In 1957, the year President Ramon Magsaysay died, ventriloquist puppeteer Hernando Alamada returns to the Philippines after his final performance on the May Flower Cruise, looking forward to marrying his beloved. Despite his family’s warm welcome, the poverty that has spread throughout the town is palpable. When he hears the news of his fiancée’s contractual marriage to another man to pay off her debt, Hernando loses all meaning of life and leaves the town. The road outside the town is crowded with people aiming for a jackpot from the gold mines, and many are headed to Diwata Island, but where are all their dreams leading them to? The latest film by director Lav Diaz, who has been metaphorically presenting the plight of his people, History of Ha is a love story as well as a story of a community destroyed by materialism and political powers. [Sung MOON]