Original subtitles

[mosquito buzzing]

[buzzing continues]

[Arnel narrating in Tagalog]Have you ever been trying to fall asleep,

but a mosquito keeps buzzing in your ear?

My Mother used to tell me a story about why the mosquitoes do that.

- [wind blowing] - [mosquito buzzing]

Every character in this story is real.

You might even say it's a true story.

If any of what I'm about to tell you is hard to believe,

it's because this all happened so long ago.

- [slicing] - [birds chirping]

Once upon a time,

the island of Bohol was ruled by a crab named Mangla.

This King had many big frogs

who guarded his palace while he slept.

Crabs need lots of beauty sleep,

because they're super ugly.

One night,

Mangla felt tired and ugly,

so he ordered his frog guards not to make any noise...

[woman] Arnel!

- ...and then Mangla went to sleep. - Arnel!

[soft music playing]

[thundering]

[breathing heavily]

[soft music continues]

[Arnel] Mangla the Crab King did not sleep well that night,

because the frogs guarding him kept laughing.

When a frog laughs, it makes a disturbing sound,

the kind of noise that wakes up a king.

[frogs laughing]

[suspenseful music playing]

[knocking]

Arnel?

[in English] Hello.

[in Tagalog] Shit.

[slow music playing]

[woman 1] Arnel?

We need to prepare the 9th day commemoration for your mama.

Tell your dad to buy lots of candles.

And flowers. What color?

- [in English] Yellow. - Yellow.

[in Tagalog] And the food.

We'll make pancit noodles,

and spring rolls, and chicken.

Also rice and halo-halo.

Why halo-halo? She was a diabetic.

There's no diabetes in Heaven.

That's a good point.

Or maybe we will just eat it ourselves.

Papa will be home soon.

I'll get the money from him.

[line ringing]

[voicemail in English] Hello.

[switching to Tagalog] You've reached Angelo, please leave a message.

[dramatic music playing]

[Jaya narrating in Tagalog]Everything I do, I do for you.

I've always been destined for fame,

because when my star shines,

it's your light they witness.

[laughing]

[upbeat music playing]

After years performing as a comedian,

I got my own TV show in Tacloban.

GOSSIP AND SO ON!

[in English] Good morning, Tacloban.

Good morning, Eastern Visayas.

Welcome to the program, [in Tagalog] Chikahan and so on!

[Jaya narrating in Tagalog]It was a dream come true,

but dreams become nightmares...

very easily.

[sad music playing]

A mountain of seawater flooded our studio.

Super Typhoon Yolanda killed thousands of people

and my career in show business.

[upbeat music playing]

[snoring]

I had a strange dream. Flowers...

There were so many white flowers.

I saw my stepmother...

and a priest.

[exhales sharply] Did you fart?

I thought you were asleep and wouldn't notice.

I wonder what it means?

Probably the shrimp paste and eggplant I ate last night.

No, about my dream.

I wonder what it means.

It feels important.

- Would you look it up? - Okay, just a second.

It says here

it's because of the shrimp paste and eggplant that you ate last night.

I'm being serious.

[phone beeping]

I got an emergency weather alert

for dangerous rainfall.

[in English] Orange rainfall.

[Jaya in Tagalog] Great, another storm.

[unsettling music playing]

[water running]

[Arnel narrating]The Crab King's sleep was ruined

because the frogs laughed all night.

He angrily demanded to know what was so funny.

[birds chirping]

The frogs told the Crab King it wasn't their fault.

They blamed The Snail for making them laugh.

"The Snail walks around with his house on his back.

He looks ridiculous."

[wings flapping]

Hm... mm...

Hmm?

[grunting with effort]

Shit.

[soft music playing]

The Crab King agreed that it was The Snail's fault

and told his guards to fetch him.

[music rousing]

Oh!

Who's next?

Antonio. Fail.

[humming]

Crisanto.

- This child is brainless. - [in English] Good morning.

[in Tagalog] I made breakfast.

- [yelps] - [body thuds]

Ah...

- I was grading these tests all night. - [in English] Sorry.

[in Tagalog] Now they're covered in hot dog and pancit.

How am I supposed to turn this mess into the school office?

[in English] Sorry.

[in Tagalog] You're stressing me out.

[soft music playing]

[Jaya yelps]

[honking]

[Jaya narrating in Tagalog]Cyrus entered my life

like a breath of fresh air.

[engine fails]

[woman] We'll take an ice cream.

You want to buy this teddy bear?

