father; they start and develop a relationship based on his lie. Suddenly Stella contracts a strange skin disease that repels Miguel. Surrounded by strange characters--a talking cow, a talkative mailman, and a nosy landlady--Miguel is driven into a frenzy realization about beauty, lust, love, and being true to oneself. An ambiguous ending underlines the surreal tone of the film.