Rebecca Padilla

Maxi, a boy on the cusp of his teens, is already comfortable with his homosexual feelings, with acceptance from his family. When Maxi is assaulted one evening, Victor, a police officer, comes to his aid. Maxi soon develops a crush on Victor, who shows a platonic affection for the young lad.

The film, set in the 1980s, is centred upon a young student, from 1982 as a freshman and ending in 1986. The background is the last years of Martial Law in the Philippines where the Marcos dictatorship was at its peak.

In the time of war, can goodness be still found? “Memories of the Rising Sun” traces a Japanese soldier’s journey to humanity as he find himself torn between his loyalty to his mother country and his love and care for the Filipino family that cared for him. In the darkest of times, where hope is only a glimmer, can the heart still find its way to care?