Let me test it first.

[soft music continues]

[engine failing]

Need a hand?

I just got it fixed.

Let me help.

Buy this teddy bear.

Brand new. High quality.

Whose bear is it?

[Jaya narrating] He looked at me

like he wanted to take the answer with him to the grave...

like he'd never tell a soul.

But people always tell me their problems.

I guess I just have one of those faces.

Is this your job?

Teddy bear salesman / motorcycle model?

Broken motorcycle model.

[Jaya laughs]

Is the motorcycle broken or are you?

Both, I guess.

You're so mysterious.

I love solving mysteries.

[in English] Shit!

[in Tagalog] I'm so horny I could cry.

[chuckling]

[engine revs]

[upbeat music playing]

- [soft music playing] - [Jaya] Cyrus became my partner...

at home...

and on stage.

It was the longest

I'd ever been in a relationship.

I thought it was for life...

but maybe it was just a chapter.

- [ethereal music playing] - [children squealing]

[school bell ringing]

Okay, is that clear, Crisanto?

Why do you look like that?

Do you have a fever?

You are sweating so much. You're overheating.

Did you take any medicine?

Did your mom give you any money?

You kids should take better care.

Health is important, so always be careful.

Here, take this.

Take it right away, so that you feel better,

and pay me tomorrow.

[Jaya narrating] After being on TV, going back to teaching was painful.

Typhoon Yolanda left behind

a generation of traumatized children.

[sad music playing]

To survive in the classroom,

you had to become a therapist.

[muffled screaming]

[sighs] I'm so tired...

Low salary, high workload.

I don't know how much longer I can do this.

I'm starting to hate these kids.

- [girl] Mr. Andrade, is the lesson over? - [yelps]

I'm sorry, yes, yes.

Please be careful going home.

Give my regards to your parents.

[melancholy music playing]

[Jaya narrating]What's the point of being reliable,

when the world increasingly isn't?

[dance music playing]

- [insects chirping] - [frogs croaking]

[Arnel narrating] Typhoon Yolanda killed many women in my family.

It destroyed my Aunt's home next door.

[engine revving]

Then the frogs moved into the neighborhood.

I hear them at night, laughing themselves to sleep.

[TV playing indistinct]

[knocking]

- [friend] I brought you some food. - I already ate.

- What are you watching? - Nothing.

[in English] Okay, good night.

[TV continues playing indistinct]

- [upbeat music playing] - [sizzling]

[Arnel narrating in Tagalog]In the years after the storm,

I watched you age by decades.

You carried so much for us...

I'm sorry I couldn't take more weight off your shoulders.

[dance music playing]

- [Cyrus laughing] - [in English] Oh, come on!

Come on! Hey!

[in Tagalog] Ms. Gay Sicogon has a duo contest.

- We're too old for that. - Shh!

- We could win! - It's not likely.

[in English] No, no, no, no, no! Miss Gay Sicogon!

[Cyrus in Tagalog] We're too old.

[in English] Come on, baby. Dance, baby.

- Come on. Come on. - [in Tagalog] We wouldn't have a chance.

Let's dance!

[Cyrus humming]

- [water pouring] - [humming continues]

[groaning lightly]

[Jaya in Tagalog] My God! I've been working too much.

Cyrus and I had a few too many, now I'm hungover.

- I need something for my-- - This is good for hangovers.

Oh, yes, great.

Hey, it's Ms. Gay Sicogon!

Those vegetables are old.

At least three weeks old.

I can't believe she won Ms. Gay Sicogon

- You are way prettier than her. - Damn right, sister.

I bet they won because they knew the judges.

[upbeat music playing]

- [school bell ringing] - [student] In Palompon,

there were 10 giant bat colonies.

Each colony had about 10,000 bats.

That means, before Typhoon Yolanda,

there were over 100,000 bats.

But now, all the bats are gone.

[snoring]

[mumbling indistinct]

[snoring]

[mumbling]

[alarm blaring]

[screaming] Hide! Hide!

Thank you for that boring presentation.

Hide! Hide everyone! Dear Mother, here it comes!

Everyone hide! [in English] My God!

[screaming]

[in Tagalog] I'm so scared!

[alarm continues blaring]

- [resumes screaming] - [alarm stops]

[chairs dragging across floor]

Oh, mm...

[in English] Thank you. Well, actually...

[switching to Tagalog] That was a storm drill.

When you hear that sound,

we have reached the new "level 6" storm.

