In the slums of Manila, 11-year-old Ginto tries to survive the harsh reality. He ignores his sister’s concerns and turns to drugs and gang life. Meanwhile, Dutch tourist Michael arrives to meet his Filipino online girlfriend, but his world collapses when he discovers that he has been deceived. In sackcloth and ashes, he descends into the dark parts of the city, where a sinister game of supply and demand is played out. While Ginto struggles with his blossoming sexuality and identity, his path crosses that of Michael.

In this intense and visually stunning filmed story, Morgan Knibbe (Those Who Feel the Fire Burning) exposes a system that still exists in 2025. The film shows how the toxic mechanisms of capitalism imprison countless – often – young lives and determine their fate. This is not an isolated problem, but is rooted in a post-colonial mentality in which money makes everything buyable and in which Western tourists can misbehave on the other side of the world with impunity.

Every Tuesday and Saturday you can enjoy one of the newest films with English subtitles.