Essential Truths of the Lake

Score: 3.62

13 Ratings

Synopsis: Faced with Philippine President Duterte’s bloody murders and brazen lies, Lt. Hermes Papauran continues his struggle to find resolution to a 15-year-old case around a volcanic ash-laden landscape and an impenetrable lake.

Genre: Drama

Director & Writer: Lav Diaz

Cast: John Lloyd Cruz, Hazel Orencio, Shaina Magdayao, Bart Guingona, Agot Isidro, Tart Carlos, Paul Jake Paule, Barbie Capacio, Susan Africa, Dido de la Paz

Reviews/Notes:

• “’Essential Truths of the Lake’ presents a compelling interrogation of the political situation in the Philippines, and how its penchant for violence and human rights abuses ultimately shapes its future and changes its people, for better or worse.” (Read more)
  – Lé Baltar, Rappler (4/5)

• “As a prequel to Lav Diaz’s earlier movie When the Waves are Gone, Essential Truths of the Lake sees the filmmaker at his more introspective. Indeed, the film asks more questions than it answers them.” (Read more)
  – Paul Enicola (4/5)

• “Though this is still a documentary about Duterte’s killings, this provided a unique perspective, especially on how it generally affected the LGBTQ+ community and ironically found safety in a space that caters to the very religion that scrutinized them.”
  – Jun Mendoza (3/5)

• “Lav Diaz tries his hand on the mystery genre on its face but from the get-go, you know this film is never about the mystery. With the Philippines’ social climate, it’s not even pessimism that cold cases cannot be solved. We even learn that this is not the first re-opening of the case of the midway of the film.” (Read more)
  – Vinson Gabato (3.5/5)

• “Acting as a prequel to an unintended trilogy, Essential Truths of the Lake takes us to the impending insanity that John Lloyd Cruz’s Hermes goes through in When The Waves Are Gone. We are drawn to his desperation to solve a years-long cold case, uncovering the familiar and unfamiliar.” (Read more)
  – Ralph Regis (3/5)