You know what you're going to do.

Okay, then... Who's next?

Arnel.

Arnel.

Arnel!

How's your father? Is he working?

He's fine.

The anniversary of your mother's death is coming up soon.

How are you, Arnel?

Fine.

You need to be good and focus on school,

[principal's voice becomes muffled] so you can graduate

and find a good job.

- [children playing distantly] - [birds chirping]

[distorted singing into the fan]

[in English] Hello, sir.

[in Tagalog] Why did you scare the children earlier?

I just said to run and hide,

because they need to be afraid of storms.

When the calamity comes, if you and I are dead,

at least the kids will know what to do.

They'll be able to get to safety.

They won't depend on the teachers.

[distant phone ringing]

Why would you think that?

That's stupid. They're not sure of what you are.

You're not completely a man,

but not really a woman either.

So be respectful if you want to be respected.

Well, sir...

if you are talking about respect,

I teach all the subjects.

I make all the lesson plans.

I'm teaching first grade to junior high.

I deserve more respect.

What about you? Can you demand respect?

Does your wife know

you sleep with other women?

Also, your son looks like a horse.

You know what to do.

I'll just resign, sir.

If they don't want me, I don't want them.

Okay, you know what's best for you.

[upbeat music playing]

What were you thinking?

Don't yell, I just put on mascara!

The eyelashes are the most sensitive part of the face.

We have no money. You need to be working.

We'll enter the contest in Sicogon.

We'll win for sure. Look at these cheekbones!

We're too old, we'll never win!

Shh, hurry up!

[in English] Good evening, ladies and gentlemen!

[switching to Tagalog] We are your company for the night!

We're here to bring the laughs,

and, most importantly,

to bring your fantasies to life.

[in English] Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome my partner.

[switching to Tagalog] The man who makes me believe in true beauty,

Cyrus!

Please welcome Jaya.

[muffled music playing]

Tsk, tsk, tsk,

tsk, tsk.

[in Tagalog] I can't believe it.

That audience had no energy.

But you, you're amazing.

Yup, you're amazing.

You truly are.

[sighs]

[in English] My hero.

What's that?

- [suspenseful music playing] - [sizzling]

[burping]

Oh, wow!

It's a frog smoking a cigarette.

So macho.

[burping]

- [exclaims] - [Cyrus farts]

[Jaya in Tagalog] Do you remember the thick guy

who owns the bar in Palompon?

He just messaged me.

He needs performers for tonight.

Can we talk about this later?

I just woke up.

I haven't even had my coffee yet.

Please!

This gig could pay for the trip to the Ms. Gay pageant.

I'll use the fee to pay for the ferry.

I have to work,

and I'm not going to skip work for one show.

Fine.

I'll go to Palompon.

Meet me there tomorrow.

[chuckles]

Tonight's show will be great and the fee will pay for the whole trip.

You just meet me at the ferry terminal in Palompon tomorrow.

Then we can go to Sicogon together.

Don't be so fussy. Just meet me tomorrow, okay?

At the terminal!

Hey, Jonathan? Don't eat all my plants.

You're sloppy, you need a manicure.

Looking good.

[upbeat music playing]

- Where you headed? - That way.

[upbeat music continues]

- Hey, you! Pesky kids! - Shut up, old man!

Don't mind him, let's just play.

[slow music playing]

Nel, come on, it will be fun.

- I don't think so. - Why not?

- I need to go home. - Come on.

- I don't think so. - Really?

- I'm not coming. - Okay.

- [rhythmic music playing] - [insects chirping]

[indistinct chatter]

[door squeaks]

[TV clicks on]

[unzips backpack]

[unsettling music playing]

[laughing]

[deep laughter echoing]

[dramatic music playing]

[dog barking]

[unsettling music playing]

[Arnel narrating] Eventually, The Snail was brought to the Crab King.

The King asked,

[deeper voice] "Why do you carry your house on your back?

You look ridiculous.

You made my guards laugh and ruined my beauty sleep."

[normal voice]So The Snail blamed The Firefly,

because the firefly flies around and he's literally on fire.

[higher-pitched voice]"I keep my house with me

so The Firefly won't burn it down."

[normal voice] The King agreed that The Firefly was dangerous,

and demanded that The Firefly be brought to him.

[in Tagalog] Thank you all so much!

This is Jaya, join me next time!

[in English] Goodbye! God bless us all, everyone!

[smooches]

[scattered applause]

[in Tagalog] You're sexy.

