Anak

Anak

2022 · 91 min · Drama

Masculinity, race and boyhood simmer in this stylish slow-cinema debut about a Filipino-Australian father and his six-year-old son, who are navigating a family divorce. Exploring the complexities of family, society and culture that shape young Filipinos, this feature debut from rising filmmaker Caleb Ribates depicts the tender relationship between an immigrant father and his young son as they deal with being abandoned by the boy’s mother. With its evocative black-and-white cinematography, long takes and naturalistic dialogue, Anak follows in the footsteps of slow-cinema masters like Lav Diaz and Apichatpong Weerasethakul, while finding an intimacy and tonal register that is all Ribates’ own.

Directed by Caleb Ribates · Written by Caleb Ribates

Your Rating

Cast

Make it a double feature

3h 2m together

Anak

The Story of the Weeping Camel

A close match in mood and era.

More from Caleb RibatesSee all →

Walking

Walking · 2023

In this striking meditation on the Australian migrant community, a Filipino teenager follows his mother through the bleak landscape of Melbourne’s northern suburbs.

More Like This

Desert Hearts

Desert Hearts · 1985

MovieDramaRomance

While waiting for her divorce papers, a repressed literature professor finds herself unexpectedly attracted by a carefree, spirited young woman named Cay.

Open Hearts

Open Hearts · 2002

MovieDramaRomance

Cecilie and Joachim are about to get married when a freak car accident leaves Joachim disabled, throwing their lives into a spin. The driver of the other car, Marie, and her family don’t get off lightly, either. Her husband Niels works in the hospital where he meets Cecilie and falls madly in love with her.

The War of the Roses

The War of the Roses · 1989

The War of the Roses

MovieComedyDrama

Barbara and Oliver Rose live happily as a married couple. When Barbara starts to wonder what life would be like without Oliver and likes what she sees, the two begin a campaign to force each other to leave their house, with their divorce lawyer D'Amato caught in the middle.

Bed and Board

Bed and Board · 1970

MovieComedyDrama

Parisian everyman Antoine Doinel has married his sweetheart Christine Darbon, and the newlyweds have set up a cozy domestic life of selling flowers and giving violin lessons while Antoine fitfully works on his long-gestating novel. As Christine becomes pregnant with the couple's first child, Antoine finds himself enraptured with a young Japanese beauty. The complications change the course of their relationship forever.

Beyond Silence

Beyond Silence · 1996

MovieDramaMusic

Beyond Silence is about a family and a young girl’s coming of age story. This German film looks into the lives of the deaf and at a story about the love for music. A girl who has always had to translate speech into sign language for her deaf parents yet when her love for playing music grows strong she must decide to continue doing something she cannot share with her parents.

Contempt

Contempt · 1963

MovieDramaRomance

Art film producer Jeremy Prokosch, unhappy with the work of his director, hires Fritz Lang (as himself) to direct an adaptation of The Odyssey, but when it seems that the legendary filmmaker is making a picture destined to bomb, he brings in a screenwriter to energise the script. The professional intersects with the personal when a rift develops between the writer and his wife.

Bend It Like Beckham

Bend It Like Beckham · 2002

Bend It Like Beckham

MovieComedyDrama

Jess Bhamra, the daughter of a strict Indian couple in London, is not permitted to play organized soccer, even though she is 18. When Jess is playing for fun one day, her impressive skills are seen by Jules Paxton, who then convinces Jess to play for her semi-pro team. Jess uses elaborate excuses to hide her matches from her family while also dealing with her romantic feelings for her coach, Joe.

The Story of the Weeping Camel

The Story of the Weeping Camel · 2004

The Story of the Weeping Camel

MovieDocumentaryDrama

When a Mongolian nomadic family's newest camel colt is rejected by its mother, a musician is needed for a ritual to change her mind.

The Good Shepherd

The Good Shepherd · 2006

The Good Shepherd

MovieDramaThriller

Edward Wilson, the only witness to his father's suicide and member of the Skull and Bones Society while a student at Yale, is a morally upright young man who values honor and discretion, qualities that help him to be recruited for a career in the newly founded OSS. His dedication to his work does not come without a price though, leading him to sacrifice his ideals and eventually his family.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter