We’re still a little less than a year out from the next Philippine elections. May 12, 2025 is far into the horizon. And yet, Kip Oebanda’s Balota was among the box office hits at the 2024 Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival.
Revolving around the tight mayoral election of a small town in the Philippines, the story takes a dark turn when violence erupts and one of the teacher poll-watchers, Teacher Emmy, is forced to flee to the wilderness to protect the town’s last ballot box.
In this High Five review, we’ll take a look at how successfully the film explores themes of social injustice, while serving as an entertaining film for audiences here and beyond.
“Saan ba nanggagaling ang kapangyarihan sa mundo?” (“Who holds power in the world?”)
Right from the onset, the film’s dialogue asks the question that punctuates one of the central themes of the story, “Who holds power in the world?”
Set in a time before the integration of electronic voting machines and in an ambiguous rural town that could be anywhere in the Philippines, Balota introduces a small world that pushes its audience to focus on the stories of the masses and their struggles. There is no grandeur, only the simple rural life of everyday Filipinos.
This setting allows the audience to focus on the critical power dynamics of the characters in the film: teacher-student, police-civilian, politician-citizens. It shifts our focus to the dialogue and makes us listen to how these power dynamics are played out.
“Pati katarungan, nakawin niyo.” (“You’ve stolen everything, even justice.”)
Justice in the world of the film is sparse. From the first act to the third act, you can count on one hand how many criminal acts get the justice they deserve.
The protagonist, a teacher named Emmy (Marian Rivera), lives in a corrupt town where an election could so easily turn into a tragedy. Those who are in power decide what begets justice and what does not. The poor are pawns to the rich men and women’s fight for power over each other and over the poor.
It’s a raw portrayal of how Philippine society works. Even when the masses are painfully aware of their standing in society, they are rendered powerless in the face of seeking justice. Only when they band together do they gather enough power to get a modicum of the justice they rightfully deserve.
“Hindi pa rin ako mawawalan ng pag-asa. Kaya nga ako teacher eh.” (“I haven’t lost hope yet. That’s why I became a teacher.”)
In her Cinamalaya debut, Marian Rivera proves up to the task of leading a film that tackles one of the most important issues in the country.
Her character, Emmy, is fierce, smart, and funny. In a position where she had the chance to throw it all out the window for a quick cash grab, she sticks to her principles and refuses to be swayed by money or power. She is what we all wish to be when faced with a moral dilemma.
Marian allows herself to be dragged through dirt, mud, and blood transforming herself into the character while still bringing her trademark sharp sense of humor. She takes a piece of herself and disappears into the character. A truly well-deserved Best Actress win.
“Baklang kanal tayo, pero hindi tayo dapat nakatira sa literal na kanal.” (“We’re gutter gays, but that doesn’t mean we live in the sewers.”)
While the inclusion of famous social media influencers in the cast did raise some eyebrows, they delivered hard-hitting lines that resonated with the audience. Felix Petate, more famously known as Sassa Gurl, and Esnyr Ranollo, brought honest and comedic performances that stood out among an already great cast.
In Gen Z slang, everyone understood the assignment. The ensemble cast worked to give justice to the script. Even when lines bordered on the cliché, they felt genuine and sincere. In a story without much CGI nor elaborate studio sets, the delivery of the dialogue carried the narrative of the film.
“Wala naman sa balota yan. Nangyayari yan sa kalsada.” (“It’s not the ballot that affects change. Change happens in the streets.”)
Perhaps the strongest point of the story is its overarching message. Voting is about as important as the value a voter puts to their vote. And in the end, unless everyone works together to ensure the integrity of the vote, democracy still suffers.
For one of the characters, it’s not the ballots that change the circumstances and course of the masses’ lives. It can help, but it’s not the end all and be all. After all, elections are fleeting, and election fraud is almost inescapable.
It’s in the streets where people fight for their voices to be heard. It’s in the streets where the masses reclaim their power and demand a just society.
This far out from the election, Balota’s message should not have resonated so much with audiences, but it did. It ultimately asks a personal question: for how much are you willing to sell your vote? It provokes the audience to take a long look at their elected officials, from the barangay kagawads to the president himself. And most importantly, it forces the audience to look at themselves in the mirror and ask, “Can my vote be bought? If not, what am I willing to risk to keep the integrity of that vote?”
With its thought-provoking themes, a story that resonates with the public, and amazing performances from the cast, SEA Wave rates Balota a 4/5.