History of Ha(HKAFF 2021)

Filipino auteur Lav Diaz’s latest epic looks back to 1957, when his country was on the cusp of another major political and societal upheaval following the untimely death of massively popular president Ramon Magsaysay. This whimsical fable follows Hernando, a vaudeville performer who returns to his home after a tour on a cruise ship. After losing the love of his life, Hernando decides that he will only speak through his puppet, Ha, as he goes on a surreal journey that sees him descend to rock bottom before finally discovering his redemption. Another fiercely uncompromising work from one of Asia’s most hardworking arthouse filmmakers, History of Ha is also a tribute to bodabil, a once-popular Filipino form of vaudeville that has largely been forgotten.