I Need More Than Tofu and Other Vegetables

An actress commits suicide in a theatre full of people. Now she haunts the venue and those who visit.

To this day, Ishmael Bernal's movie Himala is still in our town, in our world. This will be reflected in the broader perspective of the majority, of the surrounding events. Beliefs still lie in the truth. Consciousness is still dominant at the level of illusion. The naive, savage, cruel, and selfish politics still prevail.

Two unusually close friends share every aspect of their lives together. As their lives evolve, their bond remains the only constant.

Amidst the social and political struggles of the "Bagong Lipunan" era, Red grows up with his middle-class family as an ordinary boy. He then finds himself caught between the conflicts brought by his mother's unbending ideologies, and his father's apolitical instinct to protect his family.

This film is composed of black and white images from the somber depths of Manila’s Sta. Mesa district, which are juxtaposed in the railroad system that metaphorically connects the lives of each individual in the community. Captured by a single camera and a keen eye, each moving picture is accompanied by stories of grief, misery, hope and inspiration.

A young boy and his three friends are trying to live a normal life, battling their own demons and taking care of their respective families while their fathers are away. Until one day, the phone call that they look forward to everyday, finally never came.