- Are those real? - Why?

Let me feel them.

You move fast.

- What's your name? - Jaya.

Have you been here long?

Kind of.

- Where are you from? - Just a nearby town.

- Whereabouts? - Why are you asking?

I'm just curious.

[laughing] You're such a flirt.

What are you hoping would happen?

- Nothing, really. - I know better, you men are all the same.

- Can I have your phone number? - My phone number?

We both know this ends with you asking me for money.

You milk gays for money, and the gays end up in tears.

[engine revving]

[man 1 in English] No, mate, I understand, but I'm only gonna pay half.

You know? I've been covering all of these.

- [man 2] Don't give me the change, man. - [man 1] This?

I'm not going to be the only one paying for this.

I've been covering so much of this. We got--

- Yeah, yeah, yeah, we-- - We gotta sort this out,

'cause I got-- I got all the--

I got the Vegemite, you know?

- I don't know. - You getting cheeky.

No, but it's not gonna be enough to even touch the side!

- [engine revving] - [muffled conversation]

- You understand? - I figured...

- [indistinct] - [man 1] This is our stop.

- [man 2] All right. - This is our stop.

This is us. All right.

- Don't worry, mate. - [coins clinking]

[man 1] Stacey! Stacey, we're here!

[honking]

[brakes screeching]

[upbeat music playing]

[in English] Hi, boss!

[in Tagalog] It looks like we made a killing tonight.

Here's your cut.

Boss, is this all I get? This isn't enough.

That's all the profit we made.

Boss, this isn't what we agreed on.

- It's imperative I have the full amount. - That's everything. Go home!

Boss, have some pity! I have travel expenses to cover.

- Life's a bitch. - Just go home.

I work my ass off and still don't get paid right.

- What a shitty thing to do. - The nerve of this idiot.

No wonder all your employees quit!

Get out of here! Go!

- Don't touch me! - Get out of here!

[soft music playing]

[Jaya narrating]From a very young age,

I knew exactly who I was.

My stepmother was the first person to punish me for it.

She put a lock on the refrigerator.

So I ran away from home.

[pensive music playing]

I spent years

saving every 20 peso bill...

until the stack was big enough

for me to take it back home

- and slap my stepmother with it. - [distant laughter echoing]

The day of my revenge has finally come!

Jaya is here.

Jaya is here to collect for all the times you bullied her.

Mr. Andrade?

No, no that's not me. I've never seen you in my entire life.

Please, help me.

I'm not at the school anymore, I'm not your teacher.

What help could I possibly give you?

I need to get to my father in Sicogon.

But all my money fell in the street.

Oh, no, where?

Hold my hair.

- [brakes screeching] - [honking]

[whimsical music playing]

You're an animal!

Where are you going?

I'm going to Sicogon, there's a big contest there.

Can I join you? I've never been there before.

How much money do you have?

[in English] Five hundred seventy.

[in Tagalog] If you're coming, I don't want any trouble from you.

I'm not responsible for you.

You can join me if you take care of my belongings, okay?

Don't let these out of your sight. I have lots of valuables.

And most importantly,

when we order food, you're paying.

You can take me to my accommodations.

- How? - My ride's over there.

Where are you going?

- It's the other one. - Shit.

You're being fussy.

Do you need to be so fussy?

[sighs, speaks indistinct]

[in English] Go.

[whimsical music continues]

Where are you staying? I don't see a hotel.

Eyes on the road.

Over here.

Here, here.

Right there.

Park here. This is us.

I'll go first.

[light grunting]

[groans] Arnel.

Arnel.

Wake up.

- Let's eat. - Where?

[upbeat music playing]

Cyrus,

why aren't you replying to any of my calls and texts?

I'm worried about you.

Call me back immediately,

as soon as you hear my message, okay?

[in English] I love you.

[Cyrus humming]

[Jaya narrating in Tagalog]Cyrus and his ex

had paid a woman to have a child for them.

[somber music playing]

But after the child was born,

she didn't want it to have gay parents.

So she kept it.

The heartbreak soured Cyrus' relationship.

He was left to pick up the pieces...

selling what he could to get by.

[Cyrus]I have dreamed a dream.

But now that dream is gone from me.

- Who said that? Moses? - No.

It's Morpheus, The Matrix.

Did you know Laurence Fishburne

lived in the Philippines?

He was 14-years-old,

making Apocalypse Now.

He said Filipinos

made him feel more welcome here

than he felt in America.

Really? Is it true?

