Netflix has steadily amassed an impressive library of Filipino movies. Offering a mix of favorites across romance (Hello, Love, Again, That Thing Called Tadhana, A Second Chance), comedy (Die Beautiful, Flower Girl), drama (Lolo and the Kid, Crying Ladies, Isang Himala) and more, the streaming site has become an accessible platform for anyone wanting to either explore or revisit the offerings of Filipino cinema. What’s more, additions are being regularly added to Netflix, including new releases such as Sunshine, Posthouse, and more.
However, this doesn’t mean that all Filipino movies are permanent fixtures on the platform. On December 19, four full-length features are set to depart Netflix, at least for the time being.
One of these films is Apocalypse Child, the 2015 drama directed by Mario Cornejo that follows a young surfer named Ford (Sid Lucero) as he navigates his feelings of purposelessness in his hometown of Baler, where his namesake, Francis Ford Coppola, shot Apocalypse Now.
Another film leaving Netflix is director Khavn Dela Cruz’s 2017 historical drama Balangiga: Howling Wilderness, which offers an unflinching look at the Balangiga Massacre that took place in the US-occupied province of Eastern Samar in 1901.
Similarly, two comedies — Patay Na Si Hesus and Zombadings 1: Patayin sa Shokot si Remington — will be leaving the platform on the same date. The former, directed by Victor Villanueva, stars Jaclyn Jose as food vendor Iyay, who, along with her children, must travel from Cebu to Dumaguete to visit her deceased husband. Zombadings, directed by Jade Castro, follows its titular character (Martin Escudero), who is cursed to become gay on his 21st birthday after offending a grieving drag queen.
On December 27, the 2019 supernatural horror feature Clarita, directed by Derick Cabrido, will also be leaving Netflix. The story centers around a young woman (Jodi Sta. Maria) possessed by a demon, with Father Salvador (Ricky Davao) as her only hope for salvation.
Finally, two movies are slated to leave on January 5. Adolfo Alix Jr.’s Whistleblower, starring Nora Aunor, Cherry Pie Picache, and Angelica Panganiban, features the three actresses caught in a web of lies, politics, and corruption. Sitsit, directed by Ato Bautista and Erin Pascual, follows two horror stories starring Ivana Alawi and Jake Cuenca.
