Joe Gruta

Acting

Joe Gruta

Born December 19, 1944 · Juban, Sorsogon, Philippines

Died March 10, 2024 · aged 79

No biography available.

Known For

Manila in the Claws of LightManila in the Claws of Light · 1975
Manila in the Claws of Light
★ 7.41975
MovieDramaMystery
Julio, a young fisherman from a provincial village, descends into social alienation as he arrives in Manila to search for his loved one.
AmigoAmigo · 2011
Amigo
★ 4.92011
MovieDramaHistory
Rafael is a village mayor caught in the murderous crossfire of the Philippine-American War. When U.S. troops occupy his village, Rafael comes under pressure from a tough-as-nails officer to help the Americans in their hunt for Filipino guerilla fighters. But Rafael's brother is the head of the local guerillas, and considers anyone who cooperates with the Americans to be a traitor. Rafael quickly finds himself forced to make the impossible, potentially deadly decisions faced by ordinary civilians in an occupied country.
The Bet CollectorThe Bet Collector · 2006
The Bet Collector
★ 7.02006
MovieDrama
Middle-aged Manila storeowner Amelita supplements her tiny income by collecting bets for the popular numbers game of jueteng. While looking out for police crackdowns, the masterfully persuasive Amelita cajoles all comers into placing wagers.
HimalaHimala · 1982
Himala
★ 8.01982
MovieDrama
When plain orphan Elsa begins having visions of the Virgin Mary, the rest of the residents of her isolated village find themselves questioning their own beliefs and values. Soon, Elsa is healing people with a variety of ailments. As word of this phenomenon spreads, tourists, pilgrims, patients and a documentary filmmaker all arrive on a quest to partake in the miracle.
MystrioMystrio · 1998
Mystrio
★ 7.01998
MovieDramaComedy
Three boys are confronted with what they perceive as a challenge to prove their masculinity in a story about sexual awakening. Paul is a show-off whose obnoxious ways mask deep insecurities. Cris is the klutz who tries to please everyone but ends up pleasing no one. And Caloy is the scholarly over-protected son more interested in surfing the net than meeting people. They are out to prove themselves real men but they almost always fall flat on their faces. During an out-of-town school seminar, the trio sees a good chance to finally visit a prostitution house with the three other villains in their lives trying also vainly to thwart their every move by picturing them as bad boys. So Paul, Cris and Caloy enter the red house but, instead of losing their innocence, they uncover the shocking reality that girls forced to work there are minors.
Evolution of a Filipino FamilyEvolution of a Filipino Family · 2004
Evolution of a Filipino Family
★ 7.82004
MovieDrama
Spanning from 1971 to 1987, in rural areas under the Marcos regime, a poor farming family struggle to overcome challenges brought on by corruption and greed for power.
LihisLihis · 2013
Lihis
★ 5.02013
MovieDrama
The film splits itself between two timelines. In 2006, Ada is basing her thesis on a massacre that occurred twenty years prior in a village called Acacia. Her mother Cecilia was part of a fact-finding mission into a massacre, and Ada’s inquiries bring up her history as a member of the NPA. The other timeline traces the relationship of Ka Felix and Ka Jimmy, two rebels who fall in love, despite the movement’s laws against such a pairing.
Nag-aapoy Na LamanNag-aapoy Na Laman · 2000
Nag-aapoy Na Laman
★ 4.02000
MovieDrama
A Filipino drama about desire, temptation, and complicated relationships. As passion begins to challenge existing commitments, the characters become caught in a web of attraction, jealousy, and emotional conflict, forcing them to face the consequences of their choices.

Filmography

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MystrioMystrio · 1998
Mystrio
★ 7.01998
MovieDramaComedy
Three boys are confronted with what they perceive as a challenge to prove their masculinity in a story about sexual awakening. Paul is a show-off whose obnoxious ways mask deep insecurities. Cris is the klutz who tries to please everyone but ends up pleasing no one. And Caloy is the scholarly over-protected son more interested in surfing the net than meeting people. They are out to prove themselves real men but they almost always fall flat on their faces. During an out-of-town school seminar, the trio sees a good chance to finally visit a prostitution house with the three other villains in their lives trying also vainly to thwart their every move by picturing them as bad boys. So Paul, Cris and Caloy enter the red house but, instead of losing their innocence, they uncover the shocking reality that girls forced to work there are minors.

NGO Representative

Lahar: Paraisong AboLahar: Paraisong Abo · 1997
Lahar: Paraisong Abo
★ 5.51997
MovieDrama
In the aftermath of the eruption of Mount Pinatubo, a volcano dormant for more than 400 years, the residents of the whole town of San Simon in Pampanga was engulfed by dust and thick mudflow called lahar. The whole surviving residents of the devastated community are relocated to transitional evacuation center, a tent city, where different and unique personalities meet: Sheila, a migrant worker from Germany who is struggling to keep her family intact at all costs; Sonia who is looking for her missing husband while pretending as a handicapped so she can beg on the streets; Ditas, who returns in Pampanga after getting pregnant in Manila; and Elena, a mother who lost her whole family in the eruption, yet she keeps a positive outlook in life that as long as she remembers her relatives no amount of tragedy could keep her from reminiscing of their once peaceful lives.