- It's true. - Nice.

[bus rattling]

A man shouldn't be putting on make-up.

[British accent] Oh, my dear, I'm not from your country.

I'm from London, England.

And men there do wear make-up.

And even the Queen had a penis.

- [brakes screech] - [Jaya yelps]

[upbeat music playing]

- [in Tagalog] Shit. - Shit.

[soft music playing]

Ma'am, would you like to buy a pair of sunglasses?

Oh, I'm fine.

These are made in Italy.

Where are you all going?

Our water wells

have been contaminated with salt

ever since the super typhoon.

[soft music continues]

So twice a day we go to the next town to get water.

Where are you headed?

We're looking for a ride to the port in Palompon.

Oh, no, ma'am, you're going the wrong way.

Dear God, no.

Palompon is that way.

Ma'am, take these glasses.

Yours are stylish, but you'll find these more practical.

Bye now, ma'am.

Hmm...

[birds chirping]

[thundering]

This is dreadful.

Where are we?!

[yells, whines]

[crying] I don't want this anymore!

What is this terrible place? We will starve out here.

There must be a McDonald's nearby.

McDonald's?! We won't even find drinking water!

What kind of a life is this?! Just one cruelty after another.

That's it.

You had water all this time! Why didn't you say anything?

[birds chirping]

If I don't make it in time for the registration,

I'll be disqualified and this whole trip will be a waste.

Oh, my God.

I see keys. I wonder who this belongs to?

I don't know. Maybe over there?

[upbeat music playing]

Hello?

Ma'am, can we pay for a ride in your truck?

We can't, we're in the middle of a harvest.

We need to load all these coconuts into the truck

and then take them to the ferry.

We'll help carry them, then we can all get to the ferry faster.

- Okay, sure. - Thank you, thank you.

[farmer narrating]This land is ours,

this was passed down through countless generations of my family.

Unfortunately,

Typhoon Yolanda destroyed a lot of trees.

We planted everything again,

but it takes six years

for new trees to produce coconuts.

The land is what gives us food, it is sacred.

Yes, ma'am, the Earth is sacred, but not as sacred as time.

Hurry up!

Oh, wait, my husband.

Hey, let's go!

[Jaya] This will take days.

Wow.

[grumbling]

[farmer's husband] Wait, I have to pee!

Are you serious?

What is going on?

[upbeat music playing]

Your son carries your stuff for you. You raised him well.

No, he's not my son.

[in English] Yes! [switching to Tagalog] We did it!

We did.

[upbeat music continues]

[engine stops]

[man 1] Try it, then.

- [engine fails] - It's not working.

Good God, man.

I better not have to sleep in this boat.

[soft guitar music playing]

[indistinct chatter and laughter at bar]

♪ Just an ordinary song ♪

♪ To a special girl like you ♪

♪ From a simple guy ♪

♪ Who's so in love with you ♪

♪ I may not have much to show ♪

♪ No diamonds that glow ♪

♪ No limousines ♪

♪ To take you where you go... ♪

[instrumental song continues]

[rolling lips]

[in English] Betty Botter bought a bit of butter,

but she said: "This butter's bitter.

If I put this in my batter, it will make my batter bitter."

So Betty Botter bought a bit of butter

and it made her batter bitter.

[in Tagalog] Have you ever worn make-up?

Yeah.

My mom used to paint the nails of a lot of the women in our neighborhood.

- Do you have lavender purple nail polish? - Mm!

[soft music playing]

[Arnel's Mom narrating] So The Firefly was brought before the Crab King.

The Firefly immediately asked to be forgiven.

"Sorry if my fire worries you, my King.

Please understand,

I need this flame

to protect myself from The Mosquitoes.

Have you ever been bitten by a mosquito?

They suck blood, it hurts so much."

Finally,

the Crab King had found the true culprit.

The Crab King had found the true culprit--

[repeating, echoing] The Crab King had found the true culprit.

So The Crab King summoned The Mosquito.

Next time, don't use a broken boat, asshole.

Ay!

[upbeat music playing]

[Jaya gargling]

[Arnel laughing]

[music ends]

[boat dragging]

[Raul] Thank you, Niko. You're good at this.

Thank you, sir.

Are you interested in other work?

It's a special job. I've been looking for the right person.

What kind of work is it?

[Raul narrating] Niko, you may be too young to remember this.

When Yolanda hit,

wealthy capitalists came to develop our island.

Armed men came.

They were uniformed corporate guards.

