Anak

I picked up a copy of this on DVD while visiting Cebu, and it's a film that has stayed with me after just one viewing.

I live in Korea and there are plenty of Filipinos and Filipinas working here for little money to support their families back home. This movie was a good primer on the plight of overseas Filipino workers, though I'm sure many Filipinos have endured worse while working overseas.

I'd seen just one Philippine movie before "Anak," and I told the saleslady at the video store I got this film from to select a good movie for me instead of formulaic love stories and such. I'm glad she selected the DVD she did as I highly recommend this film.

It's sad so many Filipinos (10% of the population) have to go abroad to earn a living. The real villains are the corrupt government and social system in the Philippines as well as a runaway birth rate that dooms the people to poverty. I love the Phils and am a frequent visitor but I do see the causes of the country being a Third World country.