Moonglow
In 1970s Manila, jaded police detective Dahlia commits a seemingly perfect heist. Disillusioned with the political elite and the corrupt origins of their wealth, she steals from the police chief and sends ripples behind closed doors. Unbeknownst to her colleagues as the mastermind of the heist, Dahlia is paired up with her former lover Charlie - a fastidious ex-cop and the chief’s nephew - to investigate the very crime she orchestrated.
Moonglow is an enigmatic neo-noir reminiscent of classical Hollywood cinema and a potent moral drama set against the backdrop of Marcos-era Philippines. Director-actress Isabel Sandoval’s refined stylistic signature graces the screen: cigarette smoke lingering in the air, silhouettes duelling in the shadows, poetic monologues, and glamorous set pieces. But the sensual beauty and romantic aura cover a more troubling tale of innocent individuals tunnelling their way through tightly woven webs of power and corruption, in search of romance and righteousness amid the dirt of the present.