They blocked food supplies from entering the city.

- [dramatic music playing] - All the crops

were uprooted.

They took it all.

All of our crops. The bananas,

sweet potato,

even the small vegetable gardens.

Many of the homes

were destroyed and burned.

They had long rifles.

They came into our homes.

They took our belongings.

They starved us out and many people left the island.

[dramatic music continues]

There are only 874 families left.

They decided to stay on this island

to continue fighting for their rights.

This is the cruelty we experienced.

[voice breaking] Even worse than Yolanda.

[both sobbing]

That's the truth about what we endured.

Some of the things they took from us...

are probably there in that resort.

Oh, why haven't you started eating yet?

Go ahead, eat.

- Do I look like a dog? - Why?

- Look at this. - It's bones.

Exactly.

Only dogs eat this way.

Well, that's what they gave us.

Did you even complain? We paid full price for this.

The food is so expensive here, and you are okay with this?

What the heck?!

Hello, ma'am.

[in English] Excuse me.

[in Tagalog] Do I look like a dog to you?

Not really.

- So what's this then? - What's are you talking about?

It's dog food! You can't serve me this.

[in English] Okay. [in Tagalog] We'll give you another one.

It shouldn't be like that, we paid your high prices.

You should be giving us proper servings.

Fine. You didn't like it.

You're making me lose my appetite.

- And free spring rolls for everyone! - Thank you!

No free food.

- Shit. - Shit.

Next time, you should complain about these things.

How are you going to survive if you don't fight back?

Eat plenty, you should fill yourself up.

[in English] Thank you.

[in Tagalog] Let me get a little back.

I gave you a bit too much. Okay, then, eat.

My friend Angelo

says his friend's sister

saw our belongings

being kept in a storage locker

inside the guard house.

I'll give you a tool to pick the lock.

To get there,

you pass here,

by the side of the swimming pool.

This is the...

Uh... uh...

cottage... it's right there.

This is where you pass, here.

Then you come around behind the guard house.

Wait until 3:15pm.

The guard will be making his rounds,

then the guard house will be empty.

[suspenseful music playing]

[chameleon burps]

[Niko in English] Sorry, sir.

[switching to Tagalog] I don't think I'm right for this job.

[wind blowing]

[Arnel]I think my Dad lives in that house.

I'll wait here.

[distant chatter]

[laughter]

[soft music playing]

[chickens clucking]

Thank you for coming and blessing our new family.

[guests] Long live the newlyweds!

Arnel?

- [dramatic music playing] - [Jaya] Hey!

What are you doing?

Faster.

Where are you going?

Did you find your Dad?

Did he give you the money?

- Wait for me. - Is that your father?

- Wait up. - Is that him?

I miss your mother so much, but it's been a year.

I'm allowed to remarry now.

You couldn't wait a year and a day?

You can't blame me just because I want to be happy.

[Jaya] Can we pull over? This argument's getting expensive.

Give me money for Mom's commemoration.

[dramatic music continues]

[wind blowing]

[Jaya narrating]When I was 8 years old,

my Mother hired a tricycle.

I noticed she was crying, but I didn't know why.

She took me to a neighborhood I had never been to...

to the house of a man I had never met.

She said,

"This is your real father. You will be safe here."

Not long after that she died of cancer.

Some memories, we want to live on.

We want them to stay.

But it's not possible.

I only have one photo of my mother.

She is kissing me on our way to school.

There is some writing on the back.

[voice breaking] "You are the best thing that ever happened to me.

Never forget,

you have a mother who loves you."

[sniffles]

I was a child when I lost my mother.

There was so much pain...

so much sacrifice...

but I got through it, because...

I needed to keep living.

I had to fight for my life.

Even if all the people that loved you are gone..

even if you feel completely alone...

you must keep fighting.

You need to fight because you still have a whole life to live.

It's one of the many challenges you will overcome.

[sentimental music playing]

[sniffles]

[Jaya] A wise man once said:

"Grief changes shape...

but it never ends."

Who said that? Jesus?

No. It was Keanu Reeves.

[both laugh]

You will eventually learn to see your mother.

I see my mom in flowers,

sometimes I see her in the beauty of a bird.

A bird stole my lunch.

Then that wasn't your mother.

Maybe not, it was just a seagull.

- [sentimental music playing] - [thundering]

[alarm blaring]

[cell phone ringing]

[in English] Hello?

Hello?

Cyrus?

- [switching to Tagalog] Where are you? - Shh!

