Norte, the End of History

Norte, the End of History starts with a chat in a bar about ideology and the 21st century, the absolute freedom of the individual and responsibility, capitalism and Karl Marx.
Frustrated because so many corrupt politicians and crooks get off scot-free in the Philippines, the down-and-out law student Fabian tries to make a point. As he sinks deeper and deeper into an immoral and violent universe, the innocent Joaquin is thrown in jail and his wife and children try to keep their heads above water on the fringes of the coastal town of Laoag.
The film lasts for four hours and ten minutes and four years pass. The 12th feature by the Filipino long-duration filmmaker Lav Diaz, his first in colour, is again a monumental story, one that is certainly not only made up of lengthy static shots; a dizzying amount of things happen. By Diaz’ standards this work is not really very long anyway; his Melancholia (2009) lasted 480 minutes, Evolution of a Filipino Family (2004) even lasted 630 minutes.
See also Prologue to the Great Desaparecido in the compilation programme Two Grand Pianos in Spectrum Shorts.

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