Ilusyon (2005)

• 83%
• 2005
• Drama
• Ellen Ramos
• Paolo Villaluna
• Yul Servo
• Jennifer Lee
• JC Parker

Set in Philippine post-American colonialist era, where the American influence was still apparent, Ilusyon tells the story of Miguel, a young man from the countryside, who decides to visit his father Pablo, a Modernist painter in Manila. Upon his arrival, he discovers that his father has decided to leave for the province, but he decides to stay in Manila and have a vacation. One day he meets Stella, a nude model originally scheduled to pose for Miguel's father. Struck by her beauty, Miguel does the unthinkable: he pretends to be his painter father; they start and develop a relationship based on his lie. Suddenly Stella contracts a strange skin disease that repels Miguel. Surrounded by strange characters--a talking cow, a talkative mailman, and a nosy landlady--Miguel is driven into a frenzy realization about beauty, lust, love, and being true to oneself. An ambiguous ending underlines the surreal tone of the film.