- [Amelia] Are you okay? - [in English] I'm okay, ma'am.

[in Tagalog] I just need more stability.

[voice breaking] You can't do this to me, Cyrus.

I'm sorry.

I hope you find what you're looking for.

Where are your parents?

I'm here with my teacher.

[crying]

They're my former teacher.

This is the church where we took shelter during Yolanda.

[soft music playing]

[Amelia narrating] I've seen a lot of typhoons in my life,

but Yolanda was the biggest and strongest.

My sister was taken by the waves.

We were able to find her.

Thank God, she was still alive.

None of our houses were left standing,

they were all blown away by the storm.

The next day,

a helicopter showed up.

This big corporation came

and offered us rice and food.

They had forms for us to sign.

If we took their offer, we had to sign them,

so we didn't take it.

If we signed the paper, they would've forced us to leave.

We would have signed away our rights

to keep living on the island.

To this day,

they keep harassing us.

Because we refuse to leave this place.

[sniffles]

[Arnel narrating] By the time The Mosquito arrived before the Crab King,

the King had become very impatient.

He screamed at The Mosquito,

"Why did you bite The Firefly?"

The Mosquito didn't like the way the Crab King spoke to him.

So he bit the King right in the face.

Then the King crushed and killed The Mosquito

with one of his claws.

[upbeat music playing]

[sentimental music playing]

[upbeat music resumes]

[waves breaking]

[somber music playing]

I need your help.

[soft music playing]

[wind blowing]

[unsettling music playing]

Mom?

[thunderclap]

[thunderclap]

- [light snoring] - [gasps]

[Jaya] The resort is supposed to be along this road.

[Arnel] Do you believe in God?

If you want to know about my faith,

just look at my work.

I help people forget about their troubles.

If that's not God's work, I don't know what is.

[soft music playing]

[Arnel] Do you think God is punishing us?

[Jaya] God is not punishing us.

God is always sharing His love with us.

He just might be a sadist.

[Arnel] I'm being serious.

Doesn't it feel like God is punishing us?

It's not punishment.

It's a consequence of concentrated power.

What do you mean?

Do you know why we're called "Filipinos"?

[in English] Uh-huh, King Philip II of Spain.

[Jaya in Tagalog] Yeah, so that means when he sent his armies out to sea,

they returned and said,

"We found the most beautiful place in the world!

A paradise made up of 7,000 islands,

where they speak over 100 languages

and so many plants and animals we've never seen before!"

King Philip heard all that and he said,

"You know what that reminds me of?

Me!"

That's concentrated power.

King Philip wanted all of this.

People who want too much, do too much.

[Arnel] I think I understand.

[Jaya] The colonizers came from the other side of the ocean.

Do you know how power crazed you have to be

to build a boat and paddle it around the world?

All to kill some people and take their pineapples!

But pineapples weren't enough.

So they built factories to feed their appetites.

They fueled them by digging up the dead.

The Earth takes millions of years

to turn 25 tons of decomposing plants into a liter of petrol.

Plants absorb sunlight and then slowly turn into fossil fuels.

The energy we burn in a year

is more than four centuries of buried sunlight.

[Arnel] And I still can't charge my phone.

[Jaya] Exactly, concentrated power.

Call it "climate change."

Call it "God's wrath."

Warlords stole the land,

then they dug it up to burn the dead.

You disturb that many spirits...

and there will be hell to pay.

Hold it, hold it, hold it, hold it.

Where are you going, ma'am?

We're here for the Ms. Gay pageant.

All right, I just need to check you. Okay?

[in English] Sure! Oh!

[switching to Tagalog] Here's another one.

- Are we okay now? - Yes, come in.

[upbeat music playing]

[pensive music playing]

I registered us for the pageant.

I'm sure I made all these gays nervous.

Do you know the story of this place?

Why are you asking me this?

Just think about your dance steps.

You need to focus!

This land was stolen during Yolanda.

We were with them last night.

So, what do you want me to do?

You aren't even strong enough to snap bamboo.

What are you going to do about this entire building?

I just thought you'd want to know.

Okay. Go to the washroom and get ready.

[Arnel narrating]Here's the thing about mosquitoes.

They have large families

and lots of friends.

So if you kill a mosquito,

there will be many more coming for you.

[soft music playing]

[Arnel yelps]

[in English] Sorry.

[switching to Tagalog] I really don't like it here.

Maybe you're right.

Let's go.

[soft music playing]

[whistling]

[whistling]

Mother! How are you?

We quit the contest at the resort.

I thought about your struggle and decided it wasn't right.

And how are you?

What did you tell them?

Nothing. We just left.

Go back there and tell them why.

Tell them you know what they did here.

That way, you'll actually help.

[in English] Hello!

[switching to Tagalog] I was here earlier today,

I just stepped outside

to get my hairstylist.

As well as my make-up artist.

Okay, go.

[soft music playing]

[in English] Miss.

[switching to Tagalog] We registered for the contest.

But after learning that this land is stolen,

I want my money back.

Is that right, Mother?

What's right about that? We were forced from our homes.

We inherited this land from our ancestors.

This resort stole our land!

We are the rightful owners of this land.

All this wealth is stolen.

Take a look at your infinity pool.

That was our drinking water! You took it!

We still have nowhere to live because of you.

You stopped us from rebuilding our homes!

You are responsible for so much needless suffering.

[Arnel narrating] So a swarm of mosquitoes came to the Crab King's palace

and they drove him away.

The King was so scared,

he ran and hid in a hole in the sand.

That's why mosquitoes buzz around your ear.

Because they think it looks like that hole in the sand

and they're all still waiting for the Crab to show his face again.

[man in English] Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome,

Jaya & Arnel!

Good evening, give us a round of applause!

Whoever doesn't clap,

will end up looking like her.

[laughter]

We're here to lighten the mood.

I have been through

what you are going through now.

This reminds me of a time with my mother...

Now I'm crying, friends.

There was a time in our lives

when we had nothing left to eat.

My mother said she needed to eat rice.

All we had left in the house was a single banana,

but because I loved my family,

I found a way to get it.

I went out to sell that single banana.

I walked the streets yelling,

"Come get this banana!

Come get this banana!"

Eventually a man came up to me and said,

"Hey, ladyboy, give me that banana!"

"Oh, please don't, sir.

I need to sell this banana

to buy rice for my mother."

"No, ladyboy, give me that banana right now."

As a young ladyboy, I was meek and fearful,

so I gave him that banana.

But he stepped on the banana, over and over.

Then I thought of my mother.

So I picked up that mushed banana

and I still tried to sell it.

I walked the streets saying,

"Banana Fritter!

- Banana Fritter!" - [laughter]

Another man came up to me and--

You look like him, actually.

He said, "Hey, ladyboy, give me that fritter."

I said, "Please, don't, sir!

I need to sell this so I can feed my mother some rice."

"No, give me that fritter!"

He grabbed my fritter

and he urinated all over it.

He really pissed on it!

Again, I thought of my Mother.

I had nothing left to sell,

so I picked up the pissed on fritter

and walked the street, saying,

"Sweet banana coconut desert!

Sweet banana coconut desert!"

This wig was already ugly, but somehow the fire is making it uglier.

[raucous laughter]

[soft music playing]

- Do you know what you are? - What do you see?

A long time ago,

our ancestors throughout the Philippine islands

had spiritual leaders

in every community.

Oh, yes, they were called the "Babaylan," women healers.

Ah, yes.

However, there were also men

who looked like women.

They would wear long clothing

and they also grew their hair long.

Just like you.

We called them "Asog."

[sentimental music playing]

[Arnel narrating]Mosquitoes have short lives.

They spend half their life searching for blood...

... and the other half telling this really long story to their children.

A mosquito has a short life,

but a long memory.

[soft music playing]

[Arnel] I am with you,

as I keep your fire burning.

[voicemail in English]Hello, this is Cyrus.

♪ Leave a message after the beep. ♪

[beep]

Cyrus...

I'm...

[in English] Sorry.

[uplifting music playing]

[crying]

[crying] Oh, my God.

[switching to Tagalog] Why?

[in English] Oh, my God...

Oh, my God...

[sweeping music playing]

[Jaya narrating]We did our best to rebuild our home.

We applied for new permanent housing.

We got support from a non-profit organization.

They helped us find new housing far from the ocean.

We are together.

When someone tells me a new story about you...

something I've never heard before...

[music continues]

I am with you,

as I live according to your teachings.

[Arnel] We are together,

as I take everything you gave me

and do my best to return it.

[Jaya] We waited two years for our new home.

Getting to wait together was a blessing.

[upbeat music playing]

Go on, get off my land.

[upbeat music continues]

[inaudible chanting]

[upbeat music continues]

[buzzing]

[upbeat music continues]

[soft music playing]

